Bayer Healthcare has announced a new oncology collaboration and licensing agreement with Compugen Ltd to research and develop antibody-based therapeutics in oncology against two novel targets. The deal is valued at more than $500 million.
With a successful initial public offering on the Nasdaq market behind it, GW Pharmaceuticals Plc is recruiting patients for two pivotal studies that will examine the efficacy of its cannabis medicine, Sativex, as a treatment for cancer pain.
Sanofi Pasteur has started a Phase 3 trial of a new vaccine for the prevention of Clostridium difficile infection, a potentially life-threatening bacterium that causes intestinal disease. The trial will enrol up to 15,000 adults in 17 countries.
Pharming Group NV said that it expects the US Food and Drug Administration to complete its review, or otherwise respond, to its biologics licence application for Ruconest (recombinant human C1 esterase inhibitor) by 16 April 2014.
Sanofi SA is forecasting a 7% to 10% decline in earnings per share this year at constant exchange rates as the expirations of patents on key products continue to weigh on results and provisions are made against inventory write-offs in Brazil.
AstraZeneca Plc said that its five therapeutic and geographical priorities showed growth in the second quarter, even as the financial outlook for the group as a whole will be negatively affected by the loss of exclusivity on key products.
Actelion Ltd is set to acquire Ceptaris Therapeutics Inc of the US pending Food and Drug Administration approval of that company’s product for mycosis fungoides, a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The upfront payment is $25 million.
Nicox SA is preparing to launch four, as yet undisclosed, eye care products in the first quarter of 2014 marking a transition to ophthalmology from its previous focus on osteoarthritis. The update was issued with the company’s first-half results.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc has taken steps to expand its portfolio of marketed and investigational antibiotics with the acquisitions of Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc and Trius Therapeutics Inc. The deals were announced simultaneously on 30 July.
MorphoSys AG nearly doubled its revenue in the first half of 2013 after licensing a prospective antibody drug for rheumatoid arthritis to GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and completing the sale of its service division.