Despite sales of its approved antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) Adcetris at levels described by analysts as "flat," Seattle Genetics Inc. scored an expansion of the deal begun last year with Abbott. The arrangement brings $25 million up front in exchange for Abbott's right to use the auristatin-based ADC technology against more targets than before. Read More
AstraZeneca plc will be Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s development and commercialization partner for linaclotide in the vast China territory. Ironwood filed a clinical trial application with China's State Food and Drug Administration for a Phase III study of linaclotide in irritable bowel with constipation (IBS-C). Read More
Researchers from the Australian Mater Medical Research Institute, the University of Brisbane and U.S. biotech company GlycoMimetics Inc. have reported new insights into how blood stem cells are activated by selectins, and how blocking that activation may be able to protect them from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Read More
On the eve of reporting third-quarter earnings, Eli Lilly and Co. confronted a storm warning from Fitch Ratings, which affirmed the big pharma's ratings – including the issuer default rating (IDR) – at "A" but lowered its outlook on the company from "stable" to "negative." Read More
• Pharma Two B Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, completed a second round of financing for $8 million to develop its fixed-dose-combination product, P2B001, for Parkinson's disease and to complete a Phase IIb trial. Read More
• BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Nes Ziona, Israel, passed a two-day QP GMP audit of its manufacturing facility, production process and quality control procedures. Read More
• Cytori Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, said an investigator-sponsored trial has been cleared to start in France to study the company's cell therapy as a potential treatment for limited and diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. Read More
• Forest Laboratories Inc., of New York, said it inked a deal with moksha8, of Sao Paolo, Brazil, providing Forest with a commercial footprint in Latin America and giving moksha8 access to antidepressant drug Viibryd (vilazodone) and potentially other Forest products for the Latin American market. Read More
• Abbott, of Abbott Park, Ill., said results from a post-hoc subanalysis of the 52-week Humira (adalimumab) ULTRA 2 study showed clinically meaningful rates of mucosal healing at week 52 in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis who failed, were intolerant or had contraindications to certain other medications and achieved a response to Humira induction therapy at eight weeks. Read More
