• Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., said it started Phase I studies of ISIS-GCGRRx and ISIS-GCCRRx, antisense drugs in development for Type II diabetes. Read More
• Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Geneva, reported data showing that orally available candidate GLP1R PAM increased insulin secretion and decreased glycemia in response to glucose in preclinical models of diabetes. In the "db/db" model, in which insulin response to oral glucose in muted, GLP1R PAM (positive allosteric modulator) facilitated an insulin response and better control over blood glucose than vehicle or a marketed drug to treat Type II diabetes. Read More
• Access Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Dallas, entered definitive agreements with institutional and other investors for the private placement of $5.2 million of units consisting of Access common stock and warrants. Each unit consists of one share of Access common stock at $1.45 per share, with 50 percent warrant coverage with an exercise price of $1.67 per share and a term of 30 months and 50 percent warrant coverage with an exercise price of $2 per share and a term of five years. The transaction is expected to close on or about Nov. 7. Read More
Like many other development-only biotech start-ups, Io Therapeutics Inc. has built a pipeline from drugs shelved or reprioritized by big pharma – in its case, Allergan Inc. The advantages are clear. Io gets three compounds that all are well defined. "All have U.S. INDs [investigational new drug applications], all have GLP-toxicology data and we have GMP drug supply in hand," said Martin E. Sanders, chairman and CEO of the Santa Ana, Calif.-based firm. Read More
SAN DIEGO – Given the steep decline in third quarter biotech fundraising – down 48 percent from the same period last year – it's no surprise that companies are looking for alternatives. And at the recent Foley & Lardner Life Sciences conference in San Diego, a panel debated the merits of considering mergers and acquisitions as a financing strategy rather than an exit strategy. Read More
Amylin Pharmaceutical Inc. lost its preliminary bid to block Eli Lilly and Co. from jointly promoting diabetes drugs Byetta and Tradjenta, but its underlying challenge to Lilly's marketing strategy has yet to get its day in court.A U.S. Read More
DUSSELDORF, Germany – BIO-Europe Fall 2011 entered its final day as Europe's financial system teetered on the brink – yet again – following Greece's shock decision to put its recently agreed bailout package to a popular vote. Although the issues facing Europe's biotechnology industry seem pretty minor in comparison, a definite sense of gloom has pervaded many of the discussions here at BIO-Europe.For all but the chosen few who have secured the best investment deals and the juiciest alliances, conditions are far from ideal. Read More
