Jumping on the bandwagon about escalating drug prices, the U.S. hospital industry released a report Tuesday showing how random, unpredictable drug costs are hurting community hospitals. Read More
CEO Simon Tomlinson told BioWorld Today that Akriveia Therapeutics LLC's approach "exploits the differential biochemistry of the tumor micro-environment to activate an otherwise inert biologic molecule in the vicinity of the tumor," a rational-design strategy to "bioengineer the optimal tumor-targeted biologic." Read More
Rxi Pharmaceuticals Corp. negotiated an exclusive option to acquire privately held cancer immunotherapy developer Mirimmune Inc. The all-stock deal will give Mirimmune shareholders nearly a 20 percent equity stake in Rxi should it close as expected and could provide it further equity-based payments upon hitting certain undisclosed milestones. Read More
By studying drug mechanisms of actions in living cells, researchers have been able to show that the ocular toxicity of inhibitors of the beta-secretase beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), which are in clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is due to inhibition of the related enzyme Cathepsin D. More broadly, they wrote in their paper, their results "underscore the power of chemical proteomics for discerning mechanisms of drug action." Read More
PARIS – Nanobiotix SA has submitted its lead product NBTXR3 – the first generation of nanoparticle radio-enhancers targeting human cells – for first market approval in Europe. This nanotechnology is intended to resolve radiation therapy's biggest drawback: the destruction of healthy tissue and subsequent deleterious side effects when high X-ray doses are necessary. Read More
GTx Inc., of Memphis, Tenn., said it has entered definitive agreements with certain existing shareholders to sell about 17.3 million shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $0.81 per share to raise approximately $14 million in a registered direct offering. Read More
Prometic Life Sciences Inc., of Laval, Quebec, said the drug safety monitoring board recommended that patient enrollment should continue in the company's Alström syndrome phase II trial. This recommendation follows the board's review of the safety data accumulated in the first eight Alström syndrome patients that had received treatment with PBI-4050. Read More
