Four weeks after its launch, 2,000 patients were taking obesity drug Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate), from Vivus Inc., with new patient starts slowing from an initial four- or fivefold increase to a 27 percent to 33 percent increase from week three to week four, according to IMS and Wolters Kluwer weekly prescription data. Read More
SARcode Bioscience Inc. cleared the first hurdle in its Phase III program testing dry eye candidate lifitegrast, with the drug nailing its primary endpoint in the first pivotal trial, demonstrating biologic activity against ocular surface damage. Read More
LONDON – There's a race to market for a new generation of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) drugs with Actelion Ltd. announcing it has filed for FDA approval of Opsumit (macitentan) and Bayer Healthcare revealing positive Phase III data for riociguat and promising global filings in the first half of 2013. Read More
Aided by a generous dollop of government cash, a French consortium of biotechnology companies and academic medical centers is investing €80 million (US$104 million) to develop an industrial-scale facility for the production of cell therapy, including stem cell therapy. Read More
The management of Dutch drug delivery specialist OctoPlus NV agreed to a €27.4 million (US$35.8 million) cash offer from Indian generics firm Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. Read More
• Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said it will receive a $2 million milestone payment from Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., under the terms of a development and license collaboration for the development of dinaciclib. Read More
• Methylgene Inc., of Montreal, presented Phase I data for MGCD290, an antifungal compound, showing that all doses and schedules of the drug were tolerated with no severe or serious adverse events, and that pharmacokinetics were dose dependent. Read More
• Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, presented Phase IIa data for laquinimod in Crohn's disease showing treatment with laquinimod 0.5 mg/day gave a remission rate of 48.3 percent, compared to 15.9 percent for patients receiving placebo. Read More
