• AstraZeneca plc, of London, reported long-term safety data showing that Vimovo (naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium) 500/20 mg delayed-release tablets was generally well tolerated throughout the 12-month treatment period in osteoarthritis patients requiring daily nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and at risk for NSAID-associated gastric ulcers. Study findings were presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine meeting in National Harbor, Md. Vimovo, which gained U.S. approval last year, was co-developed by AstraZeneca and Pozen Inc., of Chapel Hill, N.C., under a 2006 agreement. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 3, 2006, and May 3, 2010.)

• Genentech Inc., of South San Francisco, a unit of Roche AG, said the second of two Phase III trials of Lucentis (ranibizumab) in patients with diabetic macular edema met its primary endpoint, showing that, after 24 months, a significantly greater number of patients who received Lucentis, compared to placebo, were able to read at least 15 additional letters on an eye chart. No new significant safety findings were observed. Genentech reported top-line data from the first Phase III trial at the Macula Society meeting in Boca Raton, Fla., earlier this month. (See BioWorld Today, March 11, 2011.)

• Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, a subsidiary of New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson, said data from an independent prospective study showed that treatment with Risperdal Consta (risperidone long-acting injection) was associated with a lower risk of hospitalization in patients with schizophrenia compared to treatment with other antipsychotics over a 12-month period. Those data were presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry meeting in Beerse, Belgium.

• Mersana Therapeutics Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., started a Phase Ib extension study of XMT-1001 , a DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor based on the company's Fleximer polymer conjugate platform, in second-line gastric cancer and second- and third-line non-small-cell lung cancer. The firm previously completed a Phase I trial, which determined the maximum tolerated dose of the drug to be 113 mg/m2 camptothecin equivalents and demonstrated safety and tolerability.

• TheraVida Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., reported positive Phase I data showing that THVD-201 exhibited no significant safety issues when given to 17 healthy subjects. The drug also demonstrated major improvements in the subjects' salivary output and related dry mouth side effect when given THVD-201 vs. anti-muscarinic tolterodine. THVD-201 is in development for overactive bladder and urge urinary incontinence.