The transnational Lazarus tale of Provenge (sipuleucel-T), a pioneering cellular immunotherapy from Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC, is opening what could be a significant new chapter with the initiation of a trial designed to prove the treatment can halt prostate cancer progression, reducing or delaying the need for definitive therapies such as surgery and radiation. Expected to begin enrolling later this year, top-line data from the study are due by 2023. Read More
Amgen Inc. having scored the first of four expected approvals in the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor class with Aimovig (erenumab) for preventing migraine, Wall Street set about handicapping odds for the others in a large market. Read More
DUBLIN – The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which by last Thursday had claimed 25 lives, is not yet sufficiently alarming to trigger "a public health emergency of international concern," the World Health Organization concluded Friday. So far, 45 cases have been reported, 14 of which have been confirmed by laboratory testing. Three of the cases involved health workers. Read More
Accent Therapeutics Inc.formally launched with a $40 million series A and a platform built around epitranscriptomics – the field referring to RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs) that control many aspects of RNA biology – to pursue precision cancer therapies. The investment syndicate included the Column Group, Atlas Venture and Ecor1 Capital. Read More
Weak binding to a shallow pocket is not what most drug developers would consider characteristics of a viable drug lead, let alone a desirable one. Read More
HONG KONG – China's Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. Ltd. gained marketing approval for its first innovative treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which has the potential of becoming a standard third-line treatment for the disease. Read More
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, has priced $650 million worth of 0.75 percent convertible senior notes due 2023 in a private offering to qualified institutional buyers. Read More
Histoindex Pte. Ltd., of Singapore, said it is collaborating with Cymabay Therapeutics Inc., of Newark, Calif., to evaluate the efficacy of seladelpar in a phase IIb study of 175 subjects with biopsy-confirmed nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Read More
Targeted complement inhibition was able to reduce inflammation and prevent the immune system from finishing off stressed neurons after stroke. The complement system is a part of the innate immune system, and one of its roles is to mark neuronal debris for cleanup in the brain. Read More
Barely five months into 2018, investors have placed more seed and series A money into biotherapeutics companies than all of last year. At this pace, the $2.6 billion raised could translate to more than $6 billion by year's end – more than double the amounts logged for the two highest years on record, 2015 and 2016. Read More
