News

e-Therapeutics sets clinical targets

Country
United Kingdom

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.

NEJM publishes results of malaria trial

Country
United Kingdom

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.

European court rules against stem cell patents in research

Country
Luxembourg

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 gets US approval for gene therapy trial

Country
United Kingdom

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.

Regulatory decision on Flutiform delayed

Country
United Kingdom

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 acquires cell therapy company

Country
United States

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.

Roche to acquire Anadys Pharmaceuticals

Country
Switzerland

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.

Licensing income boosts Wilex in the first nine months

Country
Germany

Wilex AG was boosted in the first nine months of 2011 by income from a licensing agreement for its lead cancer antibody with Prometheus Laboratories Inc (Nestle SA). Nine-month income was €5.6 million compared with €1.2 million a year earlier.

Roche confirms 2011 outlook as sales decline

Country
Switzerland

The Roche group has confirmed its earnings forecast for 2011 of core earnings per share growth of about 10% at constant exchange rates. Sales for the first nine months declined in Swiss francs and were flat at constant exchange rates.

Phase 2 data from talactoferrin trial published

Country
Germany

Phase 2 data from the immunotherapy, talactoferrin, for non-small cell lung cancer have been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The data showed an improvement in overall survival of patients who were treated with the drug.