The surprise blowup of Protagonist Therapeutics Inc.'s PTG-100 for ulcerative colitis (UC) raised questions not only about the drug but also about the platform from which it emerged, with Stifel analyst Adam Walsh most pointedly interrogating company officials during a conference call to discuss the data. Read More
Despite positive new pivotal data supporting its migraine treatment candidate, rimegepant, Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co. Ltd. saw its shares (NYSE:BHVN) touch an all-time low Monday as investors fretted over the program's competitive stance in the crowded class of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonism. By day's end, the candidate's success in meeting the trials' co-primary endpoints appeared to soften the blow, leaving shares just 7.3 percent lower at $22.96. Read More
Shares of Verona Pharma plc closed up 31.7 percent on London's AIM (LSE:VRP) and spiked on Nasdaq (NASDAQ:VRNA) after top-line data showed that RPL-554 met its primary endpoint, producing clinically and statistically significant improvement in peak forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) at four weeks, compared to placebo, as a maintenance therapy in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Peak FEV1 was improved at all time points over the four weeks of dosing, confirming the therapy's bronchodilator effect, according to Verona officials. Read More
Physiologically, antibodies are one of the major weapons the body deploys against infection. And the very first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, in 1901, was awarded to Emil Adolf von Behring for antibodies (in the form of serum therapy) against the diphtheria-causing Corynebacterium diphtheriae. So it is perhaps surprising that in the 117 years since, as far as antibiotic therapeutics go, small molecules have largely been the name of the game. Read More
Reaching across disciplinary and institutional boundaries isn't necessarily a strength of academics at elite institutions such as Harvard University. Concern about precisely that issue nearly undid the founding of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering before it was even launched at Harvard in the beginning of 2009. Read More
HONG KONG – After a successful phase II study, Beyondspring Inc.'s plinabulin is set to enter the phase III global trial known as Study 105 to test the drug's efficacy in preventing chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) associated with docetaxel. Read More
Cohbar Inc., of Menlo Park, Calif., proposed a private placement of up to $55 million in nonconvertible unsecured promissory notes to certain arm's-length and non-arm's-length lenders. Read More
Forma Therapeutics Inc., of Watertown, Mass., said it is collaborating with Boulder, Colo.-based Arpeggio Biosciences Inc. to utilize its technology to supplement the company's analysis of the biological effects of its potential drug candidates. Read More
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) filed a request for consultations with China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address China's technology practices that the U.S. claims run counter to WTO rules and result in unfair treatment for U.S. companies and innovators trying to do business in China. Read More
