Shares of Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLA) fell by $8.35, or 29.2 percent, on Thursday to close at $20.27 on news that, during a pivotal phase III trial, its once-daily factor Xa inhibitor candidate, betrixaban, fell short of proving statistically better than a standard-of-care anticoagulant for the primary group of patients that it had expected to help, heightening risk that it could fail to gain regulatory approvals.

Eli Lilly and Co. has gained FDA approval for Taltz (ixekizumab), a new drug intended to help clear the skin of adults with moderate to severe cases of plaque psoriasis, a patient population with a growing number of therapies from which to choose.

Syntimmune Inc., a company developing a portfolio of treatments for immunoglobulin G-mediated autoimmune diseases based on neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) biology, has triggered a $10 million tranche of the company's committed $26 million series A financing.

Amgen Inc. and its partner UCB SA reported that the sclerostin inhibitor romosozumab met its primary endpoint in a pivotal phase III study, called Bridge, providing men with osteoporosis with a statistically significant increase in bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine vs. placebo at 12 months.

SAN FRANCISCO ­– As whole genome sequencing and other molecular diagnostic efforts take wing worldwide, new troves of biomedical data are being built daily. The power of that data, however, continues to be diminished by disconnection between data stores, hindering opportunities to accelerate progress in human health. One group, The Global Alliance for Genomics & Health (GA4GH), is working to reverse that trend, leading an effort to bring order to just a small corner of this world: BRCA1/2.

Announcing his plans to retire as CEO of Glaxosmithkline plc with a call to arms, industry provocateur Andrew Witty rallied a Washington think tank audience Thursday to pursue greater industry modernization, transparency and action.

With the U.S. NIH looking to significantly quicken the pace of precision medicine’s march, just north of the border in British Columbia (BC), the Canadian life sciences industry is already working to move the field ahead, in part by investing in its own efforts to realize the concept’s promise.

Aspyrian Therapeutics Inc. said a new $40 million series B financing will help the company complete phase I/II trials of RM-1929, its experimental antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for recurrent head and neck cancer and potentially for other cancers that have failed standard treatment. The financing was provided by Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani through his personal investment companies.