Deals and Data
FDA approves Johnson & Johnson’s Simponi for treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, a chronic disease causing inflammation and ulcers in the inner lining of the large intestine. (Drug Store News, 05/15/13)
Bayer and Algeta win U.S. approval of Xofigo used in the treatment of an advanced prostate cancer that doesn’t respond to standard testosterone-lowering therapy.(Bloomberg, 05/15/13)
RuiYi (Anaphore) in four-party partnership to collectively commercialize novel biologic drugs in China to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer, specifically working on monoclonal antibody RYI-008. (Xconomy, 05/16/13)
Team of researchers from the Scripps Institute and Novartis report new details about how small RNAs such as siRNAs and microRNAs interact with the RNA-induced silencing complex. (GenomeWeb Daily News, 05/16/13)
U.S. government asks AnaptysBio to produce antibodies that counter the deadly effects of ricin and would notrequire refrigeration, so batches of anti-ricin antibodies could be stored at room temperatures. (Xconomy, 05/16/13)
Sanofi to file its JAK2 inhibitor for myelofibrosis on strong late-stage data for the rare, but serious blood disease. (PharmaTimes Online, 05/17/13)
Parkinson’s disease symptoms improved in patients given Amylin’s diabetes drug, Byetta. (U-T San Diego, 05/20/13)
Effector Therapeutics raises $45 million from a team of venture capital investors; initially focusing on development of small-molecule drugs to block protein synthesis mechanisms required for cancers. (U-T San Diego, 05/20/13)
Health Canada approves Life Technologies’ 3500 series Sanger sequencers for diagnostic use; received USFDA 510(k) clearance in February. (GenomeWeb Daily News, 05/20/13)
Study from team, including Salk Institute, shows that hair loss due to cancer radiation therapy can possibly be reduced by giving radiation in the evening, a time in the circadian cycle when hair follicles are resting. (U-T San Diego, 05/20/13)
FDA approves Hologic’s new C-View 2D imaging software for use with its 3D breast tomosynthesis mammography system that will help reduce exposure to radiation. (Mass Device, 05/21/13)
Sanofi’s new type of asthma drug is seen as potential game changer as it attacks the underlying causes of the respiratory disease. (Reuters, 05/21/13)
Synthetic Genomics partners with ExxonMobile to focus on using synthetic genomic science and technology to develop algal strains "with significantly improved production characteristics." (GenomeWeb Daily News, 05/16/13)
The U.S. government has signed an antibiotics development deal worth up to $200 million with GlaxoSmithKline to tackle the dual threats of drug resistance and bioterrorism. (Reuters, 05/22/13)
The European Commission gives green light to Baxter International and Halozyme Therapeutics' HyQvia as replacement therapy for adults with primary and secondary immunodeficiencies. (PharmaTimes, 05/22/13)
Scripps’ new technology rapidly finds antibodies that can perform a variety of cellular functions, such as stimulating the growth of blood cells, modifying stem cells or imitating hormones. (U-T San Diego, 05/23/13)
Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Biosense Webster enrolls its 1st patient in there MARQable clinical study evaluating the nMARQ pulmonary vein isolation systemin treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. (Mass Device, 10/23/13)
Johnson & Johnson said its pharmaceutical unit plans to submit more than 10 new product applications by 2017, seeking approval for new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, influenza and cancer. (Fox Business, 05/23/13)
An advisory panel to the Food & Drug Administration has recommended approval of Merck’s new sleep drug that targets the brain's wakefulness centers. (MedCity News, 05/23/13)
Synthetic Genomics, the J. CraigVenter Institute, and Novartis prototype a much faster method of making flu vaccines; method combines faster vaccine cultivation technique with digital transmission and reassembly of viralgenetic information. (U-T San Diego, 05/23/13)
Under UCSD’s grant, researcher Ahrens will create a Stem Cell Imaging Center to characterize the anatomy, function, and molecular behavior of stem cells, helping other stem cell researchers see how cells react in research and in clinical testing. (U-T San Diego, 05/23/13)
Global crop protection companies BASF SE and Monsanto Co. plan to commercially launch a drought-tolerant variety of genetically modified corn in the U.S. next year. (Fox Business, 05/23/13)
Celgene obtains FDA priority review status for Abraxane (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) supplemental new drug application (sNDA). (PBR,05/24/13)
Salk researchers find that a cancer-inhibiting protein may actually promote very early-stage breast cancer; paradoxical response also encourages drug resistance once the cancer has developed. (U-T San Diego, 05/24/13)
Astellas Pharma’s European subsidiary receives marketing authorization from Netherlands MEB for Vesomni, which treats moderate to severe storage and voiding symptoms associated with BPH in men who are not responding to treatment with monotherapy. (PBR, 05/24/13)
The Scripps Research Institute finds the weak spot on the surface of HIV-1 to be far larger than originally thought; “supersite of immune vulnerability” maybe helpful in developing an AIDS vaccine. (U-T San Diego, 05/26/13)
The Scripps Research Institute discovers AG10, which inhibits formation of amyloid protein tangles that form in familial amyloid cardiomyopathy, when tested in in serum from patients with an inherited form of heart failure. (U-T San Diego, 05/27/13)
Cibus’ and Nucelis’technologies work to change gene sequences in crop plants so the crop is resistant to certain types of herbicide or have other improved features. (U-T San Diego, 05/28/13)
Amgen Inc, enters into long-term collaboration with Astellas Pharma Inc and will form a joint venture with the Japanese drugmaker to provide new medicines in Japan. (Reuters, 05/29/13)