A new preclinical study has shown that a combination of experimental vaccines can provide partial protection against infection from the simian immunodeficiency virus, a virus similar to HIV. The results were reported online in Nature on 4 January.
Neovacs SA of France has reported promising data from a Phase 2a study of a new immunotherapy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have ceased to respond to an anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) monoclonal antibody.
After regaining rights to the broad-spectrum antibiotic, ceftobiprole, Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd has announced plans to file a European marketing authorisation application in the second half. Talks with the FDA are ongoing about a US filing.
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued an order prohibiting the off-label use of cephalosporin antibiotics in food-producing animals in response to concerns about the continuing effectiveness of these drugs in humans.
Essex Woodlands, one of the world’s largest healthcare funds, is to take a controlling 51% interest in a new joint venture that will manage a portfolio of medical technology products currently owned by Smith & Nephew Plc of the UK.
Probiodrug AG has secured €15 million from venture capitalists and private investors to support its programme for glutaminyl cyclase inhibitors, the lead compound of which is set to move towards clinical proof of concept in Alzheimer’s disease.
The Swedish speciality pharmaceutical company, Pharmalink AB, has raised SEK35 million (€3.93 million) in a share placement with its existing investors including Sweden’s Industrifonden, to support the late-stage development of two products.
BioInvent International AB is to discover antibodies and provide research services to Les Laboratoires Servier under a licensing and collaboration deal announced on 4 January that has a potential value of €11 million as well as future royalties.
A new Swedish company, Galecto Biotech AB, has received venture funding to develop small-molecule modulators of the galectin family of proteins that could potentially treat fibrosis, inflammation and other diseases.
Apogenix GmbH of Germany has received €2.3 million from the German government to explore a new indication for its lead cancer product, APG101, which is a fusion protein. The new indication is myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).