AstraZeneca plc's planned buyout of Omthera Pharmaceuticals Inc. to gain Phase III-validated Epanova, the anti-triglyceride therapy based on ultra-pure fish oil, puts the firm at a "distinct commercial advantage" over Amarin Corp. plc, with its recently launched Vascepa (icosapent ethyl), said Decision Resources (DR) analyst Paramjit Narang. Read More
At a time when a majority of biotech companies are partnering up with big pharma for Phase III trials, Ophthotech Corp., of Princeton, N.J., is building a war chest to go it alone. Read More
The sizzling initial public offering (IPO) market gained two more biopharma contestants with a third moving carefully toward it, as Prosensa Therapeutics BV filed an F-1 registration statement, Evoke Pharma Inc. filed an S-1 and Oculus Innovative Sciences Inc. disclosed that subsidiary Ruthigen Inc. submitted a confidential draft registration statement to the SEC. Read More
Revamping Medicare Part D, for some people, would be the health care equivalent of remaking Gone with the Wind. Some classics just shouldn't be messed with, they reason. Read More
DUBLIN, Ireland – Trino Therapeutics Ltd., a spinout from Trinity College Dublin (TCD), raised €9 million (US$11.6 million) in a Series A round to move PH46A, an oral, first-in-class indane dimer, into clinical trials in ulcerative colitis. Read More
LONDON – Following an 18-month hiatus, ImmuPharma plc can now proceed with Phase III development of its lupus treatment, Lupuzor, after agreeing to a £50 million (US$75.7 million) loan to finance the trial. Read More
LONDON – Two of Europe's longest-standing public biotechs are leaving the stage following clinical trial failures, with Agennix AG going into liquidation and Phytopharm plc announcing a reverse merger. Read More
• Reneuron plc, of Guildford, UK, provided an update on progress with the PISCES trial of its ReN001 stem cell therapy for disabled stroke patients. Interim data from the first nine patients treated in the PISCES study are being presented by the clinical team from Glasgow's Southern General Hospital at the 22nd European Stroke Conference, taking place in London this week. Read More
• Cempra Inc., of Chapel Hill, N.C., said the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded the company a five-year contract valued at up to $58 million for the development of solithromycin to treat infections in pediatric populations and for the treatment of infections by bioterror threat pathogens. Read More
• Grunenthal Group, of Aachen, Germany, entered a licensing agreement with Purdue Pharma LP, of Stamford, Conn., regarding certain intellectual property rights for the development of an abuse-deterrent formulation technology for extended-release morphine sulfate. Read More
• Ferring Pharmaceuticals SA, of Saint Prex, Switzerland, reported data from the EXPEDITE study at the First European Congress on Intrapartum Care in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which demonstrated that use of a controlled-release misoprostol vaginal insert significantly reduced time (21.5 hours vs. 32.8 hours) to vaginal delivery compared to a dinoprostone vaginal insert. Read More
