Privately held Concert Pharmaceuticals Inc. struck another business development high note, inking an exclusive license agreement that provides Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc with global rights to develop and commercialize deuterium-modified sodium oxybate (D-SXB) compounds, including C-10323, aimed at narcolepsy. Read More
A minor note in Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s board appointment announcement set the markets speculating on a potential merger for the San Diego-based company. Read More
The central nervous system (CNS) disease space has been riddled with high-profile drug failures over the past decades and its difficulty has even prompted big pharmas such as GlaxoSmithKline plc and AstraZeneca plc to jettison programs in psychiatry, pain and neuroscience. Read More
• Titan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of South San Francisco, said the FDA's Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee is scheduled to review the firm's new drug application (NDA) for Probuphine for the maintenance treatment of adults with opioid dependence on March 21. Read More
• ViroPharma Inc., of Exton, Pa., reported net product sales of $106.5 million for the fourth quarter, a decline compared to the fourth quarter of 2011, largely attributed to the loss of revenues due to generic competition to antibiotic drug Vancocin (vancomycin). Read More
• Inviragen Inc., of Fort Collins, Colo., said it started the second stage of its ongoing Phase II study testing DENVax, its dengue vaccine, following review and recommendation by the data safety monitoring board. Read More
• Hyperion Therapeutics Inc., of South San Francisco, said it is offering up to $50 million of shares of common stock, though the number of shares and share price have not yet been disclosed. Underwriters Leerink Swann, Cowen and Co., Needham & Co. and JMP Securities will have an option to purchase an additional $7.5 million in stock to cover overallotments. Read More
• Novo Nordisk A/S, of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, said its Norditropin (somatropin [rDNA origin]) 15-mg dose received a label update, allowing it to be left at room temperature after initial use for up to 21 days. Norditropin is used as a growth hormone treatment. Read More
