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Fibrosis is the growth of fibrous tissue.

InterMune seeks FDA marketing approval for pirfenidone

InterMune, Inc. today announced that it has submitted an electronic New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market pirfenidone for the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Pirfenidone has been granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation by the FDA, and also has been granted Orphan Drug status in Europe.

5 Nov 2009

Patient enrollment in three late-stage clinical trials completed

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today patient enrollment is complete in three of its late-stage clinical trials.

5 Nov 2009

Interim data from Schering-Plough's narlaprevir Phase IIa study

Schering-Plough Corporation reported that interim results from an ongoing Phase IIa study of narlaprevir (SCH 900518), its investigational, once-daily protease inhibitor, demonstrated potent antiviral activity in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1.

3 Nov 2009

Enzo Biochem announces results of EGS21 clinical trial for treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

Enzo Biochem Inc. announced today that favorable results of the Company’s clinical trial for treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The study was a randomized double blind placebo controlled format of EGS21, Enzo’s orally administered beta glucosylceramide formulation, designed to evaluate safety and efficacy of the study drug in patients with NASH and its associated metabolic syndrome.

2 Nov 2009

NIAID awards Pulmatrix $2.2M grant for developing novel influenza therapeutics

Pulmatrix, a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing a new class of therapies for the treatment and prevention of infectious and progressive respiratory diseases, today announced that it has been awarded a grant for $2.2 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aimed at advancing the development of novel influenza therapeutics for the treatment of seasonal and pandemic influenza.

2 Nov 2009

Pulmatrix raises $30.2 million through Series B financing

Pulmatrix, a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing a new class of therapies for the treatment and prevention of infectious and progressive respiratory diseases, today announced that it has secured $30.2 million in Series B financing. ARCH Venture Partners and Novartis Bioventures Fund co-led the round with participation from existing investors Polaris Venture Partners and 5AM Ventures.

2 Nov 2009

Extending hepatitis C treatment for liver transplant patients results in sustained viral clearance

Extending hepatitis C treatment for liver transplant patients beyond current practice results in high rates of clearance of the hepatitis C virus from the blood, as well as a low rate of relapse, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.

2 Nov 2009

Vertex Pharmaceuticals announces study results of telaprevir-based regimen

More than 80 percent of hepatitis C patients in each arm of the Phase 2 Study C208 achieved a sustained viral response (SVR) with a telaprevir-based regimen according to results of an intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis announced today by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.

2 Nov 2009

Bacteria use a well-studied communication system to resist antibiotics

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark along with other collaborators in Denmark and the US found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can 'switch on' production of molecules that kill white blood cells - preventing the bacteria being eliminated by the body's immune system.

1 Nov 2009

HCV progresses more rapidly after liver transplantation in African-Americans compared to whites

Previous studies have shown that hepatitis C virus (HCV) progresses slower prior to liver transplantation in African Americans than in whites. However, researchers demonstrate in this study, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, that the opposite is true after transplantation, in that recurrent HCV in the transplanted liver progresses faster in African Americans than in whites.

1 Nov 2009

Schering-Plough receives FDA complete response letter regarding PEGINTRON

Schering-Plough Corp. announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter to the company's supplemental Biologics License Application regarding PEGINTRON® (pegylated interferon alfa-2b) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III malignant melanoma after complete lymphadenectomy.

31 Oct 2009

FDA-approved drug PEG-ADA shows positive results in relieving major complication of priapism

Thousands of men are afflicted with an embarrassing and painful condition that triggers spontaneous, long-lasting erections. There are limited treatment options, but a solution could be on the way thanks to new research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

31 Oct 2009

Researchers report an epidemic of sexually-transmitted HCV infection among HIV-infected men in NY City

Researchers in New York City are reporting their work uncovering a new epidemic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) who have HIV infection.

30 Oct 2009

University of Iowa receives a $26.4M gift commitment from the Pappajohns

University of Iowa President Sally Mason announced today a $26.4 million gift commitment from longtime UI benefactors John and Mary Pappajohn of Des Moines -- the largest single gift commitment ever for the UI from individual Iowa donors -- and said it will provide the university's new interdisciplinary Institute for Biomedical Discovery with "the catalyst it needs to reach its full potential."

30 Oct 2009

Promedior granted European Orphan Medicinal Product Designation for PRM-151

Promedior, Inc., a leader in the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of fibrotic diseases and tissue remodeling, announced today that the European Commission has granted Orphan Medicinal Product Designation to its lead drug candidate PRM-151 for use in the prevention of scarring post glaucoma filtration surgery.

29 Oct 2009

Roger Tung to receive 2009 Mass High Tech All Star award for his contributions to pharmaceutical industry

Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Roger Tung, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, has been named a 2009 Mass High Tech All Star for his contributions to the pharmaceutical industry.

29 Oct 2009

GeneGo to launch new web site with high quality pathway content

GeneGo, Inc., the leading systems biology tools company, announced today that they will be launching a new web site with FREE high quality pathway content. On www.genego.com, anyone can now search for genes, proteins, compounds, processes and diseases and access high quality manually curated pathway maps for human, mouse and rat signaling and metabolism.

29 Oct 2009

NIH awards DiscoveryBioMed grant to develop therapies for cystic fibrosis

DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. (DBM) today announced that it has been awarded a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The $308,000 grant will be used to advance certain small molecule drug discovery programs designed to correct the genetic mutation most common to cystic fibrosis (CF).

28 Oct 2009

United States Patent and Trademark Office allows a patent application within ‘Esau’ patent family

Regulus Therapeutics Inc., founded by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS), announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has allowed a patent application within the ‘Esau’ patent family (US Application Serial No. 10/909,125).

28 Oct 2009

MMRF raises over $1.8 million at its 13th annual Fall Gala

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) raised over $1.8 million at its 13th annual Fall Gala held on Saturday evening in Greenwich, Conn. Funds raised at this premier fundraising event, attended by more than 1,000 guests, will support the MMRF’s efforts to accelerate the development of the next generation of treatments for patients with multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable blood cancer, and to find a cure for the disease.

28 Oct 2009