Industry News

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, a global pharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a phase I study of its lead candidate, GBR 1302-BEAT™, in patients with HER2+ cancers. The company plans to expand the ongoing phase I clinical study to include sites in the United States for this potential first-in-class treatment, a humanized, bispecific monoclonal antibody targeting HER2 and CD3, based on the BEAT™ (Bi-specific Engagement of Antibodies based on the T cell receptor) technology platform.

ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, announced that the company was awarded a $297,875 CAD research grant from the National Research Council in Canada through the Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP). Proceeds from the grant will fund a substantial portion of personnel expenses, including the hiring of additional laboratory staff, which is expected to advance preclinical development of ContraVir's potent cyclophilin inhibitor CRV431 for the Treatment of Hepatitis B (HBV).

Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.  announced that its Investigational New Drug Application (IND) for AXS-05 in the treatment of agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The IND clearance permits Axsome to proceed with its planned Phase 2/3 clinical trial of AXS-05 in this indication. Axsome anticipates commencing this trial in the first half of 2017.

Prima BioMed Ltd announces that it has developed a new early stage product candidate, a humanised IgG4 monoclonal antibody to be known as IMP761. This antibody, developed at the Company’s laboratory in Châtenay-Malabry south of Paris, is believed to be the first agonist antibody of LAG-3.

Innocoll  announced that it has received a Refusal to File letter from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for XARACOLL, the company’s product candidate for the treatment of postsurgical pain.

The mechanical resistance of tumors and collateral damage of standard treatments often hinder efforts to defeat cancers. However, a team of researchers from the CNRS, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Paris Descartes University, and Paris Diderot University has successfully softened malignant tumors by heating them. This method, called nanohyperthermia, makes the tumors more vulnerable to therapeutic agents.

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Further to the announcement on 18th April 2016 that Recipharm would acquire the pharma division  of Kemwell’s Indian operation, the Indian Foreign Investment Promotion Board has now granted  approval for this transaction to take place.

Abbott announced it intends to close the acquisition of St. Jude Medical, Inc., The announcement follows receipt of all regulatory clearances necessary for closing

The transaction establishes Abbott as a leader in the medical device arena and provides expanded opportunities for future growth. The addition of St. Jude Medical is an important part of the company's ongoing effort to develop a strong, diverse portfolio of devices, diagnostics, nutritionals and branded generic pharmaceuticals.

Sanofi and its vaccines global business unit Sanofi Pasteur confirmed today the end of their vaccine joint-venture with MSD (known as Merck & Co. Inc., in the United States and Canada), Sanofi Pasteur MSD (SPMSD). Sanofi Pasteur and MSD will separately pursue their own vaccine strategies in Europe, integrating their respective European vaccines business into their operations. The change in operations took effect January 1, 2017.

OSE Immunotherapeutics SA  has entered into a worldwide license option agreement with Servier, an independent international pharmaceutical company, for the development and commercialization of OSE Immunotherapeutics’ Effi-7, an antagonist of the interleukin-7 receptor.