Cytokinetics Inc.'s deal with Astellas Pharma Inc. to develop skeletal muscle activators for weakness-related disorders preserves rights to tirasemtiv for the biotech firm, and focuses on the follow-on compound, CK-212707 (or CK-107, as it's more often known), providing $40 million for Cytokinetics during the first two years, with potential milestone payments up to $450 million. Read More
Vical Inc. and Astellas Pharma Inc. began a Phase III trial of Transvax, a vaccine for cytomeglovirus (CMV), in 500 hematopoietic cell transplant recipients, with Astellas taking the lead and Vical providing development, regulatory and manufacturing support. Read More
Although PDUFA V has been in effect for just nine months, the biopharma industry already is setting up the ironing board for the next round of user fee negotiations with the FDA. Read More
Shares in Basilea Pharmaceutica AG gained as much as 6 percent during mid-morning trading Tuesday on news that it secured a contract from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), worth up to $89 million, for the development of its antibiotic, BAL30072. Read More
• Bluebird Bio Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., closed its initial public offering of about 6.8 million shares at $17 each, which includes the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to 891,176 additional shares. Read More
• Seattle Genetics Inc., of Bothell, Wash., inked a new antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) oncology collaboration with Bayer HealthCare, a unit of Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, Germany, in exchange for up-front and option exercise fees of up to $20 million, with the prospect of receiving up to $500 million in potential milestones, plus royalties on sales of any products stemming from the multitarget collaboration. Read More
• Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Ahmedabad, India, and its subsidiary, Accord Healthcare Inc., said they entered a settlement and license agreement with Basel, Switzerland-based Roche AG to resolve pending patent litigation related to cancer drug Xeloda (capecitabine). Read More
• Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals GmbH., of Ingelheim, Germany, and Eli Lilly and Co., of Indianapolis, disclosed a pooled analysis of Phase III data for the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor linagliptin. Read More
• Morphotek Inc., of Exton, Pa., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., said the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville opened enrollment in a Phase I study testing MORAb-066 in patients with advanced or metastatic breast, pancreatic, colorectal or non-small-cell lung cancers. Read More
