Researchers reported Friday that in primates, the experimental antibody cocktail Zmapp could reverse Ebola disease in monkeys when it was administered up to five days after infection, at a point where the animals were severely ill. Read More
SHANGHAI – Zai Lab Inc., of Shanghai, has received $30 million in financing from a group of international venture capital investors, led by the well-respected Qiming Venture Partners LLC, headquartered in Hong Kong. The series A funding will support Zai's pursuit of its "virtual" business model, and the in-licensing and developing of innovative drugs for global markets as well as China. Read More
Oncomed Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s stoppage in June of phase Ib trials because of bone-related adverse events with a pair of candidates did little to dampen the enthusiasm of analysts for the firm, and last week's lift of the partial clinical hold on vantictumab (OMP-18R5) only made the picture brighter. Read More
DUBLIN – Dezima Pharma BV is on track to move its highly potent cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor TA-8995 (DEZ-001) into a phase III program in the first quarter of next year, following a phase IIb dyslipidemia trial, which the drug passed with flying colors. Read More
Legochem Biosciences Inc. (LCB) boasts an intuitive name, hearkening to the use of Lego-like scaffolds to enable the discovery of drug candidates. But the platform is more than a toy for scientists. Read More
Orexo AB, of Uppsala, Sweden, said it completed a private placement of approximately 2.5 million shares (STOCKHOLM:ORX), including all shares (approximately 1.1 million) held in its treasury plus approximately 1.4 million newly issued shares. Read More
Senesco Technologies Inc., of Bridgewater, N.J., said it closed enrollment in its ongoing open-label, multiple-dose, dose-escalation phase Ib/IIa trial of SNS01-T, a modulator of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A, or eIF5A, in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, plasma cell leukemia or B-cell lymphoma. Read More
Intellipharmaceutics International Inc., of Toronto, said it improved the abuse-deterrence technology incorporated into its controlled-release oxycodone pill, Rexista, and that the approach is potentially applicable to a wide range of drugs. Read More
Researchers from the Broad Institute, Harvard University and the Kenema Government Hospital in Sierra Leone have reported sequencing results from 99 Ebola virus genomes isolated from 78 patients during the current large-scale outbreak in Western Africa, which has entrenched itself in larger cities as well as the remote areas where previous outbreaks were centered, and had claimed more than 1,350 victims as of last week. Read More
