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Positive interim results from Nereus Pharmaceuticals' plinabulin VDA study for advanced NSCLC

Nereus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pioneer in drug discovery from marine microbial sources, today announced positive interim results from a randomized Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the vascular disrupting agent (VDA) plinabulin (NPI-2358) in combination with standard chemotherapy (docetaxel) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

23 Nov 2009

Phase IIb/III clinical trial results of CINQUIL for pediatric EoE announced

Ception Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, and Cephalon, Inc. today announced results from a Phase IIb/III clinical trial for CINQUIL(TM) (reslizumab) as a treatment for pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). The study was designed to evaluate improvement in the co-primary endpoints of changes in esophageal eosinophil levels and clinical symptoms.

23 Nov 2009

Receptos raises $25 million through Series A financing

Receptos, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced the closing of a two-tranche $25 million Series A financing. The company is focused on identifying and developing best- and first-in-class GPCR therapeutic candidates through information-driven drug discovery, including GPCR structure. Investors include ARCH Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures, Lilly Ventures and Venrock.

23 Nov 2009

RXi Pharmaceuticals receives prestigious Innovation of the Year Award

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi), today reported that the Company has received Frost & Sullivan’s 2009 North American RNAi Therapeutic Design & Delivery Technology Innovation of the Year Award for the development of its proprietary RNAi compounds, rxRNA™, and advanced delivery approaches.

23 Nov 2009

Human Genome Sciences commences patient dosing in its HGS1029 inhibitor trial

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. and Aegera Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that HGS has initiated dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability of its lead IAP inhibitor, HGS1029, as monotherapy in patients with advanced lymphoid tumors.

23 Nov 2009

FDA Warning Letter for Deconsal: Cornerstone Therapeutics preparing a response

Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing significant products primarily for the respiratory and related markets, today reported that it had received a Warning Letter from the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") alleging that its Deconsal CT chewable tablets (Phenylephrine HCl 10 mg, Pyrilamine Maleate 16 mg) and Deconsal DM chewable tablets (Phenylephrine HCl 10 mg, Pyrilamine Maleate 16 mg, Dextromothorphan HBr 15 mg) are new drugs lacking an approved application and as such should not be introduced into interstate commerce.

20 Nov 2009

U.S. District Court rules in favor of Cell Therapeutics to pursue all of its claims against The Lash Group

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a U.S. District Court order and ruled that CTI should be allowed to pursue all of its claims against The Lash Group, sending the case back to the District Court for trial. CTI filed a complaint against The Lash Group, CTI's former third-party reimbursement consultant for CTI's product TRISENOX, in 2007 seeking $22.8 million in damages for expenses already incurred related to the investigation, defense and a settlement of claims by the U.S. government concerning Medicare reimbursement for TRISENOX and other business losses.

20 Nov 2009

Sugar-coated polymer may offer a new solution for allergy and asthma

Scientists at Johns Hopkins and their colleagues have developed sugar-coated polymer strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and asthma attacks. Their advance is a significant step toward crafting pharmaceuticals to fight these often life-endangering conditions in a new way.

20 Nov 2009

Aegera Therapeutics commences AEG35156 Phase 2B study for AML

Aegera Therapeutics Inc. announced today the dosing of the first patient in a randomized Phase 2B study of AEG35156, a targeted antisense therapeutic in mid-stage development for multiple oncology indications.

19 Nov 2009

Anika Therapeutics' "ELEVESS Light" receives European CE Mark approval

Anika Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in products for tissue protection, healing and repair based on hyaluronic acid (“HA”) technology, today announced that it has received European CE Mark approval for “ELEVESS™ Light,” the Company’s latest aesthetic product used for the treatment of fine lines and facial wrinkles. ELEVESS Light will be distributed in the European market by the Company’s current aesthetic dermatology distributors.

19 Nov 2009

Positive results from Echo Therapeutics' Symphony tCGM System study

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing its needle-free Symphony(TM) tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring (tCGM) system and the Prelude(TM) SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, today announced positive results of a clinical study of its Symphony tCGM System in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

19 Nov 2009

Altair Therapeutics initiates its IL-4 receptor alpha inhibitor bronchoprovocation phase 2 trial

Altair Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held, biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for respiratory diseases, today announced the commencement of its IL-4 receptor alpha inhibitor bronchoprovocation trial. Study AIR645-CS2 is a phase 2, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of inhaled AIR645 in suppressing the asthmatic response in subjects with mild asthma. Results are expected in the third quarter of 2010.

19 Nov 2009

Interim data from Geron's ongoing imetelstat trial presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC conference

Geron Corporation today announced the presentation of interim data from its ongoing trial of imetelstat (GRN163L), a telomerase inhibitor drug, in patients with refractory, advanced solid cancers at the 2009 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston.

19 Nov 2009

Findings suggest athletes abuse non-approved therapeutic compounds for performance enhancing effects

Researchers from the German Sport University Cologne in Germany found that non-steroidal and tissue-selective anabolic agents such as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) are being sold on the black market for their performance enhancing qualities.

19 Nov 2009

New biomarkers can predict patients' response to certain drugs

Recent advances in cancer therapeutics have led to the discovery of biomarkers that can predict patient response to certain drugs. Screening for mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGRF) prior to non-small cell lung cancer treatment, for example, has been shown to indentify patients who are likely to respond to treatment with erlontinib. This maximizes the drug's impact, and spares patients who are not likely to benefit from being subjected to potentially debilitating side effects.

19 Nov 2009

Malaria experts urge Congress to increase funding for malaria programs

While efforts to control and eliminate malaria have made great strides during the past five years, the looming specter of drug resistance heightens the importance of continued research and development for new tools to assure continued success, according to malaria scientists and public health experts appearing today on Capitol Hill.

19 Nov 2009

Opiate-based painkillers can increase tumor-cell proliferation, says new study

Although morphine has been the gold-standard treatment for postoperative and chronic cancer pain for two centuries, a growing body of evidence is showing that opiate-based painkillers can stimulate the growth and spread of cancer cells.

19 Nov 2009

Results from Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating VT-111 reported by Viron Therapeutics

Viron Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering the development of immune-modulating protein therapeutics derived from pathogens, today reported results from a Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating VT-111 (Serp-1), an anti-inflammatory protein derived from the myxoma virus.

19 Nov 2009

Interim data from an ongoing phase 1 dose-escalation trial of XL147 reported

Exelixis, Inc. today reported interim data from an ongoing phase 1 dose-escalation trial of XL147 (SAR245408) in combination with the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib in patients with advanced solid tumors.

19 Nov 2009

CEL-SCI commences clinical study of LEAPS-H1N1 treatment for hospitalized patients

CEL-SCI Corporation, a developer of vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and a late-stage oncology company, announced today the start of the Company's first clinical study for hospitalized H1N1 patients at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Johns Hopkins).

18 Nov 2009