Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Medicago USA awarded $21M to develop vaccine facility in Research Triangle Park

Medicago USA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Medicago Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles, today announced that it has been awarded a $21 Million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Broad Agency Announcement, Defense Sciences Research & Technology to demonstrate the scalable manufacturing of its plant-expressed VLP vaccines in the U.S.A. under a Technology Investment Agreement.

11 Aug 2010

Tamir Biotechnology's three compounds effective show potential for yellow fever

Tamir Biotechnology, Inc.(formerly Alfacell Corporation) announced today that scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) confirmed that testing of three of our company's compounds showed in vitro results rarely seen before by the U.S. government for yellow fever.

11 Aug 2010

WHO declares end of H1N1 pandemic

"World Health Organisation Director-General Margaret Chan announced Tuesday the end of the [H1N1] swine flu pandemic, more than a year after it was declared," Agence France-Presse reports. "The world is no longer in phase 6 of influenza pandemic alert. We are now moving into the post-pandemic period," Chan said during a virtual press conference from Hong Kong, according to a WHO press release (8/10).

11 Aug 2010

NIAID launches clinical trials of dengue vaccine

After more than a decade of development, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has started clinical trials to test a vaccine to protect against the dengue virus, a product researchers hope may one day "help prevent a disease to which 2.5 billion people are exposed," CIDRAP News reports (Roos, 8/9).

11 Aug 2010

FDA approves longer Valcyte therapy for CMV disease in adult kidney transplant patients

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved increasing the length of therapy with Valcyte (valganciclovir hydrochloride) in adult kidney transplant patients at high risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease.

11 Aug 2010

Vertex reports results from Phase 3 ILLUMINATE study of telaprevir-based therapy for hepatitis C

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced results from the Phase 3 ILLUMINATE study, which was designed to evaluate whether there was any benefit to extending therapy from 24 to 48 weeks in people whose hepatitis C virus (HCV) was undetectable at weeks 4 and 12 of treatment (extended rapid viral response or eRVR).

10 Aug 2010

Inhibitex reports net loss of $5.6 million for second-quarter 2010

Inhibitex, Inc. today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Response Biomedical second-quarter revenue from product sales increases 2%

Response Biomedical Corporation today announced financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Columbus hospital receives PPMD grant to conduct clinical testing for Duchenne

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, the largest non-profit organization in the United States focused on finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne), will award a $600,000 grant to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio to conduct clinical testing of a promising gene therapy technique for muscle disease.

10 Aug 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals reports significant progress in discovery of novel technologies for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and collaborators from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The University of British Columbia (UBC), AlCana Technologies, Inc., and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation, presented results from multiple ongoing research efforts regarding the discovery of novel technologies for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics.

10 Aug 2010

Pharmasset third-quarter net loss increases to $16.0 million

Pharmasset, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing novel drugs to treat viral infections, today reported financial results and operational highlights for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Array BioPharma fiscal 2010 revenue increases to $53.9 million

Array BioPharma Inc. today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2010.

10 Aug 2010

NIH begins human clinical testing for dengue virus vaccine

After more than a decade of development at the National Institutes of Health, a vaccine to prevent infection by the mosquito-borne dengue virus has begun human clinical testing. The vaccine was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and is undergoing clinical study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

10 Aug 2010

H1N1 pandemic could be declared over soon, WHO's Chan says

The WHO's decision to declare the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic officially over could come within weeks, according to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, the Canadian Press reports.

10 Aug 2010

Progenics second-quarter total revenue decreases to $2.3 million

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced its results of operations for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

9 Aug 2010

Anti-viral drug addition to standard treatment regimen increases cure rate for hepatitis C

Adding a direct acting anti-viral drug to the standard treatment regimen for hepatitis C significantly increases the cure rate in the most difficult to treat patients, according to a research report published Monday in the online edition of the journal The Lancet.The research team, led by Paul Kwo, M.D., of Indiana University School of Medicine, reported that adding the drug nearly doubled the treatment's effectiveness when given for 48 weeks in one treatment arm of the study.

9 Aug 2010

Novavax reports net loss of $9.4M for second-quarter 2010

Novavax, Inc. today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

7 Aug 2010

Drugs that reduce activity of ABDH6 enzyme can prevent brain damage: Study

A newly discovered molecular mechanism helps control the amount and effectiveness of a substance that mimics an active ingredient in marijuana, but that is produced by the body's own nerve cells.

7 Aug 2010

GenVec signs new agreement with Novartis for supply of services relating to development materials

GenVec, Inc. today announced a new agreement for the supply of services relating to development materials with Novartis, related to the companies' collaboration in hearing loss and balance disorders. Under this new agreement, GenVec could receive approximately $13 million over four years to manufacture clinical trial material for up to two lead candidates.

7 Aug 2010

Progenics announces EMA CHMP positive opinion for RELISTOR in pre-filled syringes

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency, has issued a positive opinion for RELISTOR (methylnaltrexone bromide) subcutaneous injection in pre-filled syringes.

7 Aug 2010