Axim Biotechnologies Inc., of New York, said it launched human dermatological trials based on its topical ointment formulation, AX-1602, which includes the stem cell cannabinoid, cannabigerol, and other cannabinoids. The two indications are psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Read More
Tunitas Therapeutics Inc., of San Francisco, presented preclinical data at the American Thoracic Society meeting in South San Francisco, demonstrating that epsi-gam significantly improves pulmonary function and reduces inflammation in an animal model of dust mite allergic asthma. Read More
Agenovir Corp., of South San Francisco, raised $10.6 million in a series A financing led by Data Collective with participation from Summit, N.J.-based Celgene Corp., Lightspeed Venture Partners and undisclosed individual investors. Read More
HONG KONG – In a move to improve its drug manufacturing, research and development capacity as well as to strengthen its international presence, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co. Ltd. made an offer to acquire a 96 percent stake in Indian drugmaker Gland Pharma Ltd. Read More
The degree of pre-existing adaptation between a person's immune system and the precise genetic characteristics of the HIV that person was infected with could predict how quickly disease would progress, researchers reported in the May 16, 2016, online issue of Nature Medicine. Read More
Lawmakers caught between the threat of rising drug costs and fears that a proposed nationwide Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Part B drug reimbursement pilot would be bad for patients held to their individual calls for CMS to either scrap or modify the program during a Tuesday hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, suggesting little potential for the experiment to find much support there. Read More
DUBLIN – An evaluation of the first nine projects funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), the multibillion-euro public-private partnership involving the European Commission and the pharmaceutical industry, recommends that it broaden its focus from a "linear" approach to tackling pharma R&D bottlenecks to a "system-of-innovation" approach that can better identify pathways to socio-economic impact for individual projects. Read More
SUZHOU, China – In just under two years, Shanghai-based start-up Zai Labs Inc. has attracted the interest of large multinational pharmaceutical companies looking for a research, development and commercialization partner to navigate China's regulatory challenges and reach its large and untapped market potential. Read More
Zenith Epigenetics Corp. closed a $24.56 million private placement with its lead investor, Eastern Capital Ltd., by pricing 24.56 million common shares at $1 apiece. For starters, the funds will finance a phase I trial of the company's pan selective BET (bromodomain and extraterminal domain) inhibitor, ZEN-3694, in the lead indication of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Read More
The FDA "will not be happy on the cardiovascular [CV] front, short of the data from a study designed specifically to address that issue" with regard to testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), Clarus Therapeutics Inc. CEO Robert Dudley told BioWorld Today, and the agency has asked vendors of marketed products to take on such work. Read More
