Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA and its partner, Zambon SpA, remain on track to file for approval for safinamide as add-on therapy in Parkinson's disease in the fourth quarter, following the release of pivotal Phase III data at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in San Diego this week

Santarus Inc., of San Diego, published results from its Phase III (CORE II) study of Uceris (budesonide) extended-release tablets for ulcerative colitis in the gut...Trevena Inc., King of Prussia, Pa., said that Phase I, first-in-man studies of TRV130 will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in San Diego, March 19

Visionary Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, obtained a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research award to develop small-molecule retinoic acid-related orphan receptor (ROR) modulators targeting TH17 T-lymphocytes in inflammatory bowel disease

The New York-based company has more than 20 programs across the network of labs that are located in San Diego, San Francisco, Boston and New York...J&J also has a no-strings-attached incubator within its San Diego Janssen Labs facility to house biotech startups. (See BioWorld Today, October 18, 2011.) "It's an experiment to begin with, but has really demonstrated the power of relationship building," Keeney said

The class includes approved GLP-1 drugs exenatide, marketed as Byetta and Bydureon by San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Victoza (liraglutide) from Bagsvaerd, Denmark-based Novo Nordisk A/S

the money goes to a consortium led by NovImmune focused on treating hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis 10/16/12 Pfenex Inc. (San Diego) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases $2.18 Grant To develop an alternative delivery method for its recombinant protective antigen-based anthrax vaccine 10/18/12 PTC Therapeutics Inc. (Plainfield, N.J.) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases $1 Grant To discover antiviral agents for the treatment of dengue fever 10/23/12 RXi

Apricus Biosciences Inc., of San Diego, said it intends to cease financing its French subsidiaries, Finesco SAS, its French holding company, Scomedica SAS, its French sales company and NexMed Pharma SAS, its marketing company...Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Henderson, Nev., said it gained global development and commercialization rights to Captisol-enabled, propylene glycol-free melphalan from Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego

Ceregene Inc., of San Diego, said it completed enrollment in its Phase II study of CERE-110 (AAV-NGF), a gene therapy product designed to deliver nerve growth factor (NGF) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Receptos Inc., of San Diego, said it entered a development license and option agreement for a humanized anti-interleukin-13 antibody asset from AbbVie, of Chicago

However, the timing couldn't be worse for San Diego-based Ambit, which last month filed an S-1 with the SEC seeking to raise up to $57.5 million in a proposed initial public offering (IPO), with the funds used to continue development of quizartinib. (See BioWorld Today, Feb. 22, 2013.) The S-1 also indicated that existing stockholders had agreed to purchase additional shares at the public offering price in a separate private placement

Lithera Inc., of San Diego, said the first patient was treated with LIPO-202 (salmeterol xinafoate for injection) in its 500-patient Phase IIb RESET trial

Adventrx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, completed its corporate name change to Mast Therapeutics Inc., and said its new stock ticker, "MSTX," is listed on the NYSE

2/20/13 Trius Therapeutics Inc. (San Diego) TR-701 Tedizolid phosphate Acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections Hit all primary and secondary endpoints in pivotal Phase III trial vs

San Diego) GL-ONC1 Administered intrapleurally as a single-agent therapy Malignant pleural effusion Treated the first patient in a Phase I trial 2/7/13 Orion Corp. (Espoo, Finland) ODM-201 Cancer compound Advanced prostate cancer Phase I data showed promising signs of efficacy...San Diego) ANX-188 An aqueous solution of purified poloxamer 188 Sickle cell disease Began dosing patients in a QT/QTc study 2/12/13 CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IntraCellular Therapies Inc. (New York) ITI-214 Phosphodiesterase 1

Cadence Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, inked a supply agreement with Laboratorios Grifols S.A...Receptos Inc., of San Diego, said it has successfully determined a novel protein crystal structure of an undisclosed proprietary G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug discovery target for Ono Pharmaceutical Co

Cylene Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said it entered an exclusive, worldwide option and license agreement allowing TetraGene LLC, of Tucson, Ariz., to advance the development of Quarfloxin and Cylene's associated cancer quadruplex-targeting technologies...Santarus Inc., of San Diego, and VeroScience LLC, of Tiverton, R.I., said a review article and recommendations of an American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists panel concluded that treatment with Cycloset (bromocritpine mesylate) may

Cytori Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, named Steven Kesten executive vice president and chief medical officer...OncoSec Medical Inc., of San Diego, appointed Sanjiv S. Agarwala, Axel Hauschild, Kim A. Margolin and Vernon K. Sondak to its new melanoma advisory board (MAB) and named Adil I. Daud chairman of the MAB

Carolus Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, received $2.25 million in a debt facility from Square 1 Bank to support the company's future growth

MEI Pharma Inc., of San Diego, added Thomas C. Reynolds to its board...Receptos Inc., of San Diego, appointed Graham Cooper chief financial officer