Many acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who achieve remission after a round of chemotherapy currently have only one medical recourse available: Wait for the cancer to come back.
Seattle-based Dendreon Corp., which made headlines throughout 2011 due to slower-than-expected sales of prostate cancer vaccine Provenge (sipuleucel-T), agreed to sell its royalty interest related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug Victrelis (boceprevir) for $125 million in cash.
NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. completed its new drug application (NDA) submission for Gattex (teduglutide) in short bowel syndrome (SBS), seeking a priority six-month review that could see the orphan drug on the market in the first half of next year.
Pozen Inc. is beefing up its balance sheet by trading royalties for marketed migraine drug Treximet (sumatriptan/naproxen sodium) in exchange for $75 million in cash, a move the Chapel Hill, N.C.-based firm said will put it on solid financial footing as it starts partnering negotiations for PA32540, a gastrointestinal-friendly aspirin candidate in late-stage development.
Back in July, it looked like Transcept Pharmaceutical Inc.'s insomnia drug Intermezzo (zolpidem tartrate) was down for the count. The company, aiming to provide the first treatment specifically for middle-of-the-night waking, had just gotten a surprise second complete response letter (CRL), despite conducting the FDA-requested next-day highway driving study.
Privately held Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., which started out the year by reporting positive Phase II data for its lead anti-scarring compound, EXC 001, is ending 2011 with an acquisition by pharma giant Pfizer Inc.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Eylea (aflibercept) hits the market this week, and analysts are looking to its less frequent dosing schedule and lower cost to nab a substantial portion of the market from Roche AG's reigning VEGF inhibitors – Lucentis (ranibizumab) and cheaper off-label cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) – in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Clovis Oncology Inc., a small, development-stage firm based in Boulder, Colo., has done what no other biotech has managed this year: priced its initial public offering (IPO) actually within its initial range.
Former executives and investors of Alnara Pharmaceuticals Inc. reunited to launch a new start-up, Allena Pharmaceuticals Inc., and disclosed Wednesday a $15 million Series A round for work on nonsystemic oral protein therapeutics for metabolic and orphan diseases.
