Genentech Inc.'s tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the only FDA-approved stroke drug, works by getting rid of the blood clot that is blocking blood flow. Read More
A peptide once thought to be irrelevant and superfluous in Type I diabetes is receiving renewed attention thanks to the efforts of Cebix Inc., a La Jolla, Calif.-based company focused on complications of diabetes. Read More
Cevec Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Cologne, Germany, raised €6 million (US$8.6 million) in a financing round led by NRW.BANK and Creathor Venture Fonds. Read More
NanoViricides Inc., of West Haven, Conn., said that its HIV candidate had equivalent efficacy to a highly active antiretroviral therapy triple drug cocktail in an animal study with no evidence of toxicity. The drug is designed to mimic the cellular structures that HIV uses to bind to cells, and has the potential to complement HAART therapy. Read More
Threshold Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., initiated a clinical trial of TH-302 in combination with bevacizumab (Avastin, Roche AG) in patients with recurrent high-grade astrocytoma including glioblastoma. TH-302 is a novel small-molecule hypoxia-targeted prodrug that is selectively activated by the low oxygen conditions believed to be induced in tumors by antiangiogenic therapies such as bevacizumab. Read More
Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s RP103, a delayed-release version of cysteamine, hit its primary endpoint in a Phase III study in nephropathic cystinosis, putting the firm in a good position for filing a new drug application (NDA) in the ultra-orphan indication, though that success was not exactly mirrored in the company's stock. Read More
