DUBLIN, Ireland – Abbvie Inc. got the job done right on the July 18 deadline, agreeing a £32 billion (US$54.6 billion) cash-and-shares takeover of Dublin-based Shire plc, comprising £24.44 per share in cash plus 0.8960 of new Abbvie shares for each existing share in Shire. Read More
Shares of Sage Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SAGE), a specialist in rare central nervous system disorders, climbed 67 percent Friday as the Cambridge, Mass.-based company raised $90 million in an initial public offering (IPO) by selling 5 million shares at $18 each, before overallotments. Read More
LONDON – Cachexia, the wasting syndrome that is responsible for many deaths among people with cancer, occurs because – among other changes in the body – white adipose tissue (WAT) switches to become brown adipose tissue (BAT), a new study has found. Read More
Amgen Inc.'s pipeline news of late has been dominated by the flood of data from its promising PCSK9-inhibiting cholesterol drug evolocumab, but the Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based firm reported more quietly late Thursday good news for its blockbuster secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) franchise as AMG 416 hit all primary and secondary endpoints in its first phase III trial. Read More
The small biotech Sotio AS, of Prague, has shunned the limelight since its founding in 2010. Instead of promoting its potential to treat various forms of cancer, the company is letting its technology do the talking. Read More
A pill to treat enlarged prostate more effectively without invasive surgery and the sexual side effects that sometimes come with existing therapy is an ideal option for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Read More
Designmedix Inc., of Portland, Ore., said it closed a second round of angel funding from investors in the Northwest, including Portland Seed Fund, as well as members of Bellingham Angels, Oregon Angel Fund, Seraph Angel Network, Willamette Angel Conference, Keiretsu Angel Forum and Tacoma Angel Network. Read More
Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., of Belleville, Ontario, said it received guidance from the FDA providing regulatory clarity and permitting the submission of a biologics license application for mycobacterial cell wall-nucleic acid complex (MCNA) sterile suspension for the treatment of patients with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin refractory high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer based on existing clinical data. Read More
Cynapsus Therapeutics Inc., of Toronto, said it is initiating phase II studies for APL-130277, a fast-acting reformulation of apomorphine, in Parkinson's disease (PD) following guidance from the FDA. Study CTH-105 will be conducted according to the proposal submitted to the FDA under the company´s investigational new drug application. Read More
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Laval, Quebec, filed an investor presentation with the SEC that it plans to use in meetings with Allergan's institutional investors and proxy advisors. Read More
Two separate teams have gained new insights into the mechanisms that drive cachexia, the weight loss and muscle wasting that can accompany diseases such as cancer and HIV. Read More
