How to improve the predictive value of preclinical drug discovery has preoccupied many a biotech executive. This week, advice on the topic has come from a somewhat unusual corner: philosophy. Read More
Tissue damage following cardiac arrest or other cardiovascular events is an ongoing problem with great unmet need. DecImmune Therapeutics Inc. is a new biotechnology company focused on developing peptide and antibody therapeutics for acute inflammation and tissue damage following vascular injury by way of the N2-IgM pathway. Read More
Exelixis Inc., of South San Francisco, plans to offer 12.5 million shares of common stock in an underwritten public offering, with an underwriters' option for an additional 1.875 million shares. Read More
Plexxikon Inc., of Berkeley, Calif., treated the first patient in a Phase II study of PLX3397, a selective inhibitor designed to down-modulate macrophages and mast cells, in Hodgkin lymphoma. About 30 patients with relapsed or refractory disease are expected to be enrolled. Objectives of the study include assessing the efficacy of oral PLX3397 as measured by overall response rate, as well as the duration of response, the disease control rate, progression-free survival, response biomarkers and overall safety. Read More
Fibrocell Science Inc., of Exton, Pa., will collaborate with the University of California, Los Angeles to research the conversion of dermal fibroblasts into pure functional human cell types that may have greater regenerative capacity. The company said that the collaboration is designed to set the stage for potential future diagnostic or treatments based on each person's own cells for illnesses such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes and heart disease. Read More
WASHINGTON – Whether the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear a pay-for-delay patent settlement case Monday will affect biologics depends largely on how the FDA shapes the biosimilar regulatory pathway in the future. Read More
Health care conference abstracts don't usually drive stock prices, but investors in Pharmasset Inc. took notice this week when abstracts were posted for the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) conference, scheduled to begin on March 30 in Berlin. Read More
