OptiNose said today that it closed a $37 million Series D round led by Fidelity Management and Research Company. Avista Capital Partners, Entrepreneurs Fund and other current investors also contributed to the round. The Yardley, Penn.-based company said it plans to use the newly-acquired funds to support commercial development of its lead product candidate, OPN-375, […]
Pharmaceutical
Catalent soars on Q3 earnings, sales beat
Shares in Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) jumped more than 20% last week after the company beat expectations on Wall Street with its fiscal 3rd quarter results. The Somersert, N.J.-based company posted profits of $26 million, or 21¢ per share, on sales of $532.6 million for the 3 months ended March 31, for bottom-line growth of 143% on sales growth […]
Valeant posts Q1 profit thanks to tax benefit, misses on revenue
Shares in Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:VRX) rose more than 25% today after the company met earnings expectations on Wall Street, but missed on revenue with its 1st quarter results. The Canada-based company posted profits of $628 million, or $1.79 per share, on sales of $2.11 billion for the 3 months ended March 31, for bottom-line growth […]
Allergan, Medicines360 tout 4-year pivotal data for Liletta intrauterine contraceptive
Allergan (NYSE:AGN) and women’s health nonprofit pharma company Medicines360 touted 4-year data today from an ongoing pivotal trial for its Liletta intrauterine contraceptive. The system is approved for the prevention of pregnancy for up to 3 years. More than 1,500 women ranging from 16 to 45 years old were enrolled and studied in the group’s […]
Sanofi ties drug price increases to healthcare inflation
Insulin makers have faced questioning this year for their drug pricing practices – a class-action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts in January alleges that Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) and Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) conspired to raise their list prices to get access to pharmacy benefit managers’ preferred lists, instead of competing with each other […]
Pfizer collaborates to improve access to injectable contraceptive
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) said yesterday that it inked a multi-year extension of its collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation to improve access to the company’s injectable contraceptive, Sayana Press, for women in developing countries. The pharma giant’s product uses Becton Dickinson‘s (NYSE:BDX) Uniject delivery system to administer a long-acting, […]
Systemic therapy beats Bausch & Lomb implant in NIH uveitis study
Systemic therapy of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants better preserved vision in patients with uveitis compared to Bausch & Lomb‘s long-lasting corticosteroid intraocular implant in a clinical trial supported by the National Eye Institute, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. In 7 years, visual acuity remained stable in patients receiving systemic therapy and declined by […]
Nanoscale ‘slingshot’ shoots drug to infection site
Researchers from the University of Rome Tor Vergata and the University of Montreal have reported the design and synthesis of a nanoscale molecular slingshot made of DNA that could potentially shoot and target drugs to specific regions of the human body. The slingshot is made of a synthetic DNA strand that can be loaded with […]
Novocure touts quality of life data for Optune, chemo combo
Novocure (NSDQ:NVCR) touted health-related quality of life analyses from a pivotal Phase III trial combining its Optune device with standard temozolomide chemotherapy for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. The data showed that adding Optune to temozolomide did not negatively impact health-related quality of life, except for itchy skin which the company attributed to skin irritation […]
FDA approves first ALS treatment in over 2 decades
The FDA recently announced that it has approved the drug Radicava (edaravone) to help treat patients who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the ALS Association. Motor neurons in the brain […]
New medicines could eliminate uterine fibroid surgeries
Decisions Resources Group, a healthcare research and data company, suggests that the launch of new medicines could be a long-term management alternative to uterine fibroids surgeries over the next 10 years. Novel selective progesterone receptor modulators (SPRMs) like Allergan/Gedeon Richter’s ulipristal, Bayer’s vilaprisan and Repros’s Proellex – and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) antagonists like AbbVie’s elagolix, […]