Stop waiting and start implementing. That's the message the Supreme Court sent to drugmakers Thursday when it ruled the Affordable Care Act (ACA) meets constitutional muster. Read More
Shares of Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc. struggled to find a floor Thursday after the company reported following the market's close Wednesday afternoon that its Phase IIb PEARL-SC study of blisibimod in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) failed to meet the primary efficacy endpoint – clinical improvement at 24 weeks in the SLE responder index for the pooled blisibimod dose groups – due to lack of efficacy in two low-dose groups. Read More
The fact that oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company Tesaro Inc., of Waltham, Mass., completed a successful and oversubscribed initial public offering (IPO) that was within its expected price range could be a sign of better things to come in the second half of the year for biotech companies now positioned on the IPO runway. Read More
Positive interim results from its GALAXY trial of ganetespib and docetaxel for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ran Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s stock price off a cliff Thursday. Read More
• InterMune Inc., of Brisbane, Calif., said the Swedish Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency included Esbriet (pirfenidone) on the country's list of reimbursed drugs, making Esbriet the first therapeutic treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to be reimbursed in Sweden. Read More
• Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners Inc., of Coral Gables, Fla., said Phase IIa ocular safety results published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology showed that CPP-109 (vigabatrin), a GABA aminotransferase inactivator in clinical trials to treat cocaine addiction, did not cause a decrease in visual acuity or significant peripheral visual field changes with short-term use. Read More
• Shire plc, of Dublin, Ireland, reported data showing that Vpriv (velaglucerase alfa for injection), its enzyme replacement therapy for Type I Gaucher disease, significantly improved selected markers of Gaucher-related bone disease in patients. Read More
