Tag: pharmaceuticals
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Trial Underway Testing Pancreatic Cancer Immunotherapy
10 February 2014. Aduro BioTech Inc. in Berkeley, California started treating ist first patients in an intermediate-stage clinical trial of immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer. The trial is expected to enroll 240 patients at 20 sites in the U.S. and Canada, and is still recruiting participants. Pancreatic cancer is often difficult to diagnose in its early…
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Shire to End Major Depression Drug Booster Development
7 February 2014. Shire PLC, a pharmaceutical company in the U.K., will end trials of its drug Vyvanse as a supplement to anti-depressants for treating major depressive disorder. The company made the decision following results of two late-stage clinical trials that show the drug failed to meet the studies’ effectiveness objectives. Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) is…
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Calif Stem Cell, UC Irvine Partner on Eye Transplant Tissue
6 February 2014. California Stem Cell Inc. in Irvine and University of California in Irvine are researching the creation of retinal tissue from stem cells for transplants in patients with incurable retinal disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. The study is funded by a $4 million grant from the California Institute of…
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NIH, Pharmas, Non-Profits Partner on Molecular Drug Targets
4 February 2014. National Institutes of Health (NIH), with 10 pharmaceutical companies and 8 not-for-profit organizations, are collaborating on identification of targets at the molecular level for new drugs and diagnostics. The Accelerating Medicines Partnership — a five-year, $230 million initiative — is expected to focus on Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and the autoimmune disorders…
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Pain Therapy Developer Issues IPO, Raises $55 Million
31 January 2014. Cara Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company in Shelton, Connecticut, issued its initial public offering (IPO), raising some $55 million. The company issued 5 million shares of common stock, priced in the range of $11 to $13 a share. At noon ET today, the stock is priced at $13.38 a share on the…
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Early Trial Finds Vaccine Booster Covers Pandemic Flu Types
30 January 2014. An early-stage clinical trial shows an RNA agent being developed by Hemispherx Biopharma in Philadelphia extends the effectiveness of the standard nasal flu vaccine to cover pandemic influenza strains, like those found in Pacific Rim countries. Results of the trial were presented yesterday at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology…
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Mayo Clinic Taking Part in ALS Stem Cell Clinical Trial
29 July 2014. BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in New York and Israel says the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota is now taking part in a clinical trial of the company’s treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that harness the patient’s own bone marrow stem cells. Financial aspects of the agreement were not disclosed.…
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Biopharma, University Partner on Blood Cancer Immunotherapy
29 January 2014. Kiadis Pharma B.V., a biopharmaceutical company in Amsterdam, is collaborating with a research group at Technical University of Munich to identify immune-system cells for treating leukemia in the company’s immunotherapy product for blood cancers. Financial aspects of the partnership were not disclosed, although the company says the Munich research is funded, at…
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Report: PCORI Needs More Focus on Effectiveness Research
24 January 2014. A report released today by Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C., calls for the organization formed to study comparative effectiveness of treatment options to focus more on the research for which it was created. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) was established in a provision of the…
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FDA Fast-Track Granted to Cancer Therapy Side-Effects Drug
BioAlliance Pharma SA in Paris says its drug candidate to treat inflammation of the mucus membranes in the mouth, resulting from chemo- or radiation therapy to treat cancer, received fast-track status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Validive, the drug’s brand name, is designed for patients with head and neck cancers. Oral mucositis is…