• 4-Antibody AG signed a research alliance with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) for research and clinical development of targets related to suppression of the immune response in cancer. The Basel, Switzerland-based company will use its Retrocyte Display platform to generate human antibodies against relevant disease targets, and the LICR will move those targets into early clinical testing to demonstrate the feasibility of reversing immunosuppression in cancer.
• AstraZeneca plc, of London, inked a co-promotion agreement in Japan with Tokyo-based Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. for denosumab for the treatment of bone disorders stemming from bone metastasis. Daiichi acquired rights to the RANK ligand inhibitor in 2007 from Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and filed a Japanese new drug application in August 2010. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. (See BioWorld Today, July 13, 2007.)
• Centella Therapeutics Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Varian Medical Systems Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., is collaborating with Cancer Research UK, of London, and Cancer Research Technology to develop, manufacture and study new drug CEN-209 in cancer patients with solid tumors. CEN-209 was discovered at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre and is exclusively licensed to Centella from UniServices Ltd. in New Zealand.
• Idera Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., presented preclinical results relating to its gene silencing oligonucleotide (GSO) technology at the TIDES: Oligonucleotide and Peptide Research, Technology, and Product Development conference in Boston, being held this week. The data demonstrated that GSOs targeting MyD88 suppressed MyD88 mRNA in vitro, and inhibited MyD88-dependent induction of cytokines and chemokines in mouse models.
• Marina Biotech Inc., of Bothell, Wash., reported data demonstrating increased hybridization affinity and activity with the company's Conformationally Restricted Nucleotide technology that ultimately could lead to the development of nucleic acid-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancers and other diseases. The company said the data were presented at TIDES Oligonucleotide and Peptide Research, Technology and Product Development in Boston.
• NeuroHealing Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Newton, Mass., said the European Commission granted orphan drug designation for NH001 for treating patients following moderate or severe traumatic brain injury. NH001, a dopaminergic agonist, is in Phase II testing. It previously received orphan designation in the U.S.
• Paladin Labs Inc., of Montreal, filed a new drug submission with Health Canada for Oralair, a sublingual grass pollen immunotherapy treatment for allergic rhinitis. Oralair is intended to replace cumbersome grass allergen injections with an improved safety profile. Paladin acquired Canadian rights to Oralair from Stallergenes SA, of Antony, France, in 2007, along with Actair, for dust mites, and Stalair, for birch pollen.
• Spherix Inc., of Bethesda, Md., said it regained compliance with the Nasdaq minimum bid price listing requirement.
• Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Mississauga, Ontario, agreed to acquire AB Sanitas, of Kaunas, Lithuania, for about €314 million (US$442.9 million) in cash, in addition to the assumption of about €50 million in debt. Sanitas is a publicly traded specialty pharmaceuticals firm boasting a branded generics product portfolio consisting of 390 products in nine countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe.