Sirtex Medical (ASX:SRX) said yesterday that the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has recommended the company’s radioactive microspheres in its Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for colon cancer and rectal cancer. The NCCN panel uniformly agreed that selective internal radiation therapy with yttrium-90 microspheres is an option for patients with metastatic, chemotherapy resistant colorectal cancer. The recommendation was […]
Novocure touts positive TTFields data for pancreatic, ovarian cancer
Novocure (NSDQ:NVCR) shares were up 6% after hours yesterday after the company released positive data for its “tumor treating fields” combined with chemotherapy for pancreatic and ovarian cancer. The St. Helier, N.J.-based company’s TTFields are low-intensity, alternating electric fields meant to inhibit cancer cell replication and cause cell death. Novocure presented data from its phase II […]
Pediapharm wins Health Canada nod for antibiotic, steroid combo ear drop
Pediapharm Inc. (CVE:PDP) said today that it won regulatory approval from Health Canada for its Otixal eye drop solution for the treatment of acute otitis media with tympanostomy tubes in pediatric patients. The Quebec-based company touts Otixal as the 1st antibiotic and steroid combination ear drop available in single, sterile unit-dose packaging. Otitis media, or […]
Phillips-Medisize to build drug delivery manufacturing facility in Wisconsin
Phillips-Medisize said today that it plans to open an 80,000 square foot drug delivery manufacturing facility at its Menomonie, Wisconsin campus. The facility, which is expected to open in 2017, will manufacture high volume, prefilled drug delivery systems. It will employ at least 100 people, the company said, and is funded by the signing of […]
Adherium’s smart inhaler tech chosen for EU mobile health program
Adherium Ltd. (ASK:ADR) said today that its Smartinhaler was chosen for the myAirCoach program as a part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework for Research and Innovation. The Horizon 2020 program is the largest EU research and innovation program ever established, with €80 billion (nearly $85 billion) of funding available from 2014 until 2020. The […]
Flexion seeks FDA nod for osteoarthritis steroid injection
Flexion Therapeutics (NSDQ:FLXN) said today that it submitted a new drug application to the FDA for its extended-release steroid injection Zilretta. The Burlington, Mass.-based company won Fast Track status from the watchdog for its osteoarthritis injection last year. The new drug application is based on data from a pivotal phase III clinical trial evaluating Zilretta in […]
Bayer, Versant close $225m Series A to launch stem cell company
Bayer (ETR:BAYN) and Versant Ventures said today that the 2 groups closed a $225 million Series A financing round to launch BlueRock Therapeutics, a regenerative medicine company focused on developing induced pluripotent stem cell therapies. The funds are estimated to support the company for 4 years as it advances cell therapy clinical programs for cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. “Accessing […]
Federal watchdog to investigate CMS drug rebate program
The Office of the Inspector General of the Health and Human Services Departments said last week that it will begin investigating whether the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services properly monitors its Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. The investigation comes after CMS reported that Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) underpaid Medicaid by not paying appropriate rebates. The Canonsburg, Penn.-based company said […]
Vapogenix closes $8.2m Series C for topical painkiller
Vapogenix Inc. said yesterday that it raised $8.2 million in a Series C financing round to fund the development of its locally-acting painkiller. Pamoja Capital and a group of pain physicians led the round. The Houston, Texas-based company’s technology is a topical formulation of volatile anesthetics, which are normally inhaled as general anesthesia. Vapogenix has developed […]
Mylan, Allergan launch fight over Restasis eye drop patents
Allergan (NYSE:AGN) said this week that it will “vigorously defend” the patents for its Restasis eye drops, after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board agreed to an inter partes review of 6 patents as requested by generic competitor Mylan (NSDQ:MYL). The patents are valid until August 2024. “Allergan is disappointed in […]
Researchers develop insulin-producing artificial beta cells
Researchers from ETH Zurich have developed artificial beta cells that can measure blood glucose concentration and respond by producing insulin. The team’s work was published this week in Science. The ETH researchers used the natural glucose transport proteins and potassium channels found in the membrane of human kidney cells and modified them with a voltage-dependent calcium channel, […]