Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire) - Theralase Technologies Inc. (“Theralase®” or the “Company”) (TSXV:TLT) (OTCQX:TLTFF), a leading biotech company focused on the commercialization of medical lasers to eliminate pain and the development of Photo Dynamic Compounds (“PDCs”) to destroy cancer has recently identified a new platform of super potent anti-cancer drugs, or PDCs, discovered by Dr. Sherri McFarland, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the original inventor of the Theralase licenced ruthenium-based PDCs.

 

Dr. McFarland has discovered a new generation of PDCs, that are 10 billion times more potent in killing cancer cells than other tested PDCs. It only takes a few molecules of the new PDCs to kill cancer cells, in vitro, when activated by visible light.

 

The new PDCs also exhibit very low, in vitro, dark cytotoxicity (cancer cell kill in the absence of light), providing a very low toxicity to cells.

Statistically significant mean reduction in the HAM-D score compared to placebo at 60 hours demonstrated in both trials

Brexanolone provided a rapid and durable reduction over 30 days in depressive symptoms as measured by HAM-D in both placebo-controlled multi-center trials

Positive results support planned regulatory submissions; Company to host conference call today at 8:00 A.M. ET

 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Sage Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SAGE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines to treat life-altering central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced positive top-line results from two Phase 3 clinical trials with its proprietary i.v. formulation of brexanolone (USAN; formerly SAGE-547); Study 202B in severe postpartum depression (PPD) and Study 202C in moderate PPD. Brexanolone achieved the primary endpoint in both trials, a mean reduction from baseline in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) total score compared to placebo at 60 hours (Study 202B: p=0.0242 for 90 µg/kg/h dose and p=0.0011 for 60 µg/kg/h dose; Study 202C: p=0.0160 for 90 µg/kg/h dose). Patients treated with brexanolone demonstrated mean reductions from baseline in HAM-D total scores of 14 to 20 points at 60 hours maintained to 30 days in both trials. Brexanolone was generally well tolerated and showed a similar safety profile as seen in earlier studies.

-- Allows patients to have more timely access to medical devices by expediting their development, assessment, and review --

 

SYLMAR, Calif. -- Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYES) ("Second Sight" or "the Company"), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable visual prosthetics that are intended to create an artificial form of useful vision to blind patients, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Expedited Access Pathway designation for the Orion™ Cortical Visual Prosthesis System (Orion). This designation is given to a few select medical devices in order to provide more effective treatment of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions. This program is intended to help patients have more timely access to these medical devices by expediting their development, assessment, and review.

-- Mallinckrodt to commence cash tender offer to purchase Ocera Therapeutics for $1.52 per share, plus Contingent Value Right --

-- Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with hyperammonemia (excess ammonia in the blood) that occurs as complications of liver disease, such as cirrhosis --

-- Roughly 200,000 U.S. hospitalizations result from acute HE each year; approximately 1.5 to 2 million patients are at risk of recurrent HE --

-- Average of $30,000-$60,000 per hospital stay; total acute and recurrent HE market potential opportunity of $5.0-$7.0 billion --