The potential of an oral therapy that could treat autoimmune disease by preventing the activation of T cells against self antigens while preserving the immune system's activity against external pathogens proved promising enough for small 2013 start-up Artax Biopharma Inc. to attract one of biotech's biggest names.

Aerie Pharmaceuticals Inc. – as well as its share price – returned to its previous heights following positive results from the second phase III trial of its triple-action eye drop Rhopressa, which hit its endpoints in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Shares of Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc. (NASDAQ:ITCI) hit a 52-week high after unveiling top-line data from the first phase III study of ITI-007, showing the drug met the primary endpoint of antipsychotic efficacy in acutely exacerbated schizophrenia, without demonstrating the side effects that usually lead to patients discontinuing treatment.

Data from the much-anticipated SUMMIT study failed to show that Relvar/Breo Ellipta (fluticasone furoate/vilanterol) statistically significantly extended the lives of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, indicating to investors that the product, dubbed the "son of Advair" likely won't be restoring Glaxosmithkline plc's respiratory disease franchise to its once-great heights.

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc. is buying Japanese firm R-Tech Ueno Ltd. through an all-cash tender offer valued at ¥33 billion (US$278 million), a deal CEO Peter Greenleaf said marks both the culmination of the company’s transformation over the past year and the trajectory of its future growth via business development efforts.

In biotech, figuring out how to take cool-sounding science and translate it both through a clinical development pathway and into commercial applications have always been the challenges du jour.

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc. is buying Japanese firm R-Tech Ueno Ltd. through an all-cash tender offer valued at ¥33 billion (US$278 million), a deal CEO Peter Greenleaf said marks both the culmination of the company's transformation over the past year and the trajectory of its future growth via business development efforts.

As widely expected following a positive June advisory vote, the FDA gave its nod to Sprout Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Addyi (flibanserin) as the first-ever therapeutic approved in the U.S. specifically for hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women.

Advocacy groups lobbying for the approval of a therapeutic to treat sexual dysfunction in women celebrated victory late Tuesday with the agency's after-hours nod to Sprout Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Addyi (flibanserin); however, by Wednesday afternoon, the critics were out in force, accusing the FDA of succumbing to public pressure and approving a drug with a less-than-stellar safety profile.

Aveo Oncology Inc. is getting $15 million up front in a potential $326 million deal with Novartis AG that hands over development and commercialization rights to preclinical-stage growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15)-targeting antibody AV-380.