Anergis SA, of Epalinges, Switzerland, was issued Japanese patent No. 5389326 for its Contiguous Overlapping Peptide (COP) technology, which is used to develop allergy vaccines. Read More

Amarantus Bioscience Holdings Inc., of San Francisco, completed the in-licensure of Eltoprazine from PGI Drug Discovery LLC, giving it worldwide rights except for Asian territories. The company plans to start a Phase IIb trial this year to treat Levadopa-induced dyskinesia associated with Parkinson’s disease. Eltoprazine is a 5HT1a/1b partial agonist small-molecule drug candidate. Read More

SHANGHAI – Mezzion Pharma Co. Ltd., of Seoul, South Korea, has signed an agreement with New England Research Institutes Inc. (NERI) to conduct government-sponsored clinical trials for udenafil. A long-acting phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor first approved in Korea and Russia for erectile dysfunction, udenafil will be trialed as a treatment for adolescents who face shortened lifespans due to reduced heart function due to congenital heart defects. Read More

HONG KONG – The results of a positron emission tomography (PET) molecular imaging study in monkeys suggest that the anesthetic, ketamine, may help in the diagnosis of major depressive disorder in humans and development of new antidepressants, report Japanese researchers from the Riken Center for Life Science Technologies. Read More

HONG KONG – South Korea’s Celltrion Inc. (KOSDAQ:068270) successfully added another biosimilar to its portfolio, giving breast cancer patients there a cheaper alternative and securing the company’s leading position in the biosimilar monoclonal antibody (MAb) market. Read More

HONG KONG – Biosimilars are in the spotlight in Indonesia after the government introduced new regulations and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Southeast Asia based there said it would consider making this category of drugs its focus going forward. Read More