The European Medicines Agency is recommending that the cancer drug, Tarceva (erlotinib), be approved for maintenance treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. This represents a new treatment option.
Neovacs SA, a privately-held company with a novel therapy for treating arthritis and several other diseases, is making an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares on the NYSE-Euronext in Paris.
Cancer Research Technology (CRT), the technology transfer arm of the charity, Cancer Research UK, has reached an agreement with Cephalon Inc of the US to develop new small molecule drugs targeting members of the protein kinase C family.
TiGenix NV of Belgium has moved quickly to commercialise its cell therapy for knee injuries, five months after getting marketing approval in Europe. The product is the first cell therapy to be approved under new EU legislation for advanced therapies.
Pfizer Inc has reached an agreement with King’s College London to site a small team of its scientists at the Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Disease at the King’s Guys campus in London to conduct basic research into the biology of pain.
The privately-held Swiss company, 4-Antibody AG, has entered into a long-term collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to discover and develop antibodies against a number of undisclosed targets. The deal is valued at €177.5 million
Ablynx NV has raised €50 million in a secondary offering of its shares to support the development of its portfolio of therapeutic proteins based on single-domain antibody fragments. The company now has a market capitalisation of about €327 million.
Pfizer Inc has announced that two Phase 3 studies of Sutent (sunitinib malate) in advanced breast cancer did not meet their primary endpoints. The drug is currently approved for gastrointestinal stromal tumour and advanced renal cell carcinoma. The company announced the trial results on 11 March 2010.
Ipsen SA of France is out-licensing two of its peptide therapeutics programmes that target metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders and obesity to Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, a venture capital-backed company in Boston, Massachusetts.
A Phase 3 trial of Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with docetaxel and prednisone in men with late-stage prostate cancer has failed to meet its primary endpoint of extending overall survival, the Roche Group announced.