An effective treatment could be found for one of the most aggressive pediatric cancers, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS).

The U.S. FDA has given Sonalasense Inc. a green light to conduct two clinical trials in life-threatening brain tumors using sonodynamic therapy (SDT) and SONALA-001, an intravenous proprietary formulation of 5-aminolevulinic acid, or ALA. The studies – in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) – mark the first time SDT will have been used in clinical trials.

Merck & Co. Inc. has snagged a $290 million development and marketing deal for Orion Corp.’s potential oral prostate cancer drug, ODM-208, which aims to suppress production of hormones that drive this form of cancer.