Shares in Tandem Diabetes (NSDQ:TNDM) fell today after the medical device maker missed earnings expectations on Wall Street with its 1st quarter results, but beat revenue estimates. The San Diego-based company posted losses of -$23.8 million, or -75¢ per share, on sales of $18.9 million for the 3 months ended March 31, for bottom-line loss of -13.9% […]
Pharmaceuticals
Novartis slapped with $49m fine over kickbacks
South Korea regulators said today that it fined Swiss drugmaker Novartis (NYSE:NVS) $48.8 million for offering doctors kickbacks in exchange for recommending the company’s drugs to patients. The Ministry of Health and Welfare also decided to suspend insurance coverage of 9 variations of 2 drugs, including the Alzheimer’s drug Exelon, for 6 months, according to Reuters. […]
Antidepressant could help get drugs across blood-brain barrier
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found that pairing an antidepressant with neurological drugs can enhance drug delivery to the brain. The team’s research was published online in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. The team cautioned that more work needs to be done to determine if the discovery will hold up […]
Acorda misses on Q1 earnings, slashes expense guidance after restructuring
Shares in Acorda Therapeutics (NSDQ:ACOR) fell today after the biopharmaceutical company missed expectations on Wall Street with its 1st quarter results. The Ardsley, N.Y.-based company posted a net loss of -$18.9 million, or -41¢ per share, on sales of $119.4 million for the 3 months ended March 31. In the same quarter last year, Acorda reported […]
Braeburn’s risperidone implant meets primary endpoint in schizophrenia trial
Braeburn Pharmaceuticals said yesterday that a 6-month study of its risperidone implant in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder met its primary endpoint. Risperidone, the most commonly-prescribed therapy for schizophrenia, depends on consistent administration, but patients with schizophrenia sometimes stop taking their medication when their symptoms improve. Long-acting, injectable formulations of risperidone are on the market, […]
Ibuprofen delivered via metal-organic framework sports doubled half-life
Researchers at Northwestern University have published data showing that metal-organic frameworks can be used to extend the duration of ibuprofen. The in vivo mouse study was published in Molecular Pharmaceutics. Metal-organic frameworks are made up of metal ions linked to organic ligands. Since MOFs are porous, researchers pack active ingredients inside of them and use them as […]
Bankrupt Unilife asks judge for $1m in bonuses for top execs
Unilife (NSDQ:UNIS), which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month, reportedly asked a Delaware bankruptcy court yesterday to approve a “key employee retention plan” that would provide 4 top executives with nearly $1 million in bonuses, contingent upon a successful sale of the company. Unilife added it has already approved the plan with its debtor-in-possession lender. The […]
New GSK chief exec: Fewer, more focused drug programs as generic competition looms
In her 1st comments since taking the helm on April 1st, GlaxoSmithKline‘s (NYSE:GSK) new chief executive Emma Walmsley said that her priority is the company’s pharmaceuticals unit, where she wants to lead fewer but bigger new drug launches. “We’d like to have probably fewer and more focused priorities, to have bigger launches,” she told reporters, according […]
ProSolus invests in manufacturing capacity for transdermal drug delivery tech
Mission Pharmacal subsidiary ProSolus Inc. said this week that it expanded its manufacturing capabilities and commercialization efforts for transdermal drug delivery technologies. The Miami-based company, which develops and manufactures transdermal and trans-mucosal drug delivery products, installed a 2nd transdermal production facility in Boerne, Texas. The new location has a larger production line than the Miami […]
Mercator enrolls first patient in BTK vascular disease trial
Mercator MedSystems said today that the 1st patient was enrolled in its Tango clinical trial. The trial is evaluating Mercator’s Bullfrog micro-infusion device for the adventitial delivery of temsirolimus below the knee in patients with critical limb ischemia. The Tango trial is the 4th ongoing clinical trial using the Bullfrog device in below the knee applications […]