Bellerophon Therapeutics Inc.'s inhaled nitric oxide seems poised to become a key add-on, orphan therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and, if all goes well, could also end up the only approved therapy in pulmonary hypertension when associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Read More
DUBLIN – Advanced Accelerator Applications SA (AAA) surpassed even its own expectations in a phase III trial of its lead therapy Lutathera (177-Lu-Dotatate), which was pitted against a double dose of Sandostatin LAR in patients with somatostatin receptor positive midgut neuro endocrine tumors (midgut NETs) Read More
Aduro Biotech Inc. crafted a nifty acquisition deal with Bionovion Holding BV that provided investors in the Dutch biotech with up-front cash and a stake in the combined company while combining synergistic pipelines to create the potential for exponential growth in immuno-oncology (IO) combination therapies. Read More
Shares of filgotinib developer Galapagos NV (NASDAQ:GLPG) fell 27.5 percent to $44.60 on Friday after Abbvie Inc. declined to exercise its option to in-license the JAK1 inhibitor, electing instead to advance its own same-class candidate, ABT-494. The decision ends a deal first struck in 2012 and returns full filgotinib rights to Galapagos, which said it had anticipated the move. Read More
CRISPR Therapeutics co-founder Emmanuelle Charpentier was among those named as Thomson Reuters Citation Laureates this week, "researchers whose work has achieved quantifiable esteem and impact in the scientific community, at a level far beyond the norm. This attainment, demonstrated in the elevated quantity of highly cited papers written by these select researchers, signals that they are "of Nobel class" and "likely to earn the Nobel someday." Read More
Since the middle of 2014, Insys Therapeutics Inc.'s pharmaceutical cannabidiol (CBD), a synthetic version of the plant-derived cannabinoid, has been awarded FDA orphan status in a total of six indications – most recently for infantile spasms – and the company looks to accelerate its research. But there's a hitch: The schedule I designation of synthetic CBD by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) continues to drag the drug development process. Read More
Impax Laboratories Inc., of Amsterdam, said the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion recommending that Numient (IPX066), a modified-release oral capsule formulation of levodopa-carbidopa, be granted approval for the symptomatic treatment of adult patients with Parkinson's disease. Read More
Osiris Therapeutics Inc., of Columbia, Md., presented 12 abstracts demonstrating the benefits of its viable human amniotic membrane, Grafix, at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care in Las Vegas. One of the posters highlighted an academic lab study showing for the first time that product inhibits the growth of bacteria species associated with chronic wounds. Read More
CTI Biopharma Corp. said institutional investors will purchase 10 million shares of the Seattle-based company's common stock in a registered direct offering conducted without an underwriter or placement agent for gross proceeds to the company of about $15.7 million at a purchase price per share of $1.57. Net proceeds from the offering are expected to hit $15.1 million. Read More
A team from the Portuguese Institute Gulbenkian has shown that leptin stimulated white fat breakdown via actions on nerve fibers that directly innervated fat tissue. Leptin is a satiety hormone and was once tested for the treatment of obesity, but those trials were unsuccessful, as it is leptin resistance rather than a lack of leptin that contributes to obesity. Read More
