LONDON – TauRx Therapeutics Ltd. said it has recruited the first patients to two Phase III Alzheimer's disease trials in which it aims to provide the first definitive proof that breaking down tangles of tau protein in the brain has a disease-modifying effect in the mild to moderate stages of pathology.

LONDON – Initial tests of a new strategy aimed at killing the malaria parasite suggested that it may one day provide a fast and effective way of treating that infection.

Sanofi SA, which reported third-quarter results last week, placed its pipeline challenges front and center, noting "business [earnings per share] reflects patent expirations."

LONDON – Kymab Ltd. called up two industry veterans to help with the commercialization of its new platform technology for generating monoclonal antibodies in transgenic mice, as it prepares both to out-license access to the technology and use it to start an internal drug discovery effort.

Three years after a new drug application was first submitted for leukemia drug omacetaxine mepesuccinate, during which the product moved twice into different hands via M&A transactions, the FDA granted a long-awaited nod Friday.

• Domain Therapeutics SA, of Strasbourg, France, signed with Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, a collaboration agreement focused on discovering small molecules targeting G protein-coupled receptors.

LONDON – Oxford BioTherapeutics Ltd. (OBT) has landed a "transformational" deal with Menarini, in which the Italian pharma company is to invest €800 million (US$1 billion) in a portfolio of five antibody and antibody-conjugate drugs discovered by OBT.

LONDON – International Biotechnology Trust (IBT) reported strong returns for shareholders, driven by new drug approvals, high levels of merger and acquisition activity and the resilience of leading biotech companies in the current growth-stunting environment.

LONDON – A protein that determines how well cells can move and spread could provide a new target for drug designers who want to prevent metastasis of cancer cells.

LONDON – Summit plc is making headway with its two lead programs, winning a £4 million (US$6.42 million) translation award from the Wellcome Trust for clinical trials of SMT19969, a narrow-spectrum antibiotic for treating Clostridium difficile infections, and starting Phase II development of SMT-C1100, a treatment for Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD).