Shares of Tranzyme Pharma Inc. plunged on release of top-line results from the first of two Phase IIb trials of its gastroparesis candidate, TZP-102, showing that it did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint at either tested dose. Read More
After toiling in the trenches for nearly five years, specialty pharma AcelRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. reported a breakthrough with positive top-line data from the first Phase III study of its lead product candidate, the sublingual Sufentanil NanoTab PCA System (ARX-01), compared to intravenous morphine in postoperative pain. Read More
Based on discoveries licensed from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, privately held G1 Therapeutics Inc. is trained on the discovery and development of small molecules targeting proteins associated with cell proliferation and growth – specifically, in cancer therapy and biodefense. Read More
• Intarcia Therapeutics Inc., of Hayward, Calif., completed two financings with total proceeds of $210 million consisting of $160 million from a preferred stock private placement and $50 million from a private debt placement. Read More
• Dara BioSciences Inc., of Raleigh, N.C., reported a net loss of $2 million, or 16 cents per share, for the three months ending Sept. 30, compared to a net loss of $921,000, or 18 cents per share, for the same period in 2011. Read More
• Crystal Bioscience Inc., of Emeryville, Calif., and Integral Molecular Inc., of Philadelphia, said they launched a research collaboration to generate panels of chicken monoclonal antibodies against undisclosed therapeutic G protein-coupled receptor and ion channel targets. Read More
• OncoSec Medical Inc., of San Diego, reported that ImmunoPulse, delivered by electroporation, may give increased levels of interleukin-12 in the microenvironment of tumors in Merkel cell carcinoma. The results were published in the Journal of Immunotherapy, and are scheduled for presentation in a poster. Immunopulse is a DNA-based immunotherapy. Read More
• Janssen Research & Development LLC, of Raritan, N.J., a unit of Johnson & Johnson, said it established a global cross-pharmaceutical investigator databank designed to improve efficiencies of industry-sponsored clinical trials. Read More
• AnaptysBio Inc., of San Diego, received U.S. Patent No. 8,288,160, titled "Activation Induced Deaminase (AID)," covering the use of in vitro somatic hypermutation in eukaryotic cells for the discovery and optimization of antibodies. Read More