Short hairpin RNAs are one of the workhorses of RNA interference – when they work. And researchers from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories recently described a way to better predict which ones will work best on a given gene. Read More
LONDON – The FDA issued a refusal to file notice to Pharming NV and its partner Santarus Inc., for Rhucin, a recombinant protein product for treating hereditary angioedema (HAE), which is generated in the milk of transgenic rabbits. Read More
Santaris Pharma A/S, of Hoersholm, Denmark, obtained an exclusive license from Massachusetts General Hospital for intellectual property related to the regulation of miR-33 for treating cardiovascular disorders. Financial terms were not disclosed. Santaris intends to use its Locked Nucleic Acid platform to develop a LNA-based drug targeting miR-33. Read More
4SC AG, of Planegg-Martinsried, Germany, reported final data from its ENTRANCE Phase IIa study of vidofludimus, an oral inhibitor of interleukin-17 release and DHODH, in inflammatory bowel disease, which supported previously reported top-line primary endpoint data showing a total response rate of 88.5 percent. Secondary endpoint data included Crohn's Disease Activity Index and the Colitis Activity Index scores in line with the assignment of patients to the complete, partial and nonresponder categories. All 26 evaluable patients, excluding the three nonresponders, reached a relapse-free prednisolone dose significantly lower than their individual threshold doses at which they experienced relapses prior to entering the study. Read More
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., of New York, said it raised about $3.6 million from the sale of 12.8 million shares at 28 cents per share in a private placement financing. The company also said it issued warrants to the investors, with exercise prices of 28 cents and 50 cents per share, with expiration dates of one year and two years, respectively. Read More
With the global biopharmaceutical market expected to hit $167 billion by 2015, some major conglomerates, known more for their electronics, are taking the plunge. Read More
Barely three months after reporting its outstanding clinical results for brentuximab vedotin at the annual meeting of the American Society for Hematology (ASH) in December, Seattle Genetics Inc. submitted its biologics license application to the FDA, petitioning for an accelerated six-month approval timeline. Read More
