Research & Development News

This discovery may explain why so many depressed patients taking SSRIs do not respond to antidepressant treatment.

HemaQuest said clinical investigators have enrolled the first patient in a randomized multi-dose Phase 2 study of HQK-1001 in patients with sickle cell disease.

Amgen and UCB have announced positive results from a phase II study of their new postmenopausal osteoporosis treatment.

Pfizer Inc. confirmed that one patient who was taking its drug candidate tofacitinib died of respiratory failure.

The trial will involve pregnant women in the UK diagnosed with very early-onset pre-eclampsia.

Proteon Therapeutics has started enrolment for a phase 2 trial for PRT-201, a recombinant human elastase.

Researchers have given DNA more shapes, adding contours that more accurately mimic shapes commonly found in nature.

The new center will bridge the gap between basic sciences and drug development.

Researchers concluded the drug wasn't working as hoped. One hypothesis is that concentrations of the drug in vaginal tissue weren't high enough to provide a protective benefit.

Sanofi-Aventis and Stanford University will work together on up to five research programs a year, according to a multi-year deal.

The Phase II trial for GLPG0259 will be discontinued due to limited efficacy potential.

The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of lixisenatide as an add-on therapy for people with type 2 diabetes whose condition was inadequately controlled by sulfonylureas.

Novartis has initiated a Phase I clinical study for two long-acting injectable formulations of Fanapt (iloperidone) in patients with schizophrenia.

The two repressors and the gene systems they regulate are possible new drug targets for controlling Staph growth.

The study met all primary endpoints at the 10 mg BID dose, showing statistically significant changes versus placebo in reducing signs and symptoms.

Three trials were identified that concluded that there were no significant differences between memantine and a placebo in treating the 431 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease involved in the study.

The study will consist of 12 patients in four dose-escalating cohorts.

Compared to a placebo, the drug cut the rate of relapses by 23 percent. Investigators also noted that the drug group demonstrated an average drop in the progression of disability by 36 percent.

Researchers believe they've solved the problem with an optical fiber-based device that can deliver tiny amounts of the chemicals to internal organs with pinpoint accuracy.

Italian researchers say parents are largely in control of their toddler's sleep habits, not genes.

Depression is expected to be the second leading burden of disease world wide by the year 2020.

For the two-year study, 669 patients with mid-to-late stage Parkinson's disease who were already taking levodopa and other dopaminergic treatments were given 50 or 100 milligrams of safinamide per day or a placebo pill.

Biogen Idec Inc's experimental multiple sclerosis drug met the main goal in the first of two important late-stage studies.

The Phase Ib/IIa trial will enrol 32 subjects with pigment epithelium detachment, who will receive up to three monthly intravitreal injections of iSONEP.

The study results revealed that patients receiving T-DM1 lived significantly longer with their disease under control and experienced fewer side effects typical of chemotherapy.

Pfizer and Medivation announced results from the Phase 3 HORIZON trial of the investigational drug dimebon in patients with Huntington disease.

Adherence to interferon, an important medication used to treat Hepatitis C, is critical to successfully clearing the virus that causes the disease.

Abbott and Enanta Pharmaceuticals have received positive results from a study for an investigational oral protease inhibitor being developed for the treatment of hepatitis C.

The two companies are extending their development program for VEGF Trap-Eye in DME after promising results in the global Phase 2 DME program.

Understanding how to gain access into the lymphatic network is significant and will have a strong impact in the fields of cancer and immune research.

The study is designed to determine the safety and pharmacokinetics of multiple ascending oral doses of DB959 in men and women.

The Phase II trial will enroll up to 30 patients whose brain tumour is in first relapse during or following primary therapy.

Safety data from the clinical trial and preliminary results showed that Bendavia appears to be safe and well-tolerated at the dose evaluated, without any serious adverse events reported.

MedImmune and Inserm Transfert will have strategic research collaboration for a range of therapeutic areas including oncology, respiratory, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases.

The drug prevents the growth of blood vessels in tumours, thus starving them of oxygen and nutrients, rather than attacking them directly.

Rates of bleeding were lower in the 75% and 100% reversal arms than heparin. In addition, the incidence of ischaemic events was lower in REG1 treated patients compared with those treated with heparin.

Principles involved in semiconductor development are used to make new nanostructures that detect and destroy antibiotic-resistant infections.

The foundation gives financial support to two firms in India researching vaccines for pneumonia and diarrhea.

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced plans to move ahead with phase III clinical trials of its new hepatitis C treatment BI 201335.

Lundbeck has initiated clinical phase I studies with Lu AF11167 in order to investigate safety, tolerability and the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug.

The study is designed to compare MDV3100 with bicalutamide, a commonly used anti-androgen, and is expected to enrol approximately 370 patients in North America and Europe.

The results showed that 75-81% of patients treated with ACH-1625 achieved rapid virologic response with a promising safety and tolerability profile.

A study showed hepatitis C could be treated using boceprevir alongside peginterferon and ribavirine.

Amgen, Takeda and its U.S. subsidiary Millennium jointly announced that their Phase III study for a cancer drug failed to demonstrate an improvement in overall survival.

A new laser technique can measure the binding force between membrane proteins and both large and small molecules.

The new product will be designed to help prevent leaks, as well as reduce surface contamination and risk of exposure during a drug product’s reconstitution process.

The drug trial will assess the safety and tolerability of CLT-008 in the setting of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.

The primary endpoint of the study was the absence of cells in the anterior chamber of the eye at day 15 following surgery.

After 12 months of treatment with PF-04523655, a dose-dependent improvement in visual acuity was observed, with the best results achieved at the 3mg dose level.

UK scientists identified that the EspC protein stimulates a strong immune response in humans, and it's also quite specific to TB bacteria.

Over 11 years tracking results, 16 of those patients experienced a significant improvement for two years on their scorecard for symptoms of the disease.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced its investigational compound ipilimumab has met the primary endpointof improving overall survival in previously-untreated patients with metastatic melanoma.

Genentech announced positive pivotal Phase II results for Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor in advanced basal cell carcinoma.

CytRx Corporation has started a Phase Ib safety and dose escalation clinical trial of INNO-206 in patients with advanced solid tumours.

One of the medical challenges with diseases of the brain is getting any treatment to cross the blood-brain barrier.

The prospect of using Phase II data from a single-arm study of 104 patients to support a regulatory filing in the U.S. could prove problematic, though, considering Roche's experience with the highly promising 'armed antibody' T-DM1.

Researchers are looking into stem cell injections to give hope for patients with enlarged hearts.

The study will enroll 93 postmenopausal osteoporotic women and will include an open label comparator arm of Forsteo injectable formulation.

The trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AN2728 in patients with mild to moderate plaque-type psoriasis.

Pfizer's newer research programs will move to China as soon as the site for antibacterial research is ready.

GlaxoSmithKline has reported positive, top-line results of the ADVANCE-Parkinson's Disease Phase III clinical study.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is cancer of the blood and bone marrow. It affects more than 100,000 Americans, with over 15,000 new diagnoses each year.

Amylin and Takeda have suspended a mid-stage clinical trial of a combination obesity treatment.

The study supports the use of viral vector-based techniques as a new way to develop vaccines for human norovirus and other viruses that cannot grow in cell cultures.

A second collaboration has been entered between German KINAXO and Japanese Takeda with the focus on drug development.

The study evaluated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of three doses of exenatide once-monthly.

Study results showed that diabetic macular oedema patients who were treated with Lucentis experienced rapid and sustained improvement.

PROLOR Biotech took a major step towards prominence with the announcement of relocation and expansion of their corporate offices and their R&D facility.

A new study shows a link between men who take the cholesterol-lowering drugs and reduced diagnoses of prostate cancer.

A new study at Stanford University is shedding some light on anxiety disorders, the most prevalent among all psychiatric diseases.

Sanofi-Aventis and partner Regeneron have revealed their non-small cell lung cancer drug aflibercept given with the chemotherapy docetaxel failed to increase overall survival time compared with docataxel alone.

This is the first time that a patient-data driven, computer model of rheumatoid arthritis has been developed to generate patient-specific predictions to the response to existing drugs and the response to inhibiting novel targets and pathways of the dis...

The company plans to conduct further evaluation of the data to determine if there is a path forward with RG2417.

The survey was conducted among investigators, study coordinators and other clinical site professionals from large organizations.

The new technique, called Bessel beam plane illumination microscopy, can reveal the three-dimensional shapes of cellular landmarks in unprecedented detail.

Scientists found medication used to treat atrial fibrillation in stroke survivors could prevent the development of dementia.

After an international study of 140,000 people, scientists have doubled the number of genes known to be associated with coronary heart disease.

Infinity Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of a randomized, double-blind Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of IPI-926.

FDA has asked healthcare professionals to warn patients of a childbearing age about the potential hazard to the foetus if a woman becomes pregnant while taking Topamax or its generic versions.

Pfizer Inc. announced the ORAL Sync Phase 3 study of tofacitinib met its primary endpoints.

Syntaxin announces its partner Allergan has initiated two Phase II trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its re-targeted endopeptidase drug candidate.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. provided an update on its Phase 2 clinical trial for the use of its NVC-422 to prevent urinary catheter blockage and encrustation (UCBE).

Researchers have made dishes of human brain cells that could lead to treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

Significant variability often signifies pharmaceutical production failures and drug quality problems.

Researchers found a regulator of gene activity that tells epidermal stem cells when it's time to grow more skin.

Synta Pharmaceuticals is set to initiate a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial of ganetespib in combination with docetaxel in non-small cell lung cancer in the second quarter of 2011.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday its drug Arcalyst was effective in reducing gout flares based on its second Phase III study.

Advion BioServices Inc., a provider of contract bioanalytical research services, will collaborate with Eli Lilly to establish a laboratory in Indianapolis.

Amgen announced the publication of results from a Phase 3 head-to-head trial that compared XGEVA to Zometa in preventing bone complications called skeletal-related events.

New research suggests that a drug originally developed for cancer can combat the flu virus.

TransPharma Medical announced the successful completion of a Phase 1b trial of ViaDor-GLP1 agonist for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type II.

Scientists have identified a protein that plays a key role in debilitating changes that occur in the heart after a heart attack.

Bayer and Onyx Pharmaceuticals have started recruiting breast-cancer patients to start the third stage of testing their Nexavar pill, a key pipeline drug for both drugmakers.

A breast cancer-causing gene was discovered to possibly help medical professionals customise treatments for individual patients.

The European Medicines Agency has launched its strategy to develop medicines for older people.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. reported positive results from a Phase II clinical trial of a treatment for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Germany-based Jomaa Pharma and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) will co-develop novel malaria treatment based on fosmidomycin.

Medivir and Janssen will initiate an R&D program to utilize their core competences in the discovery and development of protease inhibitors.

Genus Oncology has started its Phase I trial of a treatment for solid tumours.

The German pharma company has opened a new facility in Billerica, MA, which is now one of four main research hubs in the world.

Scientists have found that rates of liver cancer in US-born Hispanic men in California have increased by 87%.

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, said the RISE study evaluating monthly Lucentis in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME), met its primary endpoint.

Tarsa recently completed a Phase III clinical trial called the ORACAL study, assessing its oral calcitonin as a treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

New research shows people who regularly eat berries may have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

GSK plots new approach for better and effective cooperation with academia so that its drug development process can be facilitated.

Researchers have discovered a mechanism for normalizing blood sugar that doesn't involve insulin and could offer a new therapeutic approach to both kinds of diabetes.

A device built by South Korean researchers uses a nanoporous membrane made of electrically responsive polymers to provide both pulsed and on-demand drug release.

A new study finds that the Gardasil vaccine protects men against human papillomavirus (HPV) as effectively as it does women.

Renovo admitted that its main treatment Juvista has failed to meet its goals in the phase III trial in Europe.

Targacept announced Wednesday it was launching Phase 2 clinical trials of its TC-6987 compound that could be used to treat asthma and Type 2 diabetes.

Depomed has completed the second Phase I trial of DM-1992. DM-1992 was well-tolerated in the study.

American researchers have found a new means for developing antidepressant drugs.

Results of a study including 703 men with prostate cancer give hope to cure patients.

U.S. researchers say sleepwalking is in patients' DNA, giving hopes for possible treatments based on genetic studies.

Anacor Pharmaceuticals announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 2b trial of AN2728, a topical anti-inflammatory product candidate for the treatment of psoriasis.

People with diabetes are almost 10 times more likely to have a cold-like enterovirus infection, according to a study by Australian researchers.

Biopharmaceutical company Anadys has begun dosing in the Phase IIb study of ANA598 in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin in hepatitis C patients.

A team of scientists has conducted a study which could help psychiatrists better understand abnormal brain processes in psychological conditions.

Sanofi announced its recent testing of breast cancer treatment iniparib failed to adequately perform in a Phase III trial.

GlaxoSmithKline and Actelion announced they are discontinuing development of their late-stage insomnia drug almorexant due to tolerance concerns.