Clinical Research

MorphoSys and Celgene end collaboration

Country
Germany

MorphoSys has regained rights from Celgene Corp to an experimental antibody for patients with multiple myeloma following the termination of a co-development and co-promotion agreement between the two companies.

Outcomes study of Lyxumia completes

Country
France

A cardiovascular outcomes study of  Lyxumia (lixisenatide) in high-risk patients with Type 2 diabetes has shown that the drug is not inferior, although not superior, to placebo, according to the study’s sponsor, Sanofi SA. The Phase 3b trial is called ELIXA.

Gates makes equity investment in CureVac

Country
United States

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has taken the unusual step of making a $52 million equity investment in CureVac GmbH of Germany which has technology for making prophylactic vaccines that don’t require cold chain storage and distribution. The technology is based on messenger RNA.

Genmab upgrades bispecific antibody deal

Country
Denmark

Denmark-based Genmab A/S and BioNovion BV of the Netherlands have upgraded a research agreement in oncology to a full co-development and commercialisation deal in order to progress work on candidate bispecific antibody products that inhibit immune checkpoints.

Wellcome Trust-funded Ebola trial stopped

Country
United Kingdom

Enrolment has stopped in a Wellcome Trust-funded trial of an experimental treatment for the Ebola virus in Liberia following a significant fall in new cases of the infection, the Trust announced on 3 February. The drug’s producer, Chimerix Inc, had previously said it would no longer support the trial.

GSK poised to start trial of Ebola vaccine

Country
United Kingdom

GlaxoSmithKline Plc said a Phase 3 trial of its candidate vaccine against the Ebola virus is set to start in Liberia in the coming weeks, subject to regulatory approval. The trial is being led by the US National Institutes of Health, which is a co-developer of the vaccine.

IMI launches Ebola projects

Country
Belgium

Eight projects aimed at tackling the health crisis in west Africa caused by the spread of the Ebola virus have been jointly announced by the Innovative Medicines Initiative and the European industry federation, Efpia, in Brussels. 

Outcomes study supports Brilinta - AZ

Country
United Kingdom

AstraZeneca Plc said that an outcomes study of its cardiovascular drug Brilinta (ticagrelor) has shown the treatment to be effective in preventing a recurrence of disease in patients with a history of heart attack. The trial examined the drug at two different doses with aspirin in 21,000 patients.

Roche stops gantenerumab trial in Alzheimer’s

Country
Switzerland

Roche has halted a Phase 3 trial of the monoclonal antibody gantenerumab in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease patients based on a pre-planned futility analysis. No new safety signals were observed in the trial, which was called SCarletRoAD.