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March 2014 Volume 10, Issue 3

Volume 10, Issue 3 | March 2014

In this Issue

Business & Government Policy

A new indication on the second go-round

Merck, Ablynx ink second collaboration, this time targeting immune checkpoints

GSK, Roche go head-to-head to fight melanoma

Small market gets big competition, according to analysis by Datamonitor

Patent Docs: District Court decision raises concerns regarding patent protection for diagnostic methods

Kevin Noonan examines the ‘worrisome’ Ariosa Diagnostics v. Sequenom decision and how the Supreme Court’s earlier Mayo v. Prometheus decision influenced it

GSK wins accelerated FDA approval for combination therapy

Therapy is the first approved combination of Mekinist and Tafinlar with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations

Rockland Immunochemicals expands facilities

In January, company began move into a new 60,000-square-foot space

From acquirer to acquired

2014 starts off big for Forest with billion-dollar acquisitions

Discovery

Scripps unveils innovative screening strategy

Novel method first uncovers new lead for fighting obesity-linked diabetes

Targeting ‘triple negative’

Curie-Cancer and Servier renew cancer research partnership

Growing proteins in space

Emerald Bio targets cholesterol, cancer in microgravity

Facing down FSHD

Researchers discover 52 potential therapeutic candidates for a common form of muscular dystrophy

Diagnostics

Bringing FDA-approved NGS tests to the masses

Illumina and Amgen partner up to develop companion diagnostic to identify prospective patients for Vectibix

Dako and Amgen expand collaboration

The partners plan to develop a molecular diagnostic test using Dako’s IQFISH buffer

CollabRx and CellNetix partner to advance molecular testing in oncology

Medical informatics will allow physicians to consider a tumor's molecular characteristics in planning of cancer treatment

An eye for diagnostics

DiagnosTear to begin a clinical study of TeaRx, a point-of-care dry eye syndrome diagnostic assay

Clinical Trials

Absorbing more ‘bad’ cholesterol

A new anti-LDL drug passes another test

Size matters

Merger of BioClinica and CCBR-SYNARC creates broad, efficient provider of clinical trial services

‘Gearing’ up to accelerate stroke drug trials

Robot may help cut time and cost of Phase 3 trials for stroke medications by 70 percent

Kareus Therapeutics initiates Phase 1 trial in diabetes

KU-5039 said to be a potent and selective activator of AMP-kinase

Q&A

Seth Lederman: Turning something old into something new (Part 2 of 2)

To find out a bit more about the philosophy and practice of retooling old drugs for new purposes, DDNews spoke with Dr. Seth Lederman, co-founder, CEO and chairman of Tonix Pharmaceuticals

Feature

AACR 2014 conference preview: Progressing toward a cure

Rapid advances in epigenomics, immunology and cancer metabolism create an atmosphere of optimism at this year’s AACR annual meeting

Editor's Focus

Getting an infectious attitude

Infectious diseases are a constant and evolving threat, but research into antibiotics is an area of anti-infective research that has seen a lot of drop-off in terms of Big Pharma interest over the years. Researchers and the public alike may need to open their eyes wider with regard to the dangers of modern bacteria.

Commentary

Out of Order: Human compassion vs. scientific rigor

Striking a balance between the needs of the scientific process in health sciences research and the legitimate desires of ailing patients is a difficult thing. Whether or not we can or should change the system, we should still consider the toll it can take on people

Commentary: Copy number analysis provides new clinical insights into solid tumor cancers

Cancer is a global healthcare challenge; the healthcare industry is witnessing rapid new developments, improved point-of-care diagnostics, cost-effective treatment modalities and personalized medicine, which not only offer efficient early diagnosis but also treat cancer conditions in order to reduce the healthcare cost and disease burden

Commentary: The healthcare exchange you haven’t heard about

For some time now, healthcare exchanges have figured prominently in the media. Their central role in the Affordable Care Act, the challenges experienced during initial launch and the intense focus on signup numbers have all received extensive coverage. But what has been less widely reported is the fact that the concept of online exchanges as a mechanism to improve healthcare isn’t new.