Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, said vedolizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody antagonizing alpha4beta7 intregrin for treating moderate and severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, entered two new Phase III trials in Japan. Read More
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of Princeton, N.J., and partner Astrazeneca plc, of London, said the FDA approved Farxiga (dapagliflozin) tablets to improve glycemic control, along with diet and exercise in adults with Type II diabetes. Read More
Mast Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, provided an update on the status of EPIC, its pivotal Phase III study of MST-188 in sickle cell disease. Read More
Biolinerx Ltd., of Jerusalem, signed a collaboration agreement with JHL Biotech, of Hsinchu, Taiwan, to develop and commercialize BL-9020 for Type I diabetes. Read More
Lorus Therapeutics Inc., of Toronto, said underwriters have exercised in full their overallotment option to purchase an additional 1,909,500 common shares at a price of $0.55 per common share, in connection with their public offering. Read More
Scientists from Roche Pharma Early Research and Development (pRED) have developed a method to deliver large-molecule therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier with much greater efficiency. Read More
In its attempt to “replicate the Gleevec story in other tumor types,” Blueprint Medicines Inc.’s Series B round brought in $25 million that will fund the push led by “an elite group of people who have specialized in developing selective kinase inhibitors to known or very clear genomic drivers of cancers,” said Kyle Kuvalanka, chief business officer. Read More
AV Therapeutics Inc. decloaked in late December by merging with a public shell company. It is developing a chemotherapy candidate, capridine, that has been shown in preclinical models to have activity against prostate and colon cancer, with plans to launch Phase I trials in the second quarter of 2014. Read More
The first formal human cardiac safety study of Firdapse (amifampridine phosphate) met its pre-specified endpoint, demonstrating no effect on heart rate or cardiac depolarization when administered at and above therapeutic levels. Read More
