BioPharm Business News

Thursday, October 30, 2008
Merck, Japan Tobacco in Osteoporosis Drug Deal
Merck and Japan Tobacco announced a worldwide licensing agreement to develop and commercialize JTT-305, an investigational oral osteoanabolic agent for the treatment of osteoporosis...

Monday, October 27, 2008
VGX Initiates Follow-On, Phase I, Multiple Ascending Dose Study for Oral Anti-Inflammatory Drug Targeting RA and Type 1 Diabetes
VGX Pharmaceuticals announced phase I study results that demonstrated that its lead anti-inflammatory compound, VGX-1027, was generally safe and well tolerated in humans...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Biogen Idec Reports Top-Line Results From Phase II Clinical Trial of Baminercept in RA; Will Discontinue Development in RA
The phase II trial of baminercept in RA patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy with a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug did not meet its primary endpoint...

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Centocor Reports Efficacy of Remicade^® vs Azathioprine in Treatment of Crohn’s Disease
Azathioprine is not approved in the US for the treatment of CD but is approved in some countries outside the US and is widely used by gastroenterologists and other physicians in the US to treat CD patients...

Friday, October 17, 2008
UCB’s Cimzia^® (certolizumab pegol) Reduces Intestinal Lesions and Induces Endoscopic Improvement in Crohn's Patients
A large study investigating endoscopic improvement in Crohn's disease (CD) demonstrated that Cimzia^® (certolizumab pegol), the only PEGylated anti-TNFα biologic, significantly improved endoscopic lesions and induced endoscopic response...

Thursday, October 16, 2008
Novartis Reports Once-Yearly Aclasta^® Approved in EU to Treat Osteoporosis in Men; Label to Include Reduction of New Fractures Following Hip Fracture in Men and Postmenopausal Women
The European Commission followed the US FDA in approving once-yearly Aclasta for the treatment of osteoporosis in men who are at increased risk of fractures, and has broadened the drug’s label to include reduction of new fractures in men and postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who have recently suffered a hip fracture...