Shares of Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) shot up 87.3 percent to $19.46 Tuesday on news that, relative to placebo, its thyroid receptor beta agonist, VK-2809, reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and lowered liver fat content in people with elevated LDL-C and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The top-line phase II data suggest the drug may be effective in battling the progressive form of NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Read More
DUBLIN – Shares in Geneuro SA fell more than 16 percent Tuesday on news that Les Laboratoires Servier SAS decided not to trigger an option to take forward GNbAC1, a first-in-class antibody that has completed a phase IIb trial in multiple sclerosis (MS). Read More
LONDON – Another Alzheimer's disease program has run into problems, with Sosei Group Corp. and partner Allergan plc halting development of HTL-0018318 after cynomolgus monkeys in a toxicology study developed neoplastic tumors. Read More
As the Medicare Part D prescription drug program turns 15 this year, "it's kind of acting its age," Joel White, president of Horizon Government Affairs, said Tuesday at a summit that celebrated the success of the U.S. program and looked at the challenges it faces as it approaches adulthood. Read More
Months after inking an agreement with GC Labcell (GCLC), Canadian startup Feldan Therapeutics Inc. pocketed $12.5 million in a series A financing led by parent company GC Holdings Corp., the recently rebranded Korean conglomerate that also houses GC Pharma, formerly Green Cross Corp. Participants in the round included South Korea's Stonebridge Ventures and Anges Québec Capital and members – a previous seed investor – along with undisclosed existing investors. Feldan, based in Québec City, is developing therapies based on its peptide-based intracellular delivery technology, dubbed the Feldan Shuttle. Read More
Voting 99-1, the U.S. Senate passed the Opioid Crisis Response Act Monday. Heralded as "landmark legislation" by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the package includes proposals from five Senate committees and more than 70 senators. Read More
KARACHI, Pakistan – Without any domestic production capacity and facing virtually chronic shortages of vaccines on the market, Pakistan is now partnering with China to build capacity and working to create a policy environment more conducive to facilitating production. Read More
Bioaegis Therapeutics Inc., of Morristown, N.J., said it closed a $4.1 million equity round and has begun patient enrollment in a phase Ib/IIa study of recombinant plasma gelsolin (rhu-pGSN) in community-acquired pneumonia in Australasia. The company is focused on an approach to address infectious, inflammatory and degenerative diseases through a portfolio built around rhu-pGSN technology. Read More
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., said it licensed CRISPR technologies from the Broad Institute and ERS Genomics (foundational University of California IP) to bolster its genome editing intellectual property portfolio. Under the terms of the licenses, Thermo Fisher is granted global nonexclusive rights to products, tools and services for research. Read More
