The European Medicines Agency has announced the start of a new review of the cardiovascular risks associated with the use of non-selective NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) which are used to treat pain and inflammation.
Syntaxin Ltd, which is a 2005 spin-out of the UK Health Protection Agency, has entered into an agreement with Ipsen SA of France to discover and develop therapies in the field of botulinum toxins in a deal potentially valued at more than $100 million.
EMD Serono Inc, an affiliate of Merck KGaA of Germany, and Fast Forward LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the US Multiple Sclerosis Society, are committing up to $3 million in 2012 to support early-stage projects in multiple sclerosis.
e-Therapeutics Plc expects to report clinical data by the end of 2013 on four drug candidates that have been identified using a ‘network pharmacology’ approach to drug discovery. The goal was outlined in the company’s interim results.
An experimental malaria vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline Plc has reduced the risk of malaria by half in African children between the ages of five and 17 months. The results have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
In a decision that will have far-reaching consequences for regenerative medicine, the European Court of Justice has ruled that inventions requiring the destruction of human embryos, or their prior use as base material, cannot be patented under European law if the purpose is purely for scientific research.
Oxford BioMedica Plc has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to start a first human study of its gene therapy for Usher syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects hearing and vision. The study will take place in Oregon.
The European regulatory review of SkyePharma Plc’s asthma treatment, Flutiform, will take longer than originally anticipated due to a lack of complete consensus among the member states about the product, SkyePharma announced on 18 October.
NeoStem Inc of New York, which has a business in adult stem cell collection and storage, has completed an all-share acquisition of Amorcyte Inc of New Jersey in a bid to develop a portfolio of therapies based on stem-cell technology.
The Roche group has reached an agreement to acquire Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc for $230 million in order to expand its franchise in treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Anadys is located in San Diego, California.