LONDON – The political noise around Pfizer Inc.'s proposed £53 billion (US$107 billion) takeover of Astrazeneca plc is intensifying, with the governors of Maryland and Delaware seeking assurances that Astrazeneca jobs and facilities in their states will be protected, and Michigan Senator Carl Levin upping the pressure to close the tax loophole that underpins the rationale for Pfizer's bid. Read More
DUBLIN – Investors in Lumena Pharmaceuticals Inc. are in line for a big payday, as Shire plc is buying the San Diego-based drug developer for $260 million up front, plus undisclosed milestones linked to the results of clinical trials of one of its pipeline assets – and whatever cash it has left on its balance sheet when the transaction closes. Read More
PARIS – Once you've swallowed the idea of intelligent pills that can be loaded with cameras and therapeutics, you're ready to think about the potential for a smart skin patch. Read More
Investors drove Tesaro Inc. shares up 21 percent Monday (NASDAQ:TSRO) on news that the company hit both its primary and secondary endpoints in a phase III trial of rolapitant, its top hope for breaking into the $1.5 billion U.S. market for drugs preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Read More
On the heels of a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) that warns about "superbugs" making inroads across the globe, Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. popped the lid off phase III data with its ceftolozane/tazobactam combo antibiotic at the 24th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Read More
HONG KONG – A Japanese research institute has closed a controversial chapter in its history by refusing to reinvestigate misconduct by a high-profile scientist and has set up a committee of outside experts to suggest future steps to prevent fraud. Read More
If you've discovered a new therapeutic approach for rare and neurodegenerative diseases stemming from lysosomal biology and need help starting a company, you go to the experts. Read More
Novartis AG's Diovan (valsartan) crisis in Japan just won't seem to go away, with the latest announcement from an investigative committee at Chiba University in Japan that concluded data from a clinical trial conducted at the university on valsartan may have been manipulated. Read More
Chase Pharmaceuticals Corp., of Washington, said it raised $21 million in a series B financing from a syndicate led by New Rhein Healthcare Investors LLC. Read More
Beryllium, of Bedford, Mass., said it has finalized its consolidation of restructured assets from Emerald Bio and Decode Genetics and emerged as a collaborative drug discovery company. Read More
Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Astrazeneca plc, of London, reported that the phase III AMAGINE-1 study testing brodalumab, a drug designed to bind to the interleukin-17 receptor, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis met all primary and secondary endpoints for both evaluated doses. Read More
Allergan Inc., of Irvine, Calif., said its board of directors unanimously rejected the unsolicited April 22 acquisition proposal from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Laval, Quebec, concluding the proposal substantially undervalued the company. Read More
