A team of researchers in the US has reported that the CD95 receptor promotes tumour growth, a finding that advances work done at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, and at its spin-out, Apogenix GmbH.
Imperial Innovations Group Plc, a UK technology transfer company, said that it has realised £9.5 million in cash following the sale of its portfolio company, Respivert Ltd, to the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc.
Sanofi-Aventis said that it has reached an agreement to set up a joint venture in Japan with Nichi-Iko Pharmaceutical Co Ltd to develop genetic medicines. Sanofi will have a controlling interest in the venture to be called Sanofi-Aventis Nichi-Iko KK.
AstraZeneca Plc said its treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer, Recentin (cediranib), showed no improvement in overall survival in a Phase 3 trial, the second of two pivotal studies for this indication. A regulatory filing will not be made.
Noxxon Pharma AG said that it has raised €33 million in a Series D round of financing to support the ongoing clinical and preclinical development of its mirror-image oligonucleotides known as Spiegelmers. The round was led by NGN Capital.
The Novartis Group said that a Phase 3 trial of a drug for ovarian cancer failed to meet its primary endpoint and will not be submitted to the regulatory authorities. The drug, EPO906 (patupilone), did not show a significant overall survival advantage.
The European Medicines Agency has given its backing to data generated by a company which is developing a new cell therapy. It is the first time the regulator has formerly certified early-stage data for an advanced therapy product.
The privately-owned UK pharmaceutical company, Funxional Therapeutics Ltd, has raised €10 million in a Series B funding to advance its lead, small molecule drug candidate into Phase 2 for inflammatory conditions including asthma.
Sanofi-Aventis SA said that it has entered into a research alliance with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Biomedical Innovation that will support the translation of basic research into new healthcare products.
Wilex AG of Germany said that a Phase 3 study of its diagnostic antibody for the detection of renal cancer, Redectane (girentuximab), met the trial endpoints for both sensitivity and specificity.