Underlining its ambitions in ophthalmology, Shire plc is acquiring SARcode Bioscience Inc. for $160 million up front, plus additional, undisclosed milestones based on the clinical, regulatory and commercial progress of its main asset, lifitegrast, which is undergoing a second pivotal Phase III trial in dry eye disease. Read More
Third Rock Ventures raised its third fund of $516 million, continuing with its mission to launch and invest in companies developing disruptive technologies in the field of health care. "We look for areas of science and translational medicine that have become ripe for a breakthrough fundamental advance," Third Rock partner Alexis Borisy told BioWorld Today. Read More
Adamant that pay-for-delay settlements between brand- and generic drugmakers are anticompetitive, the FTC is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to get the settlements outlawed. Read More
Having taken one step forward, Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc. got pushed one back when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) appeals board flipped a decision made earlier that favored Idenix over Gilead Pharmaceuticals Inc. in an interference dispute over patents related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) drugs. Read More
• Neuralstem Inc., of Rockville, Md., said it secured $8 million in debt financing with Hercules Technology Growth Capital to fund the company's capital budget through late 2014. Read More
• United Therapeutics Corp., of Silver Spring, Md., said it received a second complete response letter (CRL) from the FDA, declining to approve its new drug application (NDA) for treprostinil diolamine extended-release tablets (oral treprostinil) for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Read More
• OncoSec Medical Inc., of San Diego, reported positive, durable response results in an update on interim data from its Phase II metastatic melanoma trial of its ImmunoPulse DNA-based immunotherapy and NeoPulse therapy to treat solid tumors. Read More
• Actavis Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., reached a settlement agreement with AstraZeneca plc, of London, resolving outstanding patent litigation related to Actavis' generic version of rosuvastatin calcium 5-, 10-, 20- and 40-mg tablets, the generic version of Crestor tablets, as well as Actavis' rosuvastatin zinc alternate salt product. Read More
• Phosphagenics Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said it achieved all the endpoints of its Phase I trial of its oxymorphone patch by successfully delivering the opioid into the bloodstream via its TPM transdermal patch. Read More
