The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat major depressive disorder in adults. The drug, Viibryd (vilazodone hydrochloride), is a dual-acting modulator of serotonin neurotransmission developed by Clinical Data Inc.
Evotec AG has announced plans to collaborate with Takeda Cambridge Ltd, a unit of Japan’s largest pharmaceutical company, to identify small-molecule modulators against GPCR and protease targets involved in neurological and metabolic diseases.
Pervasis Therapeutics Inc of Cambridge Massachusetts has announced plans to pursue an endothelial cell-based therapy to target and regulate cell stroma in order to prevent solid tumour growth and metastasis.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc has announced that it expects to take a 2010 fourth quarter charge of £2.2 billion relating to additional provisioning for a US investigation of its US sales practices and for product liability cases regarding Avandia (rosiglitazone).
Abbott Laboratories Ltd has decided to withdraw its European marketing authorisation application for Ozespa (briakinumab) which was intended to be used for moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis in adults, according to the EMA.
Merck Serono has entered into an exclusive development and licensing agreement with Domain Therapeutics SA of France to develop drugs that target a member of the GPCR family of proteins for neurodegenerative diseases.
Merck & Co has stopped a late-stage clinical trial of its anti-clotting drug, vorapaxar, and restricted a second study on the advice of an independent data and safety monitoring board. A regulatory filing for the drug had been planned in 2011.
A group of prominent UK scientists has been assembled to carry out a two-year research project to investigate the role of cancer stem cells in the development, growth and spread of tumours in breast, prostate and head and neck cancers.
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH of Germany and Eli Lilly and Company have agreed to jointly develop and commercialise four of their diabetes assets in a deal that will bring several technologies under one roof.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc has agreed to pay $20 million upfront to Epizyme Inc of Cambridge, Massachusetts for access to technology that targets histone methyltransferases (HMT), a class of epigenetic enzymes. The goal is to develop small molecule drugs against cancer and other diseases.