In a 7-2 decision that will delay the launch of generics of Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.'s Copaxone, the Supreme Court took issue Tuesday with the way the Federal Circuit struck down the remaining patent for the multiple sclerosis (MS) drug. Read More
LONDON – It is now one year since the first Ebola cases started to surface in Guinea, West Africa, an anniversary that has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to take stock and learn for the future, as it continues the effort to deal with the epidemic. Read More
HONG KONG – With the global center of gravity shifting eastward and the world's most populous region increasingly wealthy, it should come as no surprise that Asia is gaining momentum in medical research. This advancement is taking place while the leadership role of the U.S. transforms into an important player in a multipolar research world. Read More
SHANGHAI – Claiming a world-first, Chinese researchers have treated a spinal cord injury patient using a collagen scaffold loaded with mesenchymal stem cells in a trial to test the safety and efficacy of the procedure. Read More
HONG KONG — The characteristic symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be reduced in mice when sugars are prevented from binding to one of the key enzymes implicated in the disease, clearing the way to a new treatment approach, according to researchers from the Riken-Max Planck Joint Research Center in Japan. Read More
HONG KONG – Diversified traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) maker Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings (HK:0874, SH:600332) plans to raise as much as $1.6 billion through a private sale of new shares to be traded in Mainland China. Read More
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said it has begun an underwritten public offering plus a concurrent private placement with Sanofi SA company Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., which will buy enough shares directly from Alnylam to maintain its 12 percent ownership of the company. Read More
Celator Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Ewing, N.J., gained FDA fast track status for CPX-351 (cytarabine and daunorubicin) for the treatment of elderly patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia. The ongoing phase III study of the therapy has completed enrollment, and the company said it expects induction response rate data to be available in the second quarter of this year, followed by overall survival data – the primary endpoint – in the first quarter of 2016. Read More
Spark Therapeutics Inc., of Philadelphia, started enrolling a phase I/II trial with SPK-CHM for patients with choroideremia, an X-linked inherited retinal dystrophy which manifests in affected males in childhood as night blindness and a reduction of visual field, followed by progressive constriction of visual field, ultimately leading to complete blindness. Read More
Gedeon Richter plc, of Budapest, Hungary, and Actavis plc, of Dublin, reported results from a phase III trial evaluating cariprazine in the prevention of relapse in patients with schizophrenia. Read More
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, said the European Commission approved nintedeanib for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), following an expedited review and positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. Nintedanib will be marketed in Europe under the brand Ofev. Read More
