Bayer AG has announced plans to seek a separate stock market listing for its materials science business, which serves the automotive and construction industries, in order to focus on life science. Life science currently accounts for about 70% of group sales.
France-based OSE Pharma SA, which is developing immunotherapies for cancer, is planning an initial public offering of its shares on the Euronext stock exchange in Paris. Proceeds from the offering would be used to finance a Phase 3 study of its lead product for non-small cell lung cancer.
Under pressure to accelerate the development of novel compounds, three of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies have announced deals valued at up to $700 million – deals that could potentially result in new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and two rare, genetic heart diseases.
Antibiotic drug development has received a boost with the decision by a syndicate of Scottish investors to support MGB Biopharma Ltd, which has an agent to treat Gram-positive infections in development. The drug is set to enter the clinic in the first half of 2015.
MorphoSys AG has received grant funding for up to €1 million from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to support development of antibodies against two undisclosed G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) . The two-year grant will cover the cost of early drug development.
A Phase 3 study of a new drug regime for tuberculosis, which involved replacing the antibiotic moxifloxacin for one of two other drugs, failed to shorten the treatment time for the disease from six to four months. But the new regime was safe, according to the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.
Nicox SA has continued its expansion into ophthalmology with agreements to acquire the French eye-care company Laboratoires Doliage and a development-stage asset for viral conjunctivitis from Marinomed Biotechnologie GmbH of Austria.
Real world data from an experimental vaccine for birch pollen allergy, AllerT, have shown statistically significant reductions in seasonal allergy symptoms, as well as an effect into a second pollen season, according to the developer, Anergis SA.
Merck KGaA of Germany has decided to discontinue the clinical development of the immunotherapy tecemotide in non-small cell lung cancer following the failure of a Japanese study to show effectiveness on any trial endpoint.
Eli Lilly and Company said the results of a Phase 3 study of its antibody treatment Cyramza (ramucirumab), which has already been approved for advanced gastric cancer, met its primary endpoint of overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.