What CEO Daniel Gold called a "ticking time bomb" apparently went off in the 102-patient phase II trial testing MEI Pharma Inc.'s histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor pracinostat in combination with Vidaza (azacitidine, Celgene Corp.) against previously untreated intermediate-2 or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), as top-line data show the pair performed no better than Vidaza by itself. Read More
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, completed its phase IIb migraine prevention program with positive top-line results from a study evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of two doses of subcutaneous TEV-48125 for the prevention of high frequency episodic migraine (characterized by eight to 14 days of headache per month). Read More
Glaxosmithkline plc, of London, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are collaborating on developing a treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Read More
Immunogen Inc. shares (NASDAQ:IMGN) climbed 16.8 percent to close at $8.69 Monday as Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. pledged $20 million up front plus potential milestones to license exclusive rights to use the company's antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology to develop and commercialize anticancer therapeutics for up to two undisclosed targets with an option on a third. Read More
HONG KONG – Inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) blocked the characteristic neuronal excitation seen in epileptic seizures in vitro and prevented such events in a mouse model of epilepsy in a study by Japanese pharmacologists, who also identified a promising new treatment for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Read More
Late 2013 start-up Aeglea Biotherapeutics Inc. attracted investments from big pharma venture arms Lilly Ventures and Novartis Venture Fund, which co-led the firm's $44 million series B round to support initial clinical work testing its amino acid-degrading approach in both a rare disease indication and cancer. Read More
Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co. are preparing to resume the phase III program for their partnered pain candidate, tanezumab, that has been in limbo since 2010, when the FDA raised concerns about a small number of osteoarthritis (OA) patients in the tanezumab program whose OA worsened, necessitating joint replacement. Read More
SHANGHAI – Brivanib, an oral kinase inhibitor for liver cancer, is getting another crack at getting on the market, and this time, if successful, it will be in China where almost half the world's liver cancer patients reside. Read More
The National Institutes of Health selected three new proof-of-concept hubs to participate in its Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs program, aimed at speeding the translation of basic biomedical discoveries into commercial drugs, devices, diagnostics and tools. Read More
Bone Therapeutics SA, of Gosselies, Belgium, said the first four patients were treated in the phase IIa proof-of-concept study for spinal infusion procedures, testing the firm's allogeneic osteoblastic cell therapy product, Allob. Read More
