A Phase II trial miss is usually nothing to shout about, but Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. put an optimistic gloss on macitentan's failure to demonstrate efficacy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), emphasizing its favorable safety profile, which could augur well for an ongoing Phase III trial in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Six-month follow-up data from ThromboGenics NV's Phase III program for its ophthalmology drug Ocriplasmin (microplasmin) confirm top-line data it reported last year and keep the drug on track for a regulatory filing in the coming weeks.

4-Antibody AG gained further validation for its Retrocyte Display proprietary human antibody platform, in the shape of a collaboration agreement with Human Genome Sciences Inc. (HGS), which will initially entail two discovery programs involving HGS-supplied targets. (BioWorld International)

The intellectual property surrounding a certain class of cancer molecules has found a new home in Tube Pharmaceuticals GmbH, a Vienna-based start-up, which recently closed a seed funding round of €1 million (US$1.4 million).