WASHINGTON – Lawmakers on both sides of the biologics exclusivity issue are arguing the debate in a new forum, international trade agreements. Read More
About four months after kicking off a Phase II study of lead product PRT-201 , which, if positive, could entice a buyout bid from Novartis AG under a 2009 option deal, Proteon Therapeutics Inc. is padding its coffers with a $15.2 million financing. Read More
LONDON – The discovery of a mutant gene responsible for a rare platelet disorder could one day lead to a new generation of antiplatelet drugs to treat patients suffering from myocardial infarction and stroke. Read More
• Bio-Path Holdings Inc., of Houston, completed treatment of the first dosage cohort in the firm's Phase I trial of BP-100-1.01 (liposomal Grb-2), in development for systemic treatment of blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. Read More
• Kineta Inc., of Seattle, received a $2.8 million Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to support work on a new class of antiviral drugs. Kineta's program focuses on agonists of the retinoic acid inducible gene 1 innate immune pathway and is designed to target RNA viruses such as hepatitis C, influenza, West Nile virus, respiratory syncytial virus, Dengue fever and the common cold. Read More
• Allon Therapeutics Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, received a patent covering the method of use for lead product davunetide and its associated neuroprotective technology platform as a treatment for schizophrenia. Read More
Researchers at the University of Southern California have identified an enzyme, monoamine oxidase A or MAOA, whose lack leaves mice almost comically unable to assess risk. MAOA knockouts showed defensive behaviors, such as biting and tail rattling, when novel but not harmless objects, such as plastic bottles, were put into their cages. Read More