Therapeutics News and Research

RSS

Revance Therapeutics closes $35 million Series D financing

Revance Therapeutics, Inc. (“Revance”) today announced the first $25 million closing of a $35 million Series D financing. The round was led by Essex Woodlands Health Ventures Fund VIII.

4 Jan 2010

Anesiva to file a petition for relief under the Bankruptcy Code

Anesiva, Inc. announced today that it was unable to satisfy the closing conditions set forth in the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated August 4, 2009, among Anesiva, Arca Acquisition Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anesiva, Arcion Therapeutics, Inc. ("Arcion") and, with respect to Articles V and IX only of the agreement, each of the Arcion stockholders listed on Schedule I thereto (the "Merger Agreement").

4 Jan 2010

Bacterial enzyme decreases cocaine desire

A recent study shows that a bacterial protein may help cocaine addicts break the habit.

3 Jan 2010

Anika Therapeutics acquires Fidia Farmaceutici subsidiary FAB

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has acquired Fidia Advanced Biopolymers, s.r.l. (“FAB”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of privately held Italian pharmaceutical company, Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A. FAB provides hyaluronic acid-based (“HA”) products in several therapeutic areas including for the regeneration of connective and structural tissues damaged by injuries, aging or degenerative diseases.

3 Jan 2010

iCo Therapeutics grants 725,000 stock options to directors, officers and employees

iCo Therapeutics Inc. - iCo Therapeutics (the "Company") announced today that on December 29, 2009 the Company granted a total of 725,000 stock options to directors, officers and employees of the Company.

31 Dec 2009

MEPREP to fund research to study the effects of medication in pregnant women

A new research program called the Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program (MEPREP) will fund research to study the effects of prescription medications used during pregnancy.

31 Dec 2009

Advances in development of “lipidoid” formulations for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and collaborators from the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) today announced the publication of new data in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) describing further advancements in discovery and development of novel “lipidoid” formulations for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics.

30 Dec 2009

NeurAxon closes the sale of $8.75 million of unsecured subordinated convertible debentures

NeurAxon, Inc., a development-stage pharmaceutical company that is designing and developing next-generation pain therapeutics targeting neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), today announced that it has closed the sale of approximately $8.75 million of unsecured subordinated 2.0% convertible debentures that are convertible under specified circumstances into existing class B preferred shares.

29 Dec 2009

Luna Innovations acquires intellectual property assets of Tego Biosciences

Luna Innovations Incorporated has acquired certain intellectual property assets of Tego Biosciences, its main competitor in developing medicines based on carbon nanomaterials.

29 Dec 2009

Affomix to generate antibodies against proprietary targets chosen by Kalgene

Affomix Corporation, a pioneer in the development of automated, high-throughput monoclonal antibody selection technology, announced today that Kalgene Pharmaceuticals Inc. has signed a commercial agreement to have Affomix utilize its Y2HExpress™ technology to select antibodies with potential diagnostic and therapeutic utility in breast cancer. Kalgene Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a private company focused on the development of oncology therapeutics and companion diagnostics.

29 Dec 2009

CGEN-671, a new drug target for multiple epithelial tumors discovered by Compugen

Compugen Ltd. announced today the discovery and experimental validation of CGEN-671, a new drug target for multiple epithelial tumors.

28 Dec 2009

Cell Therapeutics adopts ‘Rights Plan’ to protect shareholder interests

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) announced today that on December 24, 2009, CTI's Board of Directors (the "Board of Directors") approved and adopted a Shareholder Rights Plan (the "Rights Plan") in which one preferred stock purchase right will be distributed for each common share held as of the close of business on January 7, 2010. Initially, the rights are not exercisable, and are attached to and trade with, all of the shares of CTI's common stock outstanding as of, and issued subsequent to, the record date.

28 Dec 2009

Orexigen Therapeutics' Compensation Committee approves inducement grants

Orexigen(R) Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced that on December 23, 2009 the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors approved the grant of inducement stock options to purchase a total of 64,000 shares of common stock to two new employees.

24 Dec 2009

Elusys Therapeutics receives contract to speed up drug development for Anthrax

The HHS Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) today awarded a contract to Elusys Therapeutics, Inc. of Pine Brook, N.J., for the advanced development of a medication to treat inhalational anthrax, one of the top bioterrorism threats facing the nation.

23 Dec 2009

Synta Pharmaceuticals initiates STA-9090 Phase 2 clinical trial for GIST

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today announced that it is initiating a Phase 2 clinical study of STA-9090 in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). This is the sixth clinical study of STA-9090, a potent, synthetic, small molecule Hsp90 inhibitor with a novel chemical structure.

23 Dec 2009

Rigel Pharmaceuticals announces milestone payment from Daiichi Sankyo

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has received a milestone payment from Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. as part of their collaboration to research and develop cancer treatments aimed at selectively inhibiting ligases, which are intrinsic to cancer cell growth and proliferation. The compound, as yet unnamed, targets cell division.

23 Dec 2009

SNM urges Congress to implement long-term solution for medical reimbursement rates

SNM is pleased that the U.S. Congress has passed a fix to freeze the conversion factor at the 2009 rate for physicians, which will ensure that millions of patients continue to receive medical coverage for critical diagnostic imaging tests and therapeutics.

23 Dec 2009

National MS Society calls for grant applications to examine the impact of CCSVI hypothesis

2009 saw exciting research progress, unprecedented opportunities on the horizon, and more scientists than ever working on resolving important questions. Despite the year's economic and financial challenges, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society continues to propel research forward to end MS. In 2009 the Society provided over $33.5 million to support 345 new and ongoing projects in its research portfolio, plus $1.5 million for Fast Forward, the Society's drug development subsidiary which continues to attract new funding streams.

23 Dec 2009

Autism study and gene therapy in vision are top scientific achievements in 2009

A landmark autism study and a dramatic success for gene therapy in reversing inherited blindness, both at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, were recognized among the top scientific achievements in 2009, according to three national publications: Time magazine, Discover magazine and the journal Science.

23 Dec 2009

Researchers develop new approach for treating and healing skin abscesses

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a new approach for treating and healing skin abscesses caused by bacteria resistant to most antibiotics.

23 Dec 2009