After spending three months seeking to tamp down a proxy battle with shareholder First Manhattan Co. (FMC), Vivus Inc. got a bit of a lift Tuesday. Read More
Gene therapy pioneer Uniqure BV is banking €31 million (US$39.6 million) through a commercialization and equity deal with Chiesi Famaceutici SpA that involves European and Chinese rights to its approved gene therapy product, Glybera (alipogene tiparvovec), as well as rights in Europe and several other territories to its hemophilia B gene therapy program. Read More
Cytrx Corp.'s decision to stop in May its Phase IIb trial with the synthetic retinoid tamibarotene for non-small-cell lung cancer turned investor eyes to aldoxorubicin, an improved, albumin-binding form of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin at the same stage of testing in first-line soft-tissue sarcoma (STS). Read More
If an appellate court allows a shareholder suit alleging fraud to proceed against Genzyme Corp., it will encourage more such frivolous lawsuits to be filed against drugmakers, a public interest law and policy center said in filing an amicus brief this week on behalf of Genzyme. Read More
LONDON – Cancer immunotherapy specialist Scancell Holdings plc is looking to raise £6.5 million (US$9.7 million) in a placing and open offer, allowing it to expand an ongoing Phase I/II trial of its lead Immunobody product, SCIB1, and to commence preclinical development of a second cancer vaccine platform, Moditope. Read More
• Athersys Inc., of Cleveland, said study results in Stem Cells Translational Medicine demonstrated that Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells (MAPC) increase the long-term survival of organ transplants in instances when the cell donor is not related to the patient or the organ donor, and also appear to alleviate the need for long-term immune suppression. Read More
• Calimmune Inc., of Los Angeles, said the first patient started treatment in a Phase I/II trial testing gene medicine Cal-1. The study will enroll 12 HIV-positive patients who will be infused with their own T cells and stem cells that have been modified to block the HIV receptor CCR5 and prevent HIV fusion. Read More
• Astrazeneca plc, of London, said it entered an agreement with the University of Cambridge and Cancer Research UK for a two-year collaboration on three preclinical and clinical oncology projects. Read More
