The controversial theory that infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is a causative agent in Crohn's disease is about to receive its biggest test yet, as Redhill Biopharma Ltd. initiates a Phase III program involving RHB-104, an antibiotic treatment, in some 600 patients. Read More
Marching ahead with its platform that finds monoclonal antibody binders to allosteric sites on receptors and ligands, Xoma Corp. priced a public stock sale of 7.5 million shares at $3.62, the previous day's closing bid, as investors await Phase III data on gevokizumab for uveitis. Read More
A rule change restricting access to prescription drugs under the new expanded Medicaid programs has a group of 81 patient advocacy organizations demanding some changes of their own. Read More
LONDON – In the past year the lure of gene silencing as a route to address disease has prompted a revival in the field. But it remains the case that the difficulties of delivering RNA-based drugs continue to slow the pace of development and limit their use to the liver or tumor tissues, or to tissues where local administration is possible. Read More
French researchers identified new links between prion protein and Alzheimer's disease and have shown that by inhibiting the kinase PDK1, they were able to independently slow the disease progression in both prion disease and Alzheimer's disease in mice. Read More
• Epicept Corp., of Tarrytown, N.Y., and Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Herzliya-Pituach, Israel, said the 1-for-40 reverse stock split of Epicept's common stock and the company's name change to Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc., in conjunction with the merger of the two firms, is expected to be completed at the end of the week. Read More
• Macrogenics Inc., of Rockville, Md., dosed its first patient in a Phase I expansion cohort trial of MGA271, a monoclonal antibody targeting B7-H3. Read More
