Merck to Acquire Idenix

Acquisition Expands Portfolio of Promising Investigational Therapies for Hepatitis C

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. & CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Merck (MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IDIX), today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which Merck will acquire Idenix for $24.50 per share in cash. The transaction, which values the purchase of Idenix at approximately $3.85 billion, has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

“Idenix has established a promising portfolio of hepatitis C candidates based on its expertise in nucleoside/nucleotide chemistry and prodrug technologies,” said Dr. Roger Perlmutter, president, Merck Research Laboratories. “Idenix’s investigational hepatitis C candidates complement our promising therapies in development and will help advance our work to develop a highly effective, once-daily, all oral, ribavirin-free, pan-genotypic regimen that has a duration of treatment as short as possible for millions of patients in need around the world.”

Published: 09 June 2014
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Halozyme To Resume PEGPH20 Clinical Program In Pancreatic Cancer

FDA Removes Clinical Hold on Phase 2 Trial (Study 202)

SAN DIEGO, June 4, 2014 -- Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (HALO) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed the clinical hold on patient enrollment and dosing of PEGPH20 in the ongoing Phase 2 trial (Study 202) evaluating PEGPH20 in patients with pancreatic cancer permitting the study to resume under a revised protocol. Patient enrollment is anticipated to recommence upon review and approval of the amended protocol by the Independent Review Boards at the participating clinical trial sites. In May, the trial's independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) recommended that enrollment and dosing in the study resume under a revised protocol.

Published: 05 June 2014
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Data Published by Researchers at the National Cancer Institute Further Identifies How Advaxis's Lm-LLO Immunotherapy Eradicates Tumors

Preclinical Research Further Suggest That Advaxis's Lm-LLO Immunotherapy Technology Alters the Tumor Microenvironment by Increasing Cells That Are Beneficial in Fighting Tumors

PRINCETON, N.J., June 4, 2014  -- Advaxis, Inc. (ADXS), a biotechnology company developing cancer immunotherapies, announced the publication of preclinical research with its lead candidate, ADXS-HPV for the treatment of HPV-associated cancers in the journal, Cancer Immunology Research. In this publication, researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) reported on the biologic mechanisms behind the unique ability of ADXS-HPV to decrease the immunosuppressive activity of Tregs in the tumor microenvironment that result in increased anti-tumor activity. This research demonstrates the critical role of the tLLO peptide fusion and the strong adjuvant effect of tLLO as contributing to the increase in activated T-cells and the relative decrease in the number of Tregs in tumors, thereby increasing anti-tumor activity.

Published: 04 June 2014
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Adherex Announces Results From Two Sodium Thiosulfate Phase 3 Studies Presented at the 50th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting

-COG STUDY ACCL0431 meets primary endpoint for prevention of cisplatin-induced hearing loss in children -SIOPEL 6 Data Monitoring Committee recommends continuation of study after safety review of 80 standard risk hepatoblastoma patients

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NORTH CAROLINA- - Adherex Technologies, Inc. (AHX.TO)(ADHXF) today announced the results on the two Sodium Thiosulfate (STS) Phase III studies presented at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

COG ACCL0431
David Freyer, DO, MS, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, COG ACCL0431 Study Chair, presented, "The Effects of Sodium Thiosulfate (STS) on Cisplatin-induced Hearing Loss: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group," in an oral presentation on June 1, 2014.

Published: 02 June 2014
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Can-Fite Announces that the US FDA has Agreed with its Phase II Liver Cancer Protocol

Can-Fite's CF102 has FDA's Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

PETACH TIKVA, Israel, June 2, 2014 -- Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE MKT: CANF) (CFBI.TA), a biotechnology company with a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address inflammatory and cancer diseases, announced today that the U.S. FDA  has agreed with the Company's study protocol for its Phase II clinical trial of CF102 for the treatment of advanced liver cancer. The FDA has granted Can-Fite Orphan Drug designation for CF102 in this indication.

The planned Phase II study will be conducted in the U.S., Europe, and Israel with 78 subjects who will be dosed with CF102 as a second-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with Child-Pugh Class B cirrhosis in patients who have failed sorafenib, an FDA approved drug for the treatment of HCC. The study will investigate the efficacy and safety of CF102 as compared to placebo.  

Published: 02 June 2014
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