Mast Therapeutics (NYSE:MSTX) touted interim data from a Phase II study of its AIR001 candidate in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and PH associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Positive interim results from the ongoing trial were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The San Diego-based company enrolled 50 patients to study its nebulized […]
Mylan, Teva crash on report that Justice Dept. could file charges in generic pricing probes
The U.S. Justice Dept. could reportedly file charges in its generic-drug pricing probe into companies including Mylan Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:MYL) and Teva Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:TEVA) by the end of year. The department is examining whether the generic drug makers colluded on drug pricing, Bloomberg reported yesterday. The news source said that Mylan and Teva have disclosed subpoenas and are cooperating […]
TissueGene subsidiary inks development deal for osteoarthritis injection
TissueGene licensee Kolon Life Science (KSDQ:102940) of Korea said this week that it inked a deal with Japan’s Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. (TYO:4508) to develop and commercialize Kolon’s Invossa, the 1st cell-mediated gene therapy injection for degenerative osteoarthritis for the Japanese market. The deal represents the largest single-territory deal on record for Korea, according to Kolon Life Science. […]
West Virginia wants Justice Dept. to nix Mylan settlement
(Reuters) – West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Wednesday blasted a pending $465 million settlement between Mylan NV (NSDQ:MYL) and the U.S. Justice Dept. over the misclassification of the EpiPen, saying it was “woefully deficient.” In a Nov. 2 letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Morrisey said the amount likely fell short of how […]
Report: Valeant explores sales of eye surgery biz
Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:VRX) is reportedly exploring a sale of its eye surgery business that could be worth as much as $2.5 billion. The sale process is still in early stages and may not even happen, but the Laval, Canada-based company is trying to shed some of the debt it took on through its many acquisitions, […]
Encapsulating single cells in tunable hydrogel could boost cell therapies
Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a microfluidic approach to trap individual cells within a hydrogel material that can be tuned to match the physiological conditions of the body, according to a study published this […]
Droplet ‘taxicabs’ transport nanoparticles into cell
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst have developed polymer-stabilized droplet carriers that can identify and engulf nanoparticles to bring them into a cell. The team was inspired by proteins that can recognize microbes or debris and then encapsulate the material to get rid of it. The team believes that this demonstration of surface-to-surface nanoparticle transport, […]
Sernova, CTI ink regulatory deal for Cell Pouch System
Sernova said it inked a regulatory deal with CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services to further the clinical development and IND application for its Cell Pouch drug delivery system. The London, Ontario-based company’s Cell Pouch is an implantable device that acts as an environment within the body to store therapeutic cells for patients with chronic diseases. Cincinnati-based […]
BriaCell names ex-GSK exec Williams as CEO | Personnel Moves, Nov. 1, 2016
BriaCell Thereapeutics (CVE:BCT) said last week that it named biotechnology veteran Dr. William Williams as its president & CEO effective Nov. 1. The Berkeley, Calif.-based company’s lead product is a genetically engineered, whole-cell vaccine derived from a human breast tumor cell line. BriaCell suggests that the vaccine may be able to trigger the immune system to […]
Stellarex drug-coated balloon from Spectranetics bests PTA at 1 year
The Stellarex drug-coated balloon made by Spectranetics (NSDQ:SPNC) beat out percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in the 300-patient Illumenate pivotal study reported today at the 2016 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Symposium. The study followed a complex group of patients over 12 months to evaluate the low-dose balloon’s efficacy and safety. Nearly 50% of the patient population had diabetes, […]