Ablynx NV expects to publish early clinical data for a second potential rheumatoid arthritis treatment this year: a compound that targets the interleukin-6 receptor. The company issued the clinical update with the publication of its 2012 first-half results.
Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA of Italy has raised CHF4.7 million (€3.91 million) in a private placement of its shares ahead of the planned registration in 2013 of its lead compound for Parkinson’s disease, safinamide.
Algeta ASA is accelerating its bid to produce an alternative platform to the antibody-drug conjugate with the launch of a new programme of radionuclides linked to monoclonal antibodies. The latest programme is directed at haematological cancers.
UK scientists have reported new findings on the role of heat shock proteins in the development of prostate cancer which suggest that the p23 protein may act independently to activate the androgen hormones that fuel the cancer’s growth.
Pharmaceutical companies everywhere have been shrinking their research budgets, but Elan Corporation Plc has gone one step further. It is spinning out its research department to shareholders. This will put the Ireland-incorporated company immediately into profit. Moreover, profits will be sheltered from tax in future years by a large tax loss carried forward from previous years.
Pronova BioPharma ASA has raised its income and beaten off a challenge to two US patents for its lead product, Lovaza, paving the way for a further expansion in the US. Lovaza is a prescription drug for heart disease which is derived from fish oil.
Mologen AG of Germany is expediting discussions with potential pharmaceutical company partners with a view towards starting a Phase 3 study of its lead product for colorectal cancer next year. The product, MGN1703, is a toll-like receptor 9 agonist.
Biotest AG has confirmed its guidance for higher revenue and a slightly higher operating profit this year despite losses on its Greek government bond holdings and a delay in the expected launch of an immunoglobulin product in the US.
UK stem-cell research has received a boost following a decision by the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council to invest £8 million in a new institute for stem-cell biology and medicine. The institute will be located at the University of Cambridge.
A new allogeneic cell therapy has shown promise in the treatment of venous leg ulcers, a condition caused by persistently high blood pressure in the veins of the legs. Results from a 2b study of the therapy were published online in The Lancet on 3 August 2012.