Kamada Ltd. execs said they hope a good secondary endpoint showing from the phase II/III trial in Europe and Canada with its inhaled therapy for alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency – when combined with results from an ongoing phase II study in the U.S. – will impress European regulators enough to grant approval. Read More
Although the immediate future of biosimilar insulin may be determined in the courtroom rather than the clinic, the EMA is updating its guidance on the development of biosimilar insulin products. Read More
SUZHOU, China – A fitting end to an upbeat conference, the executive interview with Steve Yang, the newly anointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of Wuxi Pharmatech, left the crowd of entrepreneurs, scientists, executives and investors feeling optimistic about China's recent evolution and inspired to tackle the road ahead to bring China to a global level. Read More
Novo Nordisk A/S reported Friday that a 3-mg dose of liraglutide combined with a low-calorie diet and increased exercise helped obese non-diabetics achieve an 8 percent weight loss at 56 weeks, almost three times the 2.6 percent benefit realized by patients taking a placebo. Read More
Privately held Proteon Therapeutics Inc. weighed the public and private markets when considering the optimal strategy to fund the initial phase III study of lead compound PRT-201. With attractive term sheets in one hand and the vagaries of an initial public offering in the other, the decision was simple enough. Read More
Last week the NIH released a call to arms of sorts, announcing that it would demand its grantees balance the sex of its model organisms from cell cultures on up through higher animals. In the May 16, 2014, online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers from Johns Hopkins University published a paper on the use of Viagra in heart failure that showed exactly why such balancing is important. Read More
Kymab Ltd., one of a clutch of antibody developers with next-generation transgenic mouse platforms, raised $40 million in a series B round, with equal amounts coming from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. Read More
HONG KONG – Aware of the business potential of the biopharmaceutical market, including the growing prospects for biosimilars, Samsung Biologics Co. Ltd. is investing $2 billion into its biopharmaceutical arms. Read More
Gelesis Inc., of Boston, said it recently raised $12 million to fuel the development of its lead product, Gelesis100, toward commercialization. The smart pill is designed to treat the physiological symptoms of hunger without surgery, invasive procedures or systemic absorption. Read More
Delmar Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, updated its ongoing phase I/II trial testing VAL-083, a bifunctional alkylating agent in development for recurrent malignant glioblastoma multiforme, showing that the therapy is well tolerated, with no drug-related serious adverse events detected in 26 patients treated to date. Read More
Abbott, of Abbott Park, Ill., said it agreed to acquire CFR Pharmaceuticals, of Chile, to expand its branded generics presence in Latin America. Read More
Dietary restriction is a surefire way to live longer, but not one that most individuals are willing to stick to. So the search for a substance that could extend life span has long commanded the imagination of both dreamers and the biopharmaceutical industry. Read More
