Privately-held Probiodrug AG of Germany has put forward a strategy for treating Alzheimer’s disease that involves inhibiting an enzyme called glutaminyl cyclase, which is thought to play a role in the deposition of toxic amyloid plaques in the brain.
The Roche group has announced the start of a Phase 1 clinical study of a new molecule designed to address the cognitive and behavioural deficits associated with Down syndrome. The drug targets the GABAergic system.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc has stopped one arm of a four-arm study in which its tyrosine kinase inhibitor, lapatinib (Tykerb/Tyverb), is being investigated as an adjuvant therapy for women with HER2 positive early-stage breast cancer.
Pharnext SAS of France, which is developing new combinations of previously registered medicines, has raised an initial €2.5 million in a new funding round in order to finance the clinical development of a product for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
A Belgian start-up ophthalmology company, Amakem NV, has raised €18 million in a Series A round to progress its lead product for glaucoma into a clinical proof-of-concept study. The round was led by Forbion Capital Partners.
F-Star GmbH of Vienna will discover engineered antibodies for three inflammatory targets supplied by Merck Serono SA of Geneva in a contract that is potentially worth €492 million plus tiered royalties on product sales.
4SC AG of Germany has reported that its lead cancer drug, resminostat, has met its primary endpoint in a Phase 2 trial of patients with refractory Hodgkin’s Lymphoma who had been heavily treated with other therapies prior to the trial.
Evotec AG of Hamburg said it has given an exclusive license to the Roche group for its inhibitor of monoamine oxidase type B (EVT302), which is being tested for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Noxxon Pharma AG has started a Phase 1 study of an oligonucleotide-based drug to treat patients who suffer anaemia from chronic disease. The drug targets the peptide hormone, hepcidin, a regulator of iron metabolism.
A head-to-head study comparing AstraZeneca’s statin, Crestor (rosuvastatin), 40mg, with atorvastatin (Pfizer: Lipitor), 80 mg, failed to meet its primary endpoint in patients with coronary artery disease, according to AstraZeneca.