• Cytochroma Ltd., of Markham, Ontario, reported data from a 78-subject Phase IIb trial showing that CTAP101 capsules effectively and safely lowered elevated plasma intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) in patients with Stage III or Stage IV chronic kidney disease and vitamin D insufficiency. Read More

• Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, reported top-line results from the international, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind GEMINI II pivotal Phase III trial. The trial evaluated vedolizumab in 1,115 patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease who have failed at least one conventional therapy, including TNFα antagonists. Read More

• Mylan Inc., of Pittsburgh, said it launched generic atorvastatin in France, Belgium, the UK, the Netherlands and Ireland. Read More

• Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., named Robert DeVita vice president of chemistry, Marion Dorsch vice president of biology and John Evans vice president of business development and operations. Read More

• Apricus Biosciences Inc., of San Diego, said Health Canada granted its request for a pre-new drug submission meeting to obtain regulatory guidance from the agency for MycoVa, its topical treatment for onychomycosis. The meeting is set for July 18, and Apricus expects to obtain feedback regarding the suitability of its Phase III program. Read More

• Prolor Biotech Inc., of Nes-Ziona, Israel, raised $32.5 million through a public offering of 6.5 million common shares priced at $5 apiece. Read More

Read More

Dental start-up C3 Jian Inc. has found pros and cons to operating in a field not frequented by biotechs. Read More

The milk protein casein, Jack Dixon told BioWorld Today, was "the first protein ever to be shown to contain phosphate" – in 1883. And more than a century later, Dixon and his colleagues have finally identified the kinase that phosphorylates it. They reported their findings the May 10, 2012, advance online edition of Science. Read More

If patient advocacy groups have their way, it could be a lot harder and take longer for biosimilars to come to market. Read More

The FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee (AVAC) voted 13 to 1 in favor of approval for Gilead Inc.'s single-tablet Quad regimen (elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for treatment-naive adult patients with HIV-1 Friday after a day-long deliberation that exhaustively examined the issue of renal impairment. Read More

Memory is, to say the least, important. But so is its neglected sibling, forgetting. Researchers from the Scripps Research Institute Florida have shown that the neurotransmitter dopamine is important for both processes. Read More