News

In separate statements, Santhera Pharmaceuticals of Switzerland and Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA of Italy have announced that discussions are taking place between them, the outcome of which cannot be predicted.

In yet another example of the fast pace of cancer research, Sanofi-Aventis has signed an exclusive licensing deal with Oxford BioTherapeutics Ltd to gain access to a preclinical antibody programme that can be used to develop antibody-drug conjugate products.

Amgen Inc has made an agreed bid for privately-owned BioVex Group Inc of the US of which has a therapeutic cancer vaccine in late clinical development against metastatic melanoma and head and neck cancer.

Sanofi-Aventis SA is extending its offer for Genzyme Corp until 15 February 2011 at an unchanged price of $69 per share. The all-cash offer was previously scheduled to expire on 21 January. In share trading, Genzyme was quoted at $71.48 on 24 January.

The European Medicine Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has given a positive opinion to Gilenya (fingolimod), Novartis’s oral, first-line treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis. It received FDA approval in 2010.

MorphoSys AG said its preliminary, unaudited financial results for 2010 show revenue of €87 million, up by 7.4% from a year earlier, and an operating profit of €10 million, down by 12.3%. Both figures are lower than the forecasted amounts.

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).