Worries that generic vancomycin could cut into the market potential for Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) drug fidaxomicin have been eased somewhat, with Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. jumping on board in a potential $224 million regional deal. Read More
Dystonias "are the third most common movement disorder in the world," Kamran Khodakhah told BioWorld Today. But for all that, neither their causes nor possible cures are particularly well worked out. Read More
It has become common wisdom that, in the face of patent expirations and sparse pipelines at major pharma companies, biotechs are in a strong position to negotiate advantageous deal terms – and not just companies with late-stage assets, but a whole spectrum of the industry. Sounds like good times ahead. But as 2011 gets under way, it's not so clear that the industry has the upper hand in its dealings with big pharma, nor that these large companies are necessarily looking first to the biotech industry to solve their problems. Read More
An article in BioWorld Today, Feb. 7, 2011, on Endocyte Inc. should have reported a "p" value of 0.031 from the PRECEDENT study of EC145 in ovarian cancer. Read More
RedHill Biopharma Ltd., of Tel Aviv, Israel, completed its initial public offering (IPO) for listing on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The company raised NIS51.6 million (US$13.6 million), with proceeds to support development of RedHill's six late-stage programs, including its experimental treatment of MAP infection in Crohn's disease. RedHill, which focuses on acquiring and developing late-stage, new formulations of existing drugs, initially had planned to raise NIS40 million, but strong demand at the IPO prompted the firm to increase its offering at a price 18.3 percent higher than planned. The company sold 131,000 units – each comprising 100 shares and 50 warrants – with a minimum unit price of NIS305. Read More
Human Genome Sciences Inc., of Rockville, Md., and GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, said data from the pivotal BLISS-52 study of Benlysta (belimumab) in autoantibody-positive patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus was published in The Lancet. Data from that study, the first of two positive pivotal trials, originally were reported in 2009. Read More
Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Blue Bell, Pa., announced that its DNA vaccine delivery technology, which provides the enabling capabilities of electroporation without contacting the skin, is highlighted in a paper published in Human Vaccines. Read More
If at first you don't succeed . . . Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc. licensed rights to Relistor (methylnaltrexone bromide), its opioid-induced constipation (OIC) drug for patients with advanced disease, to Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in a deal potentially worth $350 million or more. Read More
