Rheumatoid Arthritis News and Research

Latest Rheumatoid Arthritis News and Research

Nektar presents NKTR-181 preclinical data at ASA 2010 Annual Meeting

Nektar Therapeutics today presented new preclinical data demonstrating that NKTR-181, a mu-opioid analgesic with a novel molecular structure, dramatically reduces abuse liability while providing analgesia comparable to oxycodone and morphine.

18 Oct 2010

FDA approves BOTOX as prophylactic treatment for Chronic Migraine

Allergan, Inc. today announced the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BOTOX(onabotulinumtoxinA) for the prophylactic (preventive) treatment of headaches in adults with Chronic Migraine.

18 Oct 2010

Questcor's H.P. Acthar Gel sNDA for infantile spasms receives FDA approval

Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Questcor's supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for H.P. Acthar® Gel (repository corticotropin injection) in the treatment of infantile spasms (IS), an ultra-rare orphan disorder affecting approximately 2,000 American children annually. IS is a devastating and potentially life-threatening form of epilepsy seen in infancy and early childhood.

15 Oct 2010

Genentech and Biogen Idec announce positive results from ocrelizumab phase II RRMS study

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, and Biogen Idec today announced 24-week results from a phase II study of ocrelizumab in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of the disease. Ocrelizumab demonstrated a significant reduction in disease activity as measured by brain lesions and relapse rate.

15 Oct 2010

UCB announces winners of 2010 UCB Crohn's and Me Scholarship Program

UCB, Inc., a global leader in the research and development of medications to treat immunology disorders, today announced the winners of its 2010 UCB Crohn's and Me Scholarship Program for outstanding individuals affected by this condition. UCB has selected 31 winners to receive a scholarship worth up to $10,000 to help them seek personal growth through higher education.

15 Oct 2010

Ligand launches Viviant in Japan and Spain for postmenopausal osteoporosis

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that its partner Pfizer, Inc. launched Viviant® (Bazedoxifene) in Japan for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Under the brand name Conbriza®, the drug is also marketed in Spain through a co-promotion with Almirall, an international pharmaceutical company based in Spain.

14 Oct 2010

Four British Columbia students awarded 2010 UCBeyond Scholarship

For four students from British Columbia, their stories of perseverance in pursuing their hopes and dreams despite their illnesses is why they have been awarded $5,000 CAN each as the 2010 recipients of the UCBeyond Scholarship.

13 Oct 2010

MorphoSys and Proteros Biostructures receive research grant to develop new technology platform for structure-based engineering of antibodies

MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) and Proteros Biostructures announced today that they have been awarded a grant by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF. The funding of approximately EUR 850,000 supports both companies in establishing a new technology platform for efficient structural characterization of antibody-antigen-complexes.

12 Oct 2010

NIH awards La Jolla Institute $12.6M to develop San Diego's first Center for RNAi screening

The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology will develop San Diego's first Center for RNAi screening -- a breakthrough genomics technology that will further enhance San Diego's reputation as a national research leader and provide the local biomedical community ready access to the Nobel-Prize winning technology.

11 Oct 2010

Pfizer announces tasocitinib Phase 2 data for plaque psoriasis

Pfizer Inc. today announced that data from a Phase 2 efficacy and safety study of tasocitinib the company's investigational oral JAK inhibitor, met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant greater proportion of patients achieving at least a 75 percent reduction from baseline in PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) at week 12 in individuals with chronic moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

8 Oct 2010

Myrexis to present MPI-0485520 preclinical data at Annual Scientific Meeting

Myrexis, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for cancer, today announced it will present a poster at the 74th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ACR/ARHP), to be held November 7-11, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia.

7 Oct 2010

Integra Total Wrist Fusion System to be featured at ASSH Annual Meeting

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation announced today that it is featuring the Integra Total Wrist Fusion System at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) on October 7-9, in Boston, Massachusetts.

7 Oct 2010

Chelsea Therapeutics announces underwriters exercise 1.07 million additional shares to cover over-allotments

Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. has completed its previously announced public offering of common stock and announced that the underwriters exercised their option to purchase approximately 1.07 million additional shares to cover over-allotments.

7 Oct 2010

Biogen to present late-stage clinical therapies for MS at ECTRIMS Congress

Biogen Idec today announced that more than 45 company and partner-sponsored platform and poster presentations will be presented during the 26th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Gothenburg, Sweden, October 13 - 16, 2010.

6 Oct 2010

Amgen to present oncology portfolio results at ESMO Congress

Amgen today announced that results from several important studies from the Company's ncology portfolio will be presented at the 35th European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, Oct. 8-12, 2010, in Milan, Italy.

6 Oct 2010

CPF honors three critical areas of leadership for Pulmonary Fibrosis community

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) has announced its annual awards honoring three critical areas of leadership that impact the work of the Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) community.

5 Oct 2010

Amgen announces PRIME '203' and '181' Phase 3 trial results

Amgen today announced that results from the PRIME '203' and '181' pivotal Phase 3 trials evaluating Vectibix (panitumumab) in combination with chemotherapy (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI) as a first and second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), respectively, were published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

5 Oct 2010

Merck's boceprevir Phase III studies for HCV to be presented at 61st AASLD

Merck today announced that final results from two pivotal Phase III studies of boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be presented in oral plenary sessions at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), which is taking place from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2 in Boston. Results for boceprevir in response-guided therapy strategies, which evaluated treatment durations shorter than current standard therapy, will be presented during the meeting.

4 Oct 2010

Chelsea prices common stock public offering

Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. announced today that it has priced a public offering of approximately 7.14 million shares of its common stock at a price of $4.90 per share which will result in gross proceeds of $35 million. Net proceeds to the company, after underwriting discounts and commissions and expenses, will be approximately $32.8 million.

1 Oct 2010

Avila commences AVL-292 Phase 1 clinical study for B cell cancers and autoimmune diseases

Avila Therapeutics™, Inc., a biotechnology company developing targeted covalent drugs, announced today that it has initiated a phase 1 clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of AVL-292, a novel, orally available, covalent drug that targets Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk). AVL-292 is the first product candidate to enter clinical evaluation from Avila's proprietary covalent drug platform, Avilomics™.

30 Sep 2010