November 2016

More than 2 million people got infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2015, being sexual transmission the main channel of infection. Researchers from the Infections of the Respiratory Tract and in Immunocompromised Patients group of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), led by Dr. Daniel Podzamczer, have evaluated the speed at which a new antiretroviral drug, Dolutegravir, is able to reduce the viral load in semen, an area of the body considered to be a reservoir of the virus and where access for drugs is more difficult. The results, published in Journal of Infectious Diseases, show the potential of these new treatments to reduce the chances of sexual transmission of the virus.

INDIANAPOLIS - A combination of the stimulant drug methylphenidate with a process known as cognitive-behavioral rehabilitation is a promising option to help people who suffer from persistent cognitive problems following traumatic brain injury, researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have reported.

Oragenics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to AG013, the Company’s lead therapeutic candidate for the treatment of OM. Oragenics expects to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) update and initiate a Phase 2 study with AG013 in the United States and Europe in early 2017.

SuperSonic Imagine announced the installation of its flagship Aixplorer ultrasound system at Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center in Tennessee. The Aixplorer system provides premium breast imaging and unique innovations including real-time ShearWave™ Elastography (SWETM).

Novartis  announced it has acquired Selexys Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a company specializing in development of therapeutics in certain hematologic and inflammatory disorders. Novartis exercised its right to acquire Selexys following receipt of results of the SUSTAIN study, a Phase II trial evaluating the use of SelG1, an anti-P-selectin antibody, in the reduction of vaso-occlusive pain crises in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Results from the study will be presented during the Plenary Scientific Session at the 58thAmerican Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting on December 4, 2016, in San Diego, California.

Aduro Biotech, Inc. ,a biopharmaceutical company with three distinct immunotherapy technologies,  announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the partial clinical hold placed on its clinical trials evaluating the LADD (live, attenuated double-deleted) immunotherapy platform, enabling patient enrollment to resume in all Aduro-sponsored clinical studies.