June 2014 Volume 10, Issue 6
Volume 10, Issue 6 | June 2014
June 2014
In this Issue
Research & Development
Going global against Alzheimer’s
World Dementia Council sets strategies to reach the goal of treatment by 2025Serum stable
Novozymes Biopharma will offer a drug-albumin conjugation platform in collaboration with ThioLogicsGetting more ‘MIF’ed
Debiopharm and Yale broaden collaboration on MIF inhibitors for autoimmune and inflammatory diseasesNew biochip mimics liver
Technology promises simplified toxicity testing of drug candidatesSpecial Reports
Special Report: Cancer in the clinic - Are we all fighting for the same endgame?
A little over a year ago, we published a special report on the challenges facing new oncology drugs as they moved through the clinical trial process. This time, Randall C Willis looks further into this challenge by examining the clinical trial process itselfQ&A
Carbohydrate-based answers for diabetes, hypoxic tissue and cell death
DDNews spends some time talking to Dr. David Platt of Boston Therapeutics Inc. about carbohydrate chemistry and his company's work, and what it all means to some key areas of concern in drug discovery and healthcareEditor's Focus
The word on ‘The Street’ is: Shopping
DDNews' chief editor muses on merger and acquisition trends in pharma and biotech and some films about Wall Street, and ponders whether the big-money M&As are worth it overall (for the industry and the patients)Commentary
Red tape rising
We’ve reached the stage where the pursuit of funding is overtaking the pursuit of doing science, says columnist Peter T. Kissinger, and that isn't good for anyone, nor is the idea of envisioning a world where everyone who wants grants gets themGuest commentary: The clinical trial landscape and its data collection challenges
Clinical trials are one of the most important components of the drug development process, but they are also one of the most costly, and much of that expense (both money and time) is due to data collectionPreclinical
See how they run
Mice with MS-like virus recover after human stem cell injections, offering hope for human cureNew antiviral drug targets measles outbreaks
If it works in humans, it could protect infected people from getting sick and keep them from spreading the virusDisease-modifying treatment for COPD
Domainex program shows promise for treatment of not just COPD but possibly other inflammatory diseasesFacing down Factor VIII intolerance
Apitope moves potential hemophilia A peptide therapy into preclinical developmentBusiness & Government Policy
Pfizer loses bid for AstraZeneca
Final offer of $117 billion insufficient to allay concerns about Pfizer’s plans and woo AstraZeneca to negotiating tableValeant vies for Allergan
In light of Allergan’s rejection of its merger proposal, Valeant ups the anteTakeda, Eli Lilly found liable by jury in Actos claims
Verdict calls upon the companies to pay $9 billion in damages over bladder cancer possibly related to Actos useGSK, Novartis ink transformational agreement
Transaction expected to result in a leading OTC business with $10 billion in salesAllergy shot alternative
Two new sublingual drugs combat common allergiesClinical Trials
Taking a swipe at resistant infections
Cubist moves treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections beyond Phase 3Shire to acquire Lumena in pipeline expansion
Acquisition strengthens Irish company’s rare disease pipeline and profitable GI businessGoing for leadership in cellular therapy
NeoStem acquires California Stem Cell and moves forward with Phase 3 trial for melanomaAegerion looks to bring lomitapide to Japan
Phase 3 trial focuses on treatment of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemiaHope for prostate cancer and BPH
Nymox reports that prostate cancer treatment does not affect testosterone levelsDiagnostics
Idera and Abbott seek new companion
Abbott will develop a companion diagnostic for Idera’s IMO-8400 for use in genetically defined forms of B-cell lymphomaGoing international
Foundation Medicine announces key developments in international commercialization effortsCurtailing a ‘diagnostic odyssey’
Indi’s Series B round will help commercialize Xpresys Lung, a diagnostic for identifying benign lung nodulesOn point
DNA Electronics secures funding to develop Genalysis point-of-care genomic diagnostics product lineDiscovery
Playbook for a pathogen
Researchers sequence H99 strain of Cryptococcus neoformans, a potentially deadly human pathogenCalibr receives Gates Foundation grant
Goal is to lead collaborations to develop an Integrated Drug Discovery Platform for diseases of the developing worldA natural fit for natural products?
California’s ChromaDex pairs with Brazil’s LNBio for joint research agreement
