Company News

Evotec AG is on course to achieve profitability in 2012, according to a company statement released in connection with its 2009 results.

AstraZeneca Plc has concluded a collaborative research agreement with the University of Pennsylvania in the US to generate new drug candidates for Alzheimer’s disease. Financial details were not disclosed.

The European Medicines Agency is recommending that the cancer drug, Tarceva (erlotinib), be approved for maintenance treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. This represents a new treatment option.

Neovacs SA, a privately-held company with a novel therapy for treating arthritis and several other diseases, is making an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares on the NYSE-Euronext in Paris.

Cancer Research Technology (CRT), the technology transfer arm of the charity, Cancer Research UK, has reached an agreement with Cephalon Inc of the US to develop new small molecule drugs targeting members of the protein kinase C family.

TiGenix NV of Belgium has moved quickly to commercialise its cell therapy for knee injuries, five months after getting marketing approval in Europe. The product is the first cell therapy to be approved under new EU legislation for advanced therapies.

The privately-held Swiss company, 4-Antibody AG, has entered into a long-term collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to discover and develop antibodies against a number of undisclosed targets. The deal is valued at €177.5 million

Ablynx NV has raised €50 million in a secondary offering of its shares to support the development of its portfolio of therapeutic proteins based on single-domain antibody fragments. The company now has a market capitalisation of about €327 million.

Pfizer Inc has announced that two Phase 3 studies of Sutent (sunitinib malate) in advanced breast cancer did not meet their primary endpoints. The drug is currently approved for gastrointestinal stromal tumour and advanced renal cell carcinoma. The company announced the trial results on 11 March 2010.

Ipsen SA of France is out-licensing two of its peptide therapeutics programmes that target metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders and obesity to Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, a venture capital-backed company in Boston, Massachusetts.