A month after withdrawing its 2011 filing for an initial public offering (IPO), citing poor market conditions, Argos Therapeutics Inc. plied the private pump instead, raising $25 million in a Series D financing to support the launch of its Phase III ADAPT study of AGS-003 in newly diagnosed, metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Read More
miRagen Therapeutics Inc., of Boulder, Colo., completed a $20 million Series B financing that will help advance its unpartnered compounds toward clinical development. Read More
Scientists have discovered that an experimental drug currently in clinical trials for diabetes may be useful for the treatment of muscular dystrophy as well. Read More
Newly formed Galecto Biotech AB is taking a distinctive approach to inhibiting galectin-3, a newly emerging target in several disease areas, and to tackling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) as its lead indication. Read More
• Ikaria Inc., of Hampton, N.J., gained approval in Australia for Lucassin (terlipressin) in the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) Type 1, a type of kidney failure, in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis who are being considered for a kidney transplant. Read More
• Coronado Biosciences Inc., of Burlington, Mass., said development partner Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH, of Freiburg, Germany, disclosed the independent data monitoring committee's recommendation to continue Falk's Phase II trial in Europe evaluating Trichuris suis ova (TSO) in Crohn's disease following an interim analysis of clinical data, blinded to Falk, of the initial 120 patients. Read More
• Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cheshire, Conn., reported net product sales of Soliris (eculizumab) of $244.7 million for the first quarter, an increase of 47 percent for the same period in 2011. Read More
• Shengtai Pharmaceutical Inc., of Weifang, China, said a special committee of its board will consider a preliminary, nonbinding proposal from its chairman and CEO, Qingtai Liu, to acquire all outstanding shares of the company's common stock in a going private transaction. Read More
