Connecting You to Tomorrow's Biotechnology Innovations
(Reuters) Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd’s $64 billion bid for London-listed rare disease specialist Shire Plc bolsters its credentials as Japan’s most outward facing drugs firm, a mold-breaking image that has been more than a decade in the making. Under chief executive Christophe Weber and his predecessor, Yasuchika Hasegawa, Takeda has cut its exposure to Japan, […]
Merck & Co’s blockbuster drug Keytruda helped previously untreated lung cancer patients live longer in a late-stage trial, potentially cementing its position as the dominant player in the lucrative lung cancer market. Merck is already considered the frontrunner in the space and Keytruda is expected to earn peak sales of over $10 billion in 2023, […]
(BioSpace) Shares of Prothena Corporation plc have shot up more than 18 percent in premarket trading this morning after the company forged a collaboration with pharma giant Celgene to develop new therapies for a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and ALS. Celgene will pay Prothena $150 million in upfront money with the promise […]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Imfinzi (durvalumab) for the treatment of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors are not able to be surgically removed (unresectable) and whose cancer has not progressed after treatment with chemotherapy and radiation (chemoradiation). “This is the first treatment approved for stage III […]
(Marketwatch) Merck KGaA and Pfizer Inc. said on Thursday that avelumab, a cancer immunotherapy, failed to meet the primary objective of a phase 3 trial in patients with a type of lung cancer. The trial didn’t meet the endpoint of improving overall survival in patients whose tumors are PD-L1 positive, the companies said. The Javelin […]
Gene therapy developer, Abeona Therapeutics, announced that the FDA has granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation to EB-101, a gene-corrected autologous cell therapy product for patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). Abeona`s EB-101 product is an autologous, ex-vivo gene-corrected cell therapy in which the COL7A1 gene is inserted into a patient`s own skin cells (keratinocytes) for […]
(Reuters) – Celgene Corp announced a $9 billion cash buyout of Juno Therapeutics Inc on Monday as it moves to cement its position as a key player in a new range of cancer therapies. The offer of $87 per share for the 90 percent of Juno that Celgene does not own sent Juno’s stock soaring 27 percent […]
Merck announced that the pivotal Phase 3 KEYNOTE-189 trial investigating KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin or carboplatin, for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), met its dual primary endpoints of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Based on an interim analysis […]
Reuters — Gilead Sciences agreed to buy Kite Pharma in a $11.9 billion deal on Monday, as it looks to fuel growth with an emerging class of cancer immunotherapies that are expected to generate billions. Gilead will pay $180 per share in an all-cash deal, representing a 29.4 percent premium over Kite’s Friday close. Kite’s […]
Data recently obtained from Nemus Bioscience‘s research and development partner, the University of Mississippi (UM) will show the superiority of the NEMUS proprietary analogue of CBD, NB2222, versus plant-derived CBD in ameliorating pain in a validated mouse (murine) model of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy using an opioid as an active comparator. The data was accepted for […]
Forge Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company discovering first-in-class antibiotics using a breakthrough drug discovery platform, announced today the completion of a $15M Series A financing. The round is led by MagnaSci Ventures, with participation from Evotec AG, Alexandria Venture Investments, MP Healthcare Venture Management, Red Apple Group, and WS Investments. Forge has used its enabling […]
Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. announced this week, an exclusive, global collaboration and license agreement for the development and commercialization of gene therapy programs for Hemophilia A, including SB-525, one of Sangamo’s four lead product candidates, which Sangamo expects will enter the clinic this quarter. “Sangamo brings deep scientific and technical expertise across multiple […]
A new treatment in development looks to treat rare condition that robs approximately 20,000 US children per year of their ability to speak. Q BioMed Inc. and ASDERA LLC announced a licensing agreement that provides Q Biomed with the worldwide exclusive rights to ASDERA’s ASD-002, which is being developed to treat a rare pediatric nonverbal […]
Q BioMed Inc, a NYC-based biomedical acceleration and development company has begun process validation for the manufacturing of a non-narcotic analgesic treatment for pain associated with metastatic bone cancer. The drug, a generic Strontium Chloride 89 injection, provides long-lasting relief for patients suffering from debilitating bone pain due to metastatic cancer, typically caused by advanced-stage […]
Athersys, Inc. got a major nod from Japan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) review of the Clinical Trial Notification (CTN), allowing the commencement by HEALIOS K.K. (Healios) of a confirmatory clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of administration of MultiStem®, Athersys’ novel cell therapy product, for the treatment of ischemic stroke in Japan […]
Q BioMed Inc., a New York-based biotechnology acceleration company recently acquired a FDA approved generic drug, Strontium Chloride (“SR89”). This licensed radiopharmaceutical agent is indicated for the treatment of pain associated with metastatic bone cancer. SR89 provides long lasting relief for patients suffering from bone pain due to metastatic cancer, typically caused by advanced-stage breast, […]
Novartis AG said it will fold its specialized cell and gene therapies unit into other parts of the company, leading to about 120 job cuts months before seeking approval for a new type of cancer treatment. Cell and gene therapy development will no longer be housed in a separate division, the Basel, Switzerland-based company said […]
BLOOMBERG — Pfizer Inc said on Monday it would buy U.S. cancer drug company Medivation Inc., in a deal valued at about $14 billion, adding blockbuster prostate cancer drug Xtandi to its portfolio. Medivation shares were up 20 percent at $80.56 in premarket trade, just shy of the offer price of $81.50 per share in […]
A blockbuster cancer treatment failed in a key study as the drug’s maker, Bristol-Myers Squibb, attempts to extend its usage for lung cancer patients. Shares of the New York company plunged 16 percent Friday, its biggest one-day drop in 14 years. Shares of rival Merck & Co., which makes a rival cancer drug, spiked 10 […]
(Reuters) – Pfizer Inc said it had acquired privately held gene therapy developer Bamboo Therapeutics Inc in a deal worth up to $645 million to boost its presence in the treatment of rare diseases. Research into gene therapy, which aims to insert corrective genes into malfunctioning cells, goes back a quarter of a century but […]