Merck Serono has taken steps to expand its franchise in multiple sclerosis by acquiring exclusive rights to an experimental drug described as a second-generation peptide copolymer. Teva Pharmaceuticals’ Copaxone is also a peptide copolymer.
A supplemental new drug application for the AIDS medicine, maraviroc (Celsentri/Selzentry), has been withdrawn by its developers pending further studies of the drug’s efficacy as a once-daily treatment.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved two new indications for the osteoporosis drug, Prolia (denosumab), enabling it to be used for cancer treatment-induced bone loss, according to Amgen Inc, the developer.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc has taken the unusual step of tapping the engineering expertise of a sports car manufacturer, the McLaren Group, in order to improve the way it conducts clinical trials, and manufactures pharmaceuticals.
Privately-held Humabs BioMed SA of Switzerland has been launched as an independent company in order to commercialise antibody technology that includes a prospective broadly neutralising antibody against Groups 1 and 2 influenza A viruses.
The US Food and Drug Administration has reorganised the office that deals with oncology drug products in order to take a more disease-specific approach to the evaluation of these medicines. Richard Pazdur will continue as director.
GE Healthcare has announced plans to allocate $1 billion over five years to expand its diagnostic and imaging capabilities in oncology as well as to improve its manufacturing technologies. This will include new spending on biomarkers.
A service provider for the life science industry, Horizon Discovery Ltd, has completed the second closing of a Series C funding round, raising a total of £11.3 million via a private share placement. The round was led by MVM Life Sciences.
H. Lundbeck A/S, which specialises in diseases of the central nervous system, has reduced its senior management and appointed the chief executive of its French operations as head of its commercial operations.
The Anglo-German biotechnology company, Cellzome, has delivered a candidate small molecule drug to GlaxoSmithKline Plc for development against an undisclosed kinase target in the area of inflammatory disease, the first of two new milestones.