The European regulatory review of a ground-breaking gene therapy for the treatment of a protein deficiency linked to pancreatitis is on schedule with a decision expected by mid-2011, according to the developer, Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (AMT).
Intercell AG, the Austrian maker of vaccines for the prevention and treatment of disease, reported a 35.2% decline in revenue to €9.7 million for the second 2010 quarter, mainly due to the absence of milestone receipts from its collaborations.
Total revenues and other operating income of Crucell NV rose by 63% to a record €128.6 million in the second 2010 quarter, mainly due to booming sales of Quinvaxem in the developing world.
Eli Lilly and Company said it is stopping development of semagacestat for Alzheimer’s disease after preliminary data from two Phase 3 studies showed the compound did not slow disease progression and was associated with an increased risk of skin cancer.
H. Lundbeck A/S said its profit before interest and tax (EBIT) increased by 30% to DKK 936 million (€125.6 million) in the 2010 second quarter on revenue of DKK 3.8 billion, up by 6.8%. It expects revenue of DKK 14.3 to 14.8 billion for the year.
Pronova BioPharma ASA, the Norwegian producer of omega-3 derived prescription products, posted a 2.6% decline in revenue in the second 2010 quarter to NOK 443.6 million (€55.9 million) and a 59% drop in net profit to NOK 51.7 million.
Two new approaches for treating Alzheimer’s disease have recently been disclosed. In separate announcements, a privately-owned company in Canada and researchers in Germany have put forward different approaches for disease-modifying therapies.
Algeta ASA is increasing manufacturing capacity for its lead product, a radiopharmaceutical, as recruitment continues in a pivotal Phase 3 trial of the product in patients with bone metastases arising from hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
Evotec AG has reported a small operating profit for the 2010 first half – the first in its 17-year history. The profit, amounting to €0.3 million compared with a year-earlier loss of €29.1 million, comes a little more than a year into a major restructuring programme.
4SC AG expects to report data for its lead investigational compound, vidofludimus, in separate Phase 2 studies in inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis by the end of 2010. On 30 June, the German company had cash of €26.5 million.