Majority of FDA advisers back Avandia

A majority of members of a joint US Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted on 14 July 2010 to recommend that GlaxoSmithKline’s diabetes drug, Avandia (rosiglitazone), be kept on the market but they expressed concerns about cardiovascular risk.

Country: United States

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Silence and AstraZeneca extend R&D alliance

Silence Therapeutics Plc has announced a one-year extension of its three-year old research and development collaboration with AstraZeneca Plc aimed at identifying five siRNA molecules for respiratory and oncology indications.

Country: United Kingdom

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BTG gives product update

BTC Plc expects to report data from a Phase 2a study of its oral multiple sclerosis treatment, Pleneva, in the first half of 2011. Meanwhile, it is making plans to take over US sales from Nycomed of two emergency care products in October, 2010.

Country: United Kingdom

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Kymab receives £20 million Series A funding

A novel approach to antibody development has received the backing of the global medical charity, the Wellcome Trust. Kymab Ltd of Cambridge UK has received £20 million in a Series A round to develop its technology platform.

Country: United Kingdom

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MRC Technology in licensing deal with Genentech

The technology transfer arm of the UK Medical Research Council has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Genentech Inc for access to a series of small molecule drug candidates for neurological disease. Financial terms were not given.

Country: United Kingdom

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Merck Serono gets approval in Russia for MS drug

Merck Serono’s new small molecule drug for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, which is an oral formulation of cladribine, has been approved for marketing in Russia, the first government agency to approve the oral disease-modifying therapy.

Country: Switzerland

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Carmat raises €15.5 million in IPO

Carmat SAS has raised €15.5 million in an initial public offering on the Alternext section of the NYSE-Euronext exchange in Paris to continue development of an artificial heart for patients with heart failure.

Country: France

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Three antibodies discovered that neutralise HIV

A group of international scientists has identified three monoclonal antibodies, the strongest of which neutralises more than 90% of the circulating strains of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The findings were reported in the journal Science.

Country: United States

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EMA reviews rosiglitazone-containing medicines

The European Medicines Agency has announced a review of rosiglitazone-containing medicines for diabetes following new safety data. The review will decide whether or not the marketing authorisations of the drugs should be revoked, suspended or changed.

Country: United Kingdom

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Round-up of Early Clinical Trials

Evotec starts Phase 2 depression study

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