Strategies & Technologies Driving Drug Discovery to Market
Abbvie Outlook Rises
April 22, 2013 1:56 pm | News | CommentsAn analyst has upgraded his outlook for AbbVie Inc., expecting greater sales of the company's blockbuster anti-inflammatory drug Humira and several experimental products. He thinks AbbVie shares will trade higher as the company continues to report progress for its drugs in clinical development.
Medicyte Licenses Life Tech Technology
April 22, 2013 12:26 pm | Product Releases | CommentsMedicyte has signed a licensing agreement for the rights to use Lentiviral vector technology from Life Technologies to develop and market next generation, cell-based upcyte cell products to the biopharma and academic research markets.
IDT Primer Design Tool Aids Researchers
April 22, 2013 12:22 pm | Product Releases | CommentsIntegrated DNA Technologies launches an enhanced version of the open access PrimerQuest online tool, for efficient PCR primer and probe design. Selection parameters have been optimized with built-in presets for a diverse range of applications, to produce the very best primers and probes.
NEXTflex Kit Simplies Metagenomic Studies
April 22, 2013 12:18 pm | Product Releases | CommentsThe NEXTflex 16S V4 Amplicon-Seq Kit has been developed to simplify bacterial metagenomics studies using Illumina HiSeq and MiSeq platforms. This kit allows users to go from sample to sequence in two hours, making it the fastest library prep kit available.
Drug Limits Radiation Damage
April 22, 2013 12:07 pm | News | CommentsUnavoidable damage caused to the heart and lungs by radiotherapy treatment of tumors in the chest region can be limited by the administration of an ACE inhibitor, a drug commonly used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, a group of Dutch researchers have found.
Drug Targets May Starve Tumors
April 22, 2013 11:54 am | News | CommentsA massive study analyzing gene expression data from 22 tumor types has identified multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer. The analysis also identified hundreds of potential drug targets that could cut off a tumor’s fuel supply or interfere with its ability to synthesize essential building blocks.
Elan Rejects Royalty Takeover Attempt
April 22, 2013 11:27 am | News | CommentsThe board of Irish drugmaker Elan has unanimously rejected a takeover bid from Royalty Pharma, saying the U.S. investment company's offer of $11.25 a share is much too low. Royalty last week lowered its bid for Elan from an original $12 per share offer.
Merck, BMS Testing Hep C Regimen
April 22, 2013 9:48 am | News | CommentsMerck and Bristol-Myers Squibb will run a mid-stage clinical trial of a drug regimen designed to treat the most common type of the hepatitis C virus. The trial will study a combination of Bristol's drug daclatasvir, and Merck's MK-5172.
Blocking Scaffold Protein Inhibits Cancer
April 21, 2013 3:00 am | News | CommentsResearchers have devised an way to block biological signaling pathways that, when overactive, lead to many types of cancers. They've done so by disrupting the function of a mediator, or scaffold, protein that brings together key members of the pathway and promotes their interaction to stimulate cell growth and division.
EMD Serono Expands U.S. Presence
April 19, 2013 11:31 am | News | CommentsEMD Serono Inc. announced the continued expansion of the company's presence in the United States, resulting in an estimated 20% increase in EMD Serono's employee base from last July to the end of 2014. The expansion will primarily take place at the site in Billerica, Mass.
Amgen Earnings Report Due Tuesday
April 19, 2013 6:26 am | by Linda A. Johnson | News | CommentsThe world's biggest biotech company Amgen Inc. will focus on recent results on a key experimental melanoma drug, testing of other drugs and revenue from its top-selling drugs when it reports first-quarter results after the stock market closes Tuesday.
Elan Buys Back $1B in Own Shares
April 18, 2013 5:02 pm | News | CommentsIrish drugmaker Elan Corp. PLC said it had completed its "Dutch auction" stock repurchase, buying back $1 billion in stock for $11.25 per share. Under the modified Dutch auction, stockholders notify the company how many shares they'd like to sell and at what price within the announced range.
Panel Issues Split Decision on Aveed
April 18, 2013 4:46 pm | by Matthew Perrone | News | CommentsFederal health experts issued a split opinion on whether a long-acting testosterone injection from Endo Health Solutions is safe. A Food and Drug Administration panel voted 9-9 on the safety of Endo's Aveed, a drug designed to be injected once every 10 weeks to boost testosterone in men with abnormally low levels.
Positive Results from Cancer Trial
April 18, 2013 12:33 pm | News | CommentsViralytics Ltd. has finalized the clinical study report on the Phase 1 evaluation of Cavatak administered intravenously to late stage melanoma, prostate, breast, or colorectal cancer patients. Cavatak was well tolerated with some evidence of stable disease despite most patients only receiving a single dose of Cavatak.
Lilly Acquires Tau Diagnostic Program
April 18, 2013 12:18 pm | News | CommentsEli Lilly and Co. announced it has acquired two investigational positron emission tomography tracers from Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. The tracers are intended to image tau tangles in the brain, one of two known hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.
