• Celtaxys Inc., of San Francisco, said it started a Phase I study of CTX-4430, which is designed to block pro-inflammatory enzyme leukotriene A4 hydrolase. The repeat-dose study is aimed at evaluating the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of the drug and will enroll 96 subjects. Read More
• Kinex Pharmaceuticals, of Buffalo, N.Y., said it has converted from a Limited Liability Corporation into a C-Corporation in a step to help drive future growth. Read More
Undeterred by the recent string of high-profile failures in the field, Kareus Therapeutics SA moved its first-in-class drug candidate for Alzheimer's disease, KU-046, into a Phase I trial in healthy volunteers. Read More
Synageva BioPharma Corp. took advantage of a 2 percent increase in its stock price during the New Year and bumped up the number of shares to boost the size of its public offering by 25 percent, from approximately 1.7 million shares cited in a preliminary prospectus supplement filed Thursday with the SEC to 2.15 million shares at Thursday's closing price of $47.53. Read More
Bacteria have several ways to defend themselves against antibiotics. Out-and-out resistance through mutations in the bacterial genome is one. But there is a related phenomenon, persistence, that could perhaps best be described as "I'm not deaf; I'm ignoring you." Read More
The promise of RNAi – the idea that specific genes can be pinpointed and silenced to treat disease – has loomed large on biopharma's radar for the past decade, even netting a 2006 Nobel to RNAi discoverers Craig Mello and Andrew Fire. Read More
Last year the prevailing global economic woes did not prove to be much of an impediment for biopharmaceutical companies in their quest to generate capital with a total of $24.8 billion raised. However, the ongoing financial uncertainties in Europe coupled with a weak domestic economy contributed toward making it a challenging environment for companies looking for funding. Read More
SAN FRANCISCO – At the lectern and away, talks at the 31st Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference are sure to concern the steadily worsening revenue shortfall, and how major pharma firms might satisfy profit-hungry shareholders as more casualties topple down the patent cliff. Read More
Two independent teams, one from Johns Hopkins University and one from the University of California at San Francisco, contradicted earlier studies suggesting the kinase PKM-gamma is critical for learning and memory. Read More
