With its diabetes drug lixisenatide already undergoing regulatory review in Europe, Sanofi SA disclosed Monday, during the American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting in Philadelphia, that it has now filed for regulatory approval in Japan. Read More

LONDON – A first glimpse of the outer protein coat present on many bacteria, including some important pathogens, has revealed that it is a highly regular, tight-knit structure, which researchers have likened to medieval chain mail. Read More

LONDON – ProFibrix BV has moved swiftly from Phase II development and treated the first patients in the Phase III trial of its hemostasis product FibroCaps, less than four months after meeting with the FDA to discuss how to proceed. Read More

LONDON – Erytech Pharma is to lead a €21 million (US$26.2 million) project to develop enzyme therapies that attack cancers by depleting amino acids in the tumor environment that are essential for tumor growth, and will also discover biomarkers to identify patients who are likely to respond to those treatments. Read More

MediGene AG became the latest biotech to choose a royalty deal over other financing options to bolster its bottom line. Last week, the company transferred its 2 percent royalty share of European net sales in prostate cancer drug Eligard (leuprolide acetate) to Cowen Healthcare Royalty Partners II LP for $17.7 million in cash. Read More

• Affiris AG, of Vienna, Austria, initiated a global Phase I trial of its Parkinson's vaccine candidate, PD01A. The vaccine is directed against alpha-synuclein, a protein thought to cause the onset and progression of the disease, and it aims to educate the immune system to generate antibodies directed against the protein. The trial, being conducted in Vienna, involves up to 32 patients, with primary endpoints of safety and tolerability. Read More