Macrogenics Inc., of Rockville, Md., said partner Pfizer Inc., of New York, dosed the first patient in a phase I study of PF-0661008, which targets P-cadherin and CD3. Read More

Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, said it established Taiho Ventures LLC, a corporate venture capital arm of Taiho, in California, which initially will have $50 million for investments. Read More

Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., reported net product revenues from sales of leukemia drug Iclusig (ponatinib) totaling $33.6 million, an increase of 41 percent over the same period in 2015. Read More

Vaccitech Ltd., of Oxford, U.K., was launched with £10 million (US$14.4 million) in seed investment from Oxford Sciences Innovation to develop a universal flu vaccine for individuals older than 65. Read More

France's ANSM updated its 2013 good practice principles on the interchangeability of biosimilars based on the use of the biologics in real life over the past several years. Read More

HONG KONG – Having been developing basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) products for more than 25 years, China's Essex Bio-technology Ltd. (HK:1061) has earned a leading position in the ophthalmology biopharmaceutical space. Now the company is looking to expand its offerings by moving into the rapidly growing monoclonal antibody space. Read More

Insulting. Ridiculous. Devastating. Bad medicine. That's how a lot of people from a lot of sectors described the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) proposal for a nationwide experiment on reimbursement for Part B drugs. Read More

LONDON – The initial readout points to a remarkable level of effect for Verona Pharma plc's RPL554, which has produced 60 percent additional bronchodilation on top of standard-of-care bronchodilators in a phase IIa study in moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Read More

In a coup for Chemocentryx Inc., Switzerland's Vifor Pharma Ltd. has agreed to pay $85 million in cash and equity to license commercial rights to CCX168, the company's complement 5a receptor inhibitor for orphan and rare renal diseases. The deal, which covers multiple ex-U.S. markets, is part of a transformational year, Chemocentryx CEO and President Tom Schall told BioWorld Today. Read More

Epirus Biopharmaceuticals Inc. is learning the hard way that developers of biosimilars are not immune from the market vagaries affecting the biopharma industry as a whole. Read More

As Wall Street tossed another would-be pancreatic cancer therapy on the phase III scrap heap, Newlink Genetics Corp. CEO Charles Link said the firm is "evaluating the future" of the Hyperacute Cellular Immunotherapy platform, from which emerged algenpantucel-L, most recently to fail in patients with resected tumors. Read More