Aura Biosciences has closed a $30 million Series C round with funding from new investors like Arix Bioscience and Lundbeckfonden Ventures, as well as existing investors, including the estate of former-Genzyme CEO Henri Termeer, who died earlier this year. The privately-held biotech is developing a light-activated nanoparticle therapy for patients with ocular melanoma. Aura said […]
Oncology
Bristol-Myers Squibb taps Taris’ drug-release tech for bladder cancer trial
Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) and Taris Biomedical have inked a deal to combine Taris’ investigational GemRIS drug-releasing tech with the pharma company’s PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, Opdivo, in a Phase Ib muscle invasive bladder cancer trial. As part of the collaboration, Bristol-Myers has also made an equity investment in Lexington, Mass.-based Taris. Taris’ GemRIS system is designed […]
Study: Novocure’s Optune, drug combo adds months to the lives of GBM patients
Novocure (NSDQ:NVCR) touted today the final analysis of a pivotal Phase III trial that evaluated Optune combined with temozolomide in newly-diagnosed glioblastoma patients. The analysis, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), showed that Novocure’s Optune-temozolomide combo extended overall survival and progression-free survival by 37% compared to temozolomide alone. The drug-device therapy’s benefit […]
Novocure wins FDA nod for pivotal pancreatic cancer trial
The FDA has given Novocure (NSDQ:NVCR) the green light to bring the company’s Tumor Treating Fields tech into a pivotal Phase III pancreatic cancer trial. The 556-patient study is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of Novocure’s TTFields combined with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine as a front-line treatment for unresectable locally-advanced pancreatic cancer. Panova III’s primary […]
Medtech stories we missed this week: Dec. 8, 2017
From Minimus Spine’s European distribution deal to Stimwave receiving FDA clearance, here are seven medtech stories we missed this week but thought were still worth mentioning. 1. Minimus Spine inks EU distribution deal Minimus Spine announced in a Dec. 4 press release that it has signed its first European distribution deal with Italian company Moss […]
Court dismisses class action suits against Novocure
Two class action lawsuits filed against Novocure (NSDQ:NVCR) and some of its directors and executives in January were dismissed after the court established that it lacked personal jurisdiction over any of the defendants. In mid-January, Joseph Donahue, Stephen Rosen and Susan Rosen filed two putative class action suits in a New Hampshire court against Novocure, its […]
Lumicell aims $29m Series C at pivotal breast cancer trial and expansion into other cancers
With $28.7 million from a recently-closed Series C round, Lumicell reported today that it plans to launch a pivotal trial of its image-guided cancer surgery tech in breast cancer. The Wellesley, Mass.-based company added that it hopes to expand its clinical program into other solid tumor cancers, including lung, ovarian and brain cancer. The company’s Lum system is currently being studied in patients […]
Novocure nabs reimbursement for Optune in Japan
Novocure (NSDQ:NVCR) shares were up this morning after the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare agreed to reimburse for Optune as a treatment for newly-diagnosed glioblastoma. The Optune device delivers low-intensity, intermediate frequency, alternating electric fields, called “Tumor Treating Fields,” to inhibit cancer cell replication. As a treatment for newly-diagnosed glioblastoma, Novocure combines its device with the […]
Lung cancer expert: Smoking stigma still hurting patients, families and research
A number of therapies designed to treat patients with lung cancer have been approved this year, including products from Novartis (NYSE:NVS), Merck (NYSE:MRK) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY). That progress is exciting for Dr. Fred Hirsch, the head of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. “We do have a lot of good things to tell the […]
Shares in Delcath fall after losses grow in Q3
Shares in Delcath Systems (NSDQ:DCTHD) crashed today after the company posted its third quarter results, revealing that the company’s net losses have grown dramatically quarter-over-quarter. The N.Y.-based company posted a net loss of -$12.6 million on sales of $684,000 for the 3 months ended Sept. 30, for sales growth of 57% compared with the same period last […]