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Novartis applauds declaration of CML Awareness Day in Canada

Today is a meaningful milestone for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients and their families.

23 Sep 2010

UB researchers to investigate influence of environmental factors on MS progression

A $634,000 grant from the Department of Defense is allowing researchers at the University at Buffalo to investigate a trio of environmental factors and their influence on the progression of multiple sclerosis.

23 Sep 2010

Phase II study: Fostamatinib improves outcomes in RA patients

AstraZeneca's new oral syk inhibitor, fostamatinib (R788), recently in-licensed from Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., significantly improved outcomes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who responded inadequately to ongoing treatment with methotrexate, according to phase II study data published in The New England Journal of Medicine today.

23 Sep 2010

NeoStem to present VSEL Technology for Battlefield Wounds treatment at USU-HJF Symposium

NeoStem, Inc., an international biopharmaceutical company with operations in the U.S. and China, today announced that the Company will be presenting its Autologous Adult Stem Cell VSEL Technology for the Treatment of Battlefield Wounds at The USU-HJF Military Medicine Symposium in Washington DC, September 23rd, 2010.

23 Sep 2010

RXi, EyeGate collaborate to develop RNAi therapeutics for retinal disorders

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a recognized leader in RNAi-based therapeutics, and EyeGate Pharma, the leader in non-invasive ocular drug delivery announced today that they will collaborate on the ocular delivery of RNAi therapeutics. Each party will contribute technology, expertise, and resources to the collaboration.

23 Sep 2010

Mitsui Ventures invests US$5 million to support S*BIO's clinical program

S*BIO Pte Ltd today announced a US$5 million investment by Mitsui Ventures that will support the continued development of S*BIO's clinical programs.

23 Sep 2010

Opinions: Genetically-modified crops can improve vaccines; MDG focus on women and girls; U.S. leadership for MDGs; Boosting access to drugs; Merits of bilateral development assistance

"The U.N. estimates that diarrheal diseases kill 1.8 million people every year. … So you might take it as good news that American company Ventria Bioscience says it has hit on an improvement to existing rehydration therapies, which could mean another tool in the fight against diarrhea," according to a Wall Street Journal editorial examining the delays the company has experienced since it first sought to have its product approved by the FDA back in 2004, even "[a]fter a panel of food, medicine, immunology, child nutrition and health experts had declared its product safe."

23 Sep 2010

Infinity Pharmaceuticals to present IPI-926 inhibitor Phase 1 data at ESMO Congress

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that Phase 1 data of its novel Hedgehog pathway inhibitor, IPI-926, will be presented during the 35th Congress of the European Society of Molecular Oncology (ESMO), in Milan, Italy.

23 Sep 2010

FDA grants priority review status for Endo’s oxymorphone oral formulation

Endo Pharmaceuticals announced that it recently received notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that Endo's new drug application (NDA) for its new oral formulation of long-acting oxymorphone, which is designed to be crush resistant, has been granted priority review status.

23 Sep 2010

BARDA awards Rapid Micro Biosystems $6.7M contract to develop rapid sterility testing platform for vaccines

Rapid Micro Biosystems, a leading provider of automated, non-destructive, rapid microbial detection, today announced that it has signed a contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for the development of rapid sterility testing for vaccines as part of the Innovative Platform Technologies program of BARDA's Strategic Science and Technology Division.

23 Sep 2010

AstraZeneca to use THEW database for cardiac safety evaluation

AstraZeneca purchased a one-year membership to gain access to an international repository of data designed to aid industry and academic researchers developing new technologies to improve cardiac safety.

23 Sep 2010

Anthera Pharmaceuticals closes financing transaction

Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements with certain accredited investors in connection with a private placement, or PIPE, financing transaction pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Regulation D promulgated thereunder.

23 Sep 2010

Abbott's Humira gains first-line biologic use for psoriasis treatment: Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that while Amgen/Stiefel/Pfizer's Enbrel is the most popular biologic across all lines of therapy for psoriasis treatment in newly diagnosed patients, Abbott's Humira is gaining increasing use as a first-line biologic at Enbrel's expense.

23 Sep 2010

Boehringer Ingelheim to present linagliptin Phase III data at 46th EASD

New Phase III data found that investigational linagliptin therapy resulted in significant reductions in blood sugar as measured by hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) when compared to placebo, both when added to sulfonylurea (SU) in inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients, and when administered as monotherapy in T2D patients for whom metformin is inappropriate.

22 Sep 2010

GATC Biotech to purchase PacBio real-time sequencing technology

GATC Biotech announced today that it has agreed to purchase the PacBio RS platform, a single molecule, real-time (SMRT™) sequencing technology. The new PacBio RS will be the fifth sequencing technology for GATC Biotech. The system is planned for installation in early 2011.

22 Sep 2010

Valeant prices offering of senior unsecured notes

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International announced today that it has priced its previously announced offering of senior unsecured notes, which consists of $500 million of 6.75% Senior Notes due 2017 and $700 million of 7.00% Senior Notes due 2020 (collectively, the "Notes"). The $1.2 billion combined aggregate principal amount of the Notes was increased from the previously announced offering size of $1.0 billion. The offering is expected to close on or about September 28, 2010.

22 Sep 2010

Titan completes enrollment in Probuphine Phase 3 study for opioid addiction

Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that patient enrollment is now complete in the confirmatory, Phase 3 clinical study of Probuphine for the treatment of opioid addiction. This placebo and active controlled Phase 3 study is being conducted at 20 sites in the United States and the results are expected in the second quarter of 2011, about three months ahead of the original schedule.

22 Sep 2010

Santaris Pharma paves way to conduct clinical trial of miravirsen in patients with HVC

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies, today announced that it has advanced miravirsen (SPC3649), the first microRNA-targeted drug to enter clinical trials, into Phase 2 studies to assess the safety and tolerability of the drug in treatment-naive patients infected with the Hepatitis C virus.

22 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 22, 2010

Today's headlines focus on news surrounding tomorrow's six-month anniversary of the new health law and some of the specific provisions that will kick in on that day.

22 Sep 2010

Paper calls for revision of STEMI guidelines around oxygen therapy

The European Society of Cardiology welcomes a paper published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology highlighting concerns over the use of oxygen therapy during MI in patients with normal oxygen levels. The publication adds to calls for revision of the STEMI guidelines around oxygen therapy and for a prospective, large scale randomised trials, issues that were both first raised in a Cochrane Review published in June.

22 Sep 2010