R&D Trends

PhRMA member companies invested $49.5 billion in R&D in 2011

Tuesday, April 17, 2012 06:36 AM

Investment in research and development by members of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) remained strong at $49.5 billion in 2011, as the sector adapts to meet the challenges of evolving science, a changing marketplace and a difficult economic environment.

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Lonza and Agennix to collaborate on talactoferrin

Monday, April 16, 2012 12:49 PM

Switzerland-based Lonza and Germany-based Agennix have signed an agreement for the production of Agennix’s talactoferrin.

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Vanda lands exclusive world-wide license for VLY-686 from Lilly

Monday, April 16, 2012 11:40 AM

Vanda Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on central nervous system disorders, has acquired an exclusive world-wide license from Eli Lilly to develop and commercialize a small molecule neurokinin 1 receptor (NK-1R) antagonist for all human indications.

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Seattle Genetics, Millennium, Ventana collaborate on companion diagnostic test for Adcetris

Friday, April 13, 2012 12:37 PM

Seattle Genetics and Millennium, a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical, have formed a collaboration with Ventana Medical Systems, a member of the Roche Group, through which Ventana will seek to develop, manufacture and commercialize a molecular companion diagnostic test with the goal of identifying patients who might respond to treatment with Adcetris based on CD30 expression levels in their tissue specimens.

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Flagship and Merck to foster early-stage life sciences innovation

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 12:37 PM

Flagship Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on healthcare and sustainability, has partnered with Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) and its newly formed Merck Research Ventures Fund to back new ventures that apply scientific breakthroughs to the development of new drugs in areas of unmet medical need.

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HIG raises $268 million for life sciences fund

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 12:09 PM

HIG BioVentures II, a HIG Capital fund that will invest in a broad range of sectors and development stages with a focus on pharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostics, has successfully closed as of March 28.

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Dementia to triple by 2050, largely ignored

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 11:35 AM

Worldwide, nearly 35.6 million people live with dementia. This number is expected to double by 2030 (65.7 million) and more than triple by 2050 (115.4 million). Dementia affects people in all countries, with more than half (58%) living in low- and middle-income countries. By 2050, this is likely to rise to more than 70%.

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Arrowhead Research acquires Alvos Therapeutics

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 11:12 AM

Arrowhead Research, a nanomedicine company with development programs in RNA therapeutics and obesity, has acquired Alvos Therapeutics (formerly Mercator Therapeutics), the first biopharmaceutical company to use in vivo phage display technology to systematically develop novel cancer drugs.

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Analysis: U.S. CMO market reviving, offering preclinical services

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 11:27 AM

The upturn in the fortunes of pharmaceutical companies after the recession is mirrored by the U.S. contract manufacturing outsourcing (CMO) market, which is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% from 2011 to 2016, according to Frost & Sullivan's newest analysis of the U.S. CMO market.

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FDA to pilot end-stage kidney disease technology

Monday, April 9, 2012 12:58 PM

Three products for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) have been chosen to participate in the FDA’s Innovation Pathway, an evolving system designed to help medical devices reach patients in a safe, timely and collaborative manner.

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