DelMar Pharmaceuticals and Accurexa said today that they inked a deal to collaborate on a combination chemotherapy for local treatment of brain cancer. The agreement calls for DelMar to supply the drug dianhydrogalactitol (VAL-083) as part of a combination with another chemotherapeutic, either temozolomide or carmustine, for local delivery to the tumor via Accurexa’s ACX-31 implantable […]
Research & Development
GlaxoSmithKline’s triple combo with Innoviva tops Symbicort Turbohaler in COPD
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) and Innoviva (NSDQ:INVA) yesterday touted results from a Phase III study investigating the triple-combination therapy fluticasone furoate/umeclidnium/vilanterol for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The 1,810-patient Fulfil study is a randomized, double-blinded trial comparing once-daily FF/UMEC/VI against AstraZeneca‘s (NYSE:AZN) Symbicort Turbohaler dry powder inhaler, a twice-daily combination of budesonide and formoterol. Patients in the FF/UMEC/VI […]
MIT, Singapore Univ. dev 3-D-printed structures that “remember” their shapes
By Sarah Faulkner Engineers from MIT and Singapore University of Technology and Design are using light to create 3D structures that remember their shape when triggered by external stimuli like temperature. These structures, also known as shape-memory polymers, could be useful as delivery vessels for drugs in the human body. Get the full story at […]
BioCorRx launches R&D program for anti-addiction naltrexone drug-device combo
Anti-addiction developer BioCorRx said today it launched a research & development initiative as it seeks FDA approval for its naltrexone implant designed to treat opioid and alcohol addictions. The implant slowly releases naltrexone, a non-addictive opioid antagonist that can reduce physical cravings and block some of the effects of alcohol and opioids, the Los Angeles-based […]
Unilife & Amgen finalize $75m co-development deal
Unilife (NSDQ:UNIS) said today it finalized a $75 million collaborative deal with Amgen (NSDQ:AMGN) for injectable drug delivery systems, a deal the companies have been working out for the past month. The deal includes licensing, investment, development and supply agreements and is centered around Unilife’s prefilled customizable wearable injectors, according to an SEC filing from the York, […]
Diabetes: Medtronic furthers the quest for an artificial pancreas
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and Intarcia Therapeutics were in the spotlight at the American Diabetes Assn.’s annual scientific sessions conference in Boston last week, revealing new medical device developments in the fight against diabetes. Medtronic took center stage, announcing new developments for its artificial pancreas program, touting positive data from a user study of its MiniMed 640g and revealing plans to collaborate […]
Delcath's Chemosat gives terminal cancer patients several more months of disease-free life
Delcath Systems Inc.’s (NSDQ:DCTH) Chemosat organ-targeting chemotherapy system extended the lives of terminal eye cancer patients by several months without disease progression, researchers said.
Melanoma of the eye often spreads to the liver, generally killing a patient in 1 to 2 months, according to a press release. Patients who received targeted treatment to saturate the liver lived an average of 8.1 months, compared to 1.6 months for patients receiving the best alternative care.
Cancer therapy device maker Delcath drops hard on inconclusive trial results
Delcath Systems Inc. (NSDQ:DCTH) saw share prices drop 11 percent on news that its flagship cancer therapy device presented inconclusive results in treatment of colorectal cancer.
Sixteen patients with very late stage colorectal cancer participated in Delcath’s phase II study of its Chemosat focused chemotherapy delivery system, which uses a series of tubes to aim chemotherapy drugs at a specific organ and then filter the blood to remove the toxins before returning it to the body.
Nonprofit takes risk out of device development for Medtronic
For companies like Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT), developing breakthrough technologies to treat untreatable diseases can be expensive and have little promise of financial returns.
The risk is high enough for — even companies as well-resourced as Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic — that alternative funding sources are welcomed and highly sought after.
Update: Isis Biopolymer raises another $3 million
Isis Biopolymer Inc., a company developing a new generation of non-invasive drug delivery patches, has raised $3 million through an equity sale to existing investors.
The Providence, R.I.-based firm has developed the Isis Patch, a compact, wireless, active iontophoretic patch using a design that implements advances in microprocessors, thin film batteries, biopolymers and adhesives.
In a statement sent to MassDevice, CEO Emma Durand said the current round “clearly shows the confidence of the investment community in Isis Biopolymer and our innovative transdermal drug delivery and biosensor technology.”
