Ligand News and Research

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Ligand reverse stock split becomes effective

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that its previously disclosed 1-for-6 reverse stock split has become effective, and will be reflected in the share price beginning today.

20 Nov 2010

Discovery could provide new approaches to treat metabolic disorders

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a novel synthetic activator of a pair of proteins that belong to a protein family playing key roles in human metabolism and immune function. The discovery could provide new and potentially more effective therapeutic approaches to diseases ranging from diabetes to osteoporosis.

20 Nov 2010

AVEO's RON antibody shows anti-tumor activity in human cancer xenografts

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing cancer therapeutics, today announced preclinical data from AVEO's anti-RON antibody program which demonstrated the successful identification of antibodies with potent anti-tumor activity that demonstrated inhibition of the function of both wild type RON and the RONΔ160 variant, as well as a potential biomarker to identify tumors likely to respond to treatment with the anti-RON antibody.

19 Nov 2010

Anti-cancer drug smuggled using a nanocarrier past protective blood-brain barrier into brain tumours

Scientists in Germany have developed a way of smuggling an anti-cancer drug past the protective blood-brain barrier and into brain tumours and metastases using a nanocarrier - a tiny capsule specially designed to pass through cell membranes and deliver its anti-cancer drug to the cancer cell.

18 Nov 2010

Exelixis reports interim data of XL184 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Exelixis, Inc. today reported interim data from the cohort of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treated with XL184 in an ongoing phase 2 adaptive randomized discontinuation trial (RDT).

18 Nov 2010

GPR124 protein controls growth of blood vessels into brains

One protein single-handedly controls the growth of blood vessels into the developing brains of mice embryos, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Understanding how the protein, a cellular receptor, functions could help clinicians battle brain tumors and stroke by choking off or supplementing vital blood-vessel development, and may enhance the delivery of drugs across the blood-brain barrier.

12 Nov 2010

TransTech Pharma, High Point receive $1.96 million grants under QTDP program

TransTech Pharma, Inc. and High Point Pharmaceuticals, LLC. today announced that they have been awarded cash grants totaling $1.96 million under the U.S. Government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project program.

8 Nov 2010

Amgen wins Scrip Best New Drug award for Prolia

Amgen is pleased to announce that it has won the Best New Drug award for Prolia™ (denosumab), a novel treatment approved in the United States (U.S.) for women with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk for fracture, at the 2010 Scrip Awards ceremony Nov. 4 in London. Named one of TIME's Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of 2009, Prolia is the first treatment specifically designed to target osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone.

8 Nov 2010

Ligand awarded $1,955,834 federal grant under Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced it has been awarded $1,955,834 in immediately available funds from the U.S. government under HR: 3590 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The award comprises separate payments of approximately $245,000 for each of eight drug development programs at Ligand.

2 Nov 2010

GSK's Revolade receives Japanese approval for treatment of chronic ITP

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced its partner GlaxoSmithKline was granted approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for Revolade® (eltrombopag) for the treatment of the blood disorder, chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

2 Nov 2010

ChemoCentryx reports one-year study results of Traficet-EN in Crohn's disease patients

ChemoCentryx, Inc., today announced that it reported one-year results from the Company's PROTECT-1 Study (the Prospective Randomized Oral Therapy Evaluation in Crohn's disease Trial) of Traficet-EN™ (CCX282-B) in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease. Traficet-EN, an orally bioavailable CCR9-specific chemokine receptor antagonist showed clinical efficacy in a 12-week Induction period, as well as a 36-week Maintenance period.

28 Oct 2010

Omeros to develop new drugs for major diseases

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) today announced a $5 million grant to Seattle-based Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ: OMER) to discover, develop, and commercialize new drugs to treat a variety of major diseases. With successful generation of proceeds through partnering and the sales of drugs in the marketplace, an additional outcome of the grant would be establishment of a new non-profit initiative to advance the life sciences sector and improve health and economic growth in Washington state.

26 Oct 2010

First in vivo screening system for complete human nuclear hormone receptor family

The InDanio screening system can be used, for example, to functionally characterize 'orphan' receptors - those for which their natural ligands or specific function are unknown - and thus qualify them as potential targets for drug discovery. The system can also be used to screen compound libraries in order to identify and refine potential new drugs that target NR proteins.

20 Oct 2010

Ligand launches Viviant in Japan and Spain for postmenopausal osteoporosis

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that its partner Pfizer, Inc. launched Viviant® (Bazedoxifene) in Japan for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Under the brand name Conbriza®, the drug is also marketed in Spain through a co-promotion with Almirall, an international pharmaceutical company based in Spain.

14 Oct 2010

Scripps Research study findings could transform drug development to produce more effective treatments

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have uncovered new evidence that challenges the current theory about a process key to the way modern drugs are designed and how they work in the human body.

12 Oct 2010

Scientists use NMR technology to improve protein purification in drug development

The purification of drug components is a large hurdle facing modern drug development. This is particularly true of drugs that utilize proteins, which are notoriously difficult to separate from other potentially deadly impurities. Scientists within the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to understand and improve an important protein purification process.

30 Sep 2010

ChemoCentryx presents CCX140 clinical data at EASD

ChemoCentryx, Inc., today announced that it reported positive preclinical and Phase I study results at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). CCX140, a novel, orally bioavailable small molecule antagonist of the chemokine receptor CCR2, improved metabolic function while significantly reducing inflammatory macrophages found in adipose tissue in an animal model, and was well tolerated in Phase I clinical trials.

21 Sep 2010

Prostate cancer - TRAIL is worth a trial

One of the human body's protective mechanisms initiated by the TRAIL protein is massively altered in prostate cancer cells - yet the same protein seems to improve the survival prospects of patients. These outstanding results of a cooperative venture between the Clinical Program on Urological Tumours at the Medical University of Vienna and Harvard Medical School, USA, have just been published. They show that the TRAIL protein opens up the prospect to a more accurate prediction of the disease's course, as well as the opportunity to identify a new intervention point for innovative therapies in advanced prostate cancer.

21 Sep 2010

Ligand Pharmaceuticals transfers license rights to Proximagen for CXCR4 target

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that it has transferred exclusive license rights to Proximagen Limited for a series of compound hits related to the CXCR4 target with application for a number of indications including those related to the central nervous system. Ligand will receive an upfront payment and continue to be entitled to receive potential future milestone and royalty payments.

18 Sep 2010

Scientists to present preclinical pharmacology data on TRV120027 at Heart Failure Society of America Meeting

Trevena Inc., the leader in the discovery and development of G-protein coupled receptor biased ligands, today announced that its scientists are presenting two posters featuring compelling preclinical pharmacology data on TRV120027 at the 14th Annual Heart Failure Society of America Meeting being held September 12-15, 2010 in San Diego.

13 Sep 2010