Sizzle in the anti-cancer stem cell (CSC) space continued in the wake of the $177.25 million up-front deal between Oncomed Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Celgene Corp., which included $22.25 million as an equity investment and gives the latter options to as many as six candidates. Read More
The FDA greenlighted an application from California Stem Cell Inc. to begin Phase III studies of its cancer stem cell-based immunotherapy, DC-TC, in patients with metastatic melanoma. Read More
Shrugging off pre-Thanksgiving initial public offering (IPO) jitters, which saw four biotechs yank their planned IPOs last month, Xencor Inc. exited Tuesday with a $70 million offering to support clinical development of FC-engineered antibody candidates XmAb5871 and XmAb7195. Read More
Drugmakers shouldn’t be forced into the waste disposal business. That’s the gist of a federal lawsuit filed by several industry trade associations in the hopes of throwing out a King County, Wash., regulation requiring drugmakers to set up and maintain secure take-back programs for unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs – at no cost to King County residents. Read More
Ignyta Inc. capped its recent reverse merger with two private placements totaling $54 million, surpassing the company’s original target raise of $35 million. Read More
Researchers have identified a strategy for a male contraceptive that interferes with sperm transport rather than production – an approach that may allow for a reversible male method of contraception. Researchers have been trying to develop oral contraceptives for men for some time – but attempts so far have failed, though for different reasons. Read More
• Bioheart Inc., of Sunrise, Fla., entered an investment banking agreement with Cassel Salpeter & Co. as its exclusive financial advisor in connection with investment banking matters. Read More
• Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc., of The Woodlands, Texas, said top-line data from an initial Phase II study exploring the use of LX1033 in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-d) indicated that all treatment groups, including placebo, showed significant improvements over time, and differences between placebo and LX1033 in stool consistency – the study’s primary endpoint – were not statistically significant. Read More
• Sanofi SA, of Paris, reported full results from the EDITION II study of investigational insulin U300, showing that 23 percent fewer patients experienced night-time low blood sugar compared with Lantus (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection). Read More
• Protagen AG, of Dortmund, Germany, said it signed a collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc., of New York, for the use of its Serotag technology to discover predictive or patient stratification markers for a drug in development by Pfizer. Read More
