Sinovac Biotech Ltd.'s enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine looks good in preliminary results from Phase III data assessing efficacy, immunogenicity and safety against hand, foot and mouth disease.
Sinovac Biotech Ltd.'s enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine looks good in preliminary results from Phase III data assessing efficacy, immunogenicity and safety against hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD).
Now that its underwriter has exercised an option to purchase an additional $1.45 million in company stock, Imprimis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Solana Beach, Calif., is well situated to move ahead with its pipeline of compounded drug formulations based on its Accudel drug delivery technology, including Impracor, a Phase III pain candidate designed to deliver ketoprofen through the skin directly to underlying tissues.
Shire plc will gain a foothold in neonatology with its acquisition of Premacure AB, of Uppsala, Sweden. Premacure is developing a protein replacement therapy for the prevention of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a rare eye disease affecting about 14,000 to 16,000 preterm infants in the U.S. each year.
Chimerix Inc. and Omthera Pharmaceuticals Inc. have joined eight other biotechs with initial public offerings (IPO) filed and pending. IPO activity has been light in 2013 thus far, with just two companies pricing their first offerings. Once the ultimate aspirational goal for a start-up, the IPO has become almost an option of last resort in a public market that has run hot and cold on biotech for quite some time.
Following receipt of the FDA's new Breakthrough Therapy Designation for its investigational cancer compound, ibrutinib, Pharmacyclics Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., is gearing up for commercial launch by pricing its public offering of 2.2 million shares of common stock at $94.20 per share, for a total raise of $207.2 million.
A grant by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) will support research into the role of mitochondria in Alzheimer's disease. The award of $205,260 will go to CohBar Inc., of Pasadena, Calif., which is developing a mitochondrial peptide designed to protect neurons from dying by improving mitochondrial function, reducing inflammation, increasing insulin sensitivity and decreasing oxidative stress.
Celgene Corp. presented detailed results from its ESTEEM 1 Phase III trial of apremilast for psoriasis at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Miami. The trial met the threshold for statistical significance for its primary endpoint of 75 percent improvement in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI-75) at week 16 compared to placebo.
A new deal with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. will help Resolve Therapeutics LLC, of Seattle, forge ahead through clinical proof of concept with its investigational systemic lupus erythematosus therapy, RSLV-132.
A minor note in Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s board appointment announcement set the markets speculating on a potential merger for the San Diego-based company.
