News

Addex extends cash runway through 2014

Country
Switzerland

Addex Therapeutics Ltd has raised gross proceeds of CHF 3.2 million ($3.5 million) in a private placement of shares enabling it continue operations beyond its next important clinical event – the reporting of data from a study in anxious depression.

Novo to start new Tresiba trial this year

Country
Denmark

Novo Nordisk A/S said it expects to start a cardiovascular outcomes trial for the diabetes drug Tresiba (insulin degludec) late this year in order to satisfy requirements by the US Food and Drug Administration which turned down the drug in February.

GSK launches new venture fund

Country
United Kingdom

GlaxoSmithKline Plc has launched a new $50 million venture capital fund in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US that will invest in companies working in the field of bioelectronic medicine. The term ‘bioelectronic medicine’ refers to non-pharmaceutical interventions that seek to treat disease by changing or directing electrical signals in the body.

Lundbeck raises guidance for 2013

Country
Denmark

H. Lundbeck A/S has raised its guidance for revenue and earnings this year on the back of strong growth of new products in the first half year. A one-off fine from the European Commission however contributed to a loss for the second quarter.

Novartis drug fails in advanced liver cancer

Country
Switzerland

A Phase 3 study of Afinitor (everolimus) in patients with metastatic liver cancer did not meet its primary endpoint of overall survival, Novartis announced on 7 August. The Swiss multinational said it won’t seek to register the drug for this indication.

Cytos expects asthma data in Q2 2014

Country
Switzerland

Cytos Biotechnology Ltd of Switzerland said that top-line data from a Phase 2b clinical study of its lead product for allergic asthma should be available during the second quarter of 2014. The trial is taking place in eight countries.

The Medicines Company acquires ProFibrix

Country
United States

The Medicines Company of the US has completed the acquisition of ProFibrix BV following the successful completion of a Phase 3 trial of the Dutch company’s hospital product – a sealant to stop bleeding during and after surgery.

GW Pharmaceuticals targets the US

Country
United Kingdom

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 starts trial of C. difficile vaccine

Country
France

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.