Hyperion Therapeutics Inc. joined the initial public offering (IPO) queue Friday, filing an S-1 aiming to raise as much as $57 million to advance pivotal studies, and possible commercial launch, of lead drug Ravicti (glycerol phenylbutyrate) in two orphan indications: urea cycle disorders (UCD) and hepatic encephalopathy. Read More
WASHINGTON – The SEC has its work cut out for it in implementing the new Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. But before it rolls up its sleeves, it's turning to the public for guidance. Read More
Researchers from Sangamo BioSciences Inc. and colleagues from the Italian San Raffaele Biosciences Institute have used Sangamo's zinc finger nuclease technology to create leukemia-fighting T cells. They described their approach in the April 1, 2012, online issue of Nature Medicine, as well as at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation earlier this month. Read More
Biotech companies raised $5.15 billion in the first quarter of 2012, about 15 percent less than the $6.07 billion raised in the first quarter last year. Public companies felt the pinch slightly more than private companies: The total amount raised by the former dropped about 16 percent compared to the same period last year, while the total amount raised by the latter dropped about 8 percent. Read More
• MAP Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., said it submitted a request to the FDA for a meeting to discuss the recent complete response letter (CRL) for Levadex, an orally inhaled formulation of dihydroergotamine for acute migraine. In the CRL, MAP said the FDA did not ask for any additional clinical studies, but raised questions relating to chemistry, manufacturing and controls, as well as issues related to a facility inspection. Read More
• Seaside Therapeutics Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., was granted U.S. Patent No. 8,143,311, titled "Methods of Treating Fragile X Syndrome and Autism." It covers the use of lead product GABA-B receptor agonist STX209 for the improvement of social and communication functions in autism. Read More
Angiogenesis blockers are effective at blocking primary tumor growth, but there is some evidence that they increase the risk of metastasis, because blocking blood vessel growth leads to low oxygen levels in the cell, setting off signaling pathways that make cells more likely to metastasize. Read More
