The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Monday upheld a lower court ruling that dismissed a lawsuit claiming that Amgen Inc.'s Enbrel (etanercept) caused myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and that imposed sanctions against the plaintiff's counsel for becoming unnecessarily argumentative and filing multiple motions that the lower court described as "barely veiled attempts to re-litigate decided issues." Read More
Wuxi Biologics Inc., of Shanghai, entered a partnership to manufacture protein-based therapeutics for Inhibrx Inc., of La Jolla, Calif. Under the partnership, Inhibrx will use Wuxi exclusively for any human biologic therapeutics projects that are started within the next three years. Read More
Helix Biopharma Corp., of Richmond Hill, Ontario, said it closed a private placement financing for gross proceeds of C$456,000 (US$347,082). The terms of the placement are for the purchase of units at C$1.20 each with each unit comprising one common share and one common share purchase warrant to purchase one common share at C$1.50. The company intends to use the net proceeds for working capital and research and development activities. Read More
Although the body of research is growing, therapeutic efforts to curb or reverse hearing loss fall far short of those in the more prominent sensory impairment of vision loss. Several dozen drugs are approved to treat visual disorders such as macular degeneration and glaucoma that can lead to blindness. In contrast, not a single drug is approved to treat or prevent hearing loss. Read More
LONDON – The doors have opened on a U.K. industrial cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) facility, making that powerful imaging technology available to companies large and small across pharma and biotech. Read More
In Margaret Atwood's 1988 novel "Cat's Eye," protagonist Elaine Risley describes the freedom of being a female painter in the male-dominated art world of the 1950s (and beyond): "Since it does not matter what I do, I can do whatever I want." Read More
Oncoresponse Inc., a company formed by Theraclone Sciences Inc. and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to screen and discover therapeutically relevant antibodies from patients successfully treated with immunotherapy, has completed a $40 million series B equity financing. Proceeds of the round will support the advancement of five candidates into preclinical and clinical development, the Seattle-based company said. Read More
When John Orwin joined Atreca Inc. in April as president and CEO, replacing co-founder Tito Serafini, who slid into the role of chief strategy officer, the stated goal was to combine Orwin's prowess in clinical scale-up with Serafini's scientific vision for the company's core Immune Repertoire Capture (IRC) technology. Read More
