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Sequencing Study Suggests How VRSA Evolves Independently in Each Patient
A study to sequence all 12 known strains of hospital-acquired vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) in North America has confirmed that each strain evolved completely independently to the others. The sequencing project, carried out by an international Harvard Medical School-led team, has provided new insights into how the bacterium manages to acquire the vancomycin-resistance Tn1546 transposon [...]
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Shire Reports Positive Phase III Data to Support European Filing of ADHD Drug Vyvanse
Shire reported positive data from a Phase III study evaluating lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) in the long-term maintenance of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in patients aged 6–17 years. The study data will support the European marketing authorization application for LDX, which was accepted for review earlier this year. The drug is already approved in the U.S. [...]
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Nexavar Fails to Meet Primary Endpoint in Late-Stage NSCLC Study
Partners Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals’ anticancer drug Nexavar® (sorafenib) failed to meet its primary endpoint in a Phase III study in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The 703-patient MISSION study found that in comparison with placebo and best supportive care, treatment with sorafenib plus best supportive care didn’t improve overall [...]
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Prosolia, AB Sciex Obtain License for ORNL Analytical Technology
Prosolia and AB Sciex entered into a license agreement for technologies developed by Gary Van Berkel, Ph.D., and his colleagues at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The arrangement provides Prosolia a license to a portfolio of new sample introduction and ionization methods based on the liquid microjunction surface sampling probe approach that enables direct extraction [...]
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Sucampo Presents New Phase III Data from Opioid-Induced Bowel Dysfunction Study
Sucampo Pharmaceuticals presented new data from a third Phase III trial evaluating lubiprostone in the treatment of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OBD) in patients with chronic noncancer pain. Initial results from the study were reported in April. The newly released data confirmed that compared with placebo, lubiprostone therapy reduced the median time to first spontaneous bowl [...]
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GE Healthcare, Karolinska University Ally to Enable Routine Application of Cell Therapies
GE Healthcare Life Sciences and Karolinska University Hospital established a collaboration to develop the technologies and workflows that will be needed to apply cell therapies routinely in a clinical setting. The goal is to address the need for reproducible technologies in areas such as cell growth, handling, processing, and analysis as well as protocols and [...]
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CHDI, Lundbeck Partner for Preclinical Studies with Huntington Disease Candidate
CHDI Foundation is teaming up with Lundbeck to aid preclinical development of the latter’s Huntington disease (HD) therapeutic candidate. In particular, the studies will assess the compound’s effects on P2X receptors implicated in the disease. Lundbeck says the partnership fits in with its HD Research Initiative, launched in 2010, through which the firm is working [...]
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InterMune Sells Actimmune to Vidara for $55M
InterMune is selling its synthetic gamma interferon-1b drug, Actimmune, to specialty pharmaceuticals firm Vidara Therapeutics for $55 million in cash plus a two-year royalty stream. Actimmune is indicated for the treatment of chronic granulomatous disease and severe, malignant osteopetrosis. The drug achieved revenues of $4.1 million in the first quarter of 2012. InterMune says that [...]
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Scientists Describe New Genetic Subtypes of Prostate Cancer
Two independent exome sequencing studies have identified new genetic subtypes of prostate cancer. Presenting its findings in Nature, a University of Michigan Medical School-led team identified CHD1 mutations in 8% of heavily pretreated lethal metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers (CRPCs). Notably, CHD1 mutations were almost always found in tumors that didn’t display ETS gene family fusions. [...]
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MSC-Secreted Factor Key to Impact of Multiple Sclerosis Cell Therapy
Scientists have identified a factor in the conditioned medium of mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) cultures that appears to play a key role in the therapeutic effects of MSC-based therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS). Studies by Case Western Reserve University researchers in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model of MS demonstrated that treatment using conditioned [...]
