The second Phase III failure of an antisense drug in a week - this time, Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s first-generation alicaforsen for Crohn's disease - might have cast some doubt on the once-ballyhooed field, but Isis is sticking with the compound for ulcerative colitis on the basis of success in three Phase II studies. (BioWorld Today)
As many predicted, the FDA approved Biogen Idec Inc.'s multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri (formerly known as Antegren) as a combination and monotherapy for relapsing forms of the disease, but the company and partner Elan Corp. plc did not disclose pricing for the would-be blockbuster. (BioWorld Today)
Earlier this month when Biogen Idec Inc. at last unveiled one-year data from its Phase III trial known as AFFIRM, hopes of investors - not to mention multiple sclerosis patients - ran high for the would-be blockbuster Antegren (natalizumab).
When Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. nailed down its overseas marketing deal in July 2003 with Ortho Biotech Products LP for the multiple myeloma drug Velcade (approved two months earlier), investors sat up and took notice. (BioWorld Financial Watch)
