Pfizer

Quark Pharmaceuticals to initiate phase IIb study

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 12:12 PM

Calif.-based Quark Pharmaceuticals, engaged in the discovery and development of RNAi-based therapeutics, has received results from a prospective randomized phase II trial, the DEGAS study.  This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of PF-04523655 (RTP801I-14) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). There were 184 patients randomly assigned to four treatment groups; three dose levels of PF-04523655 (RTP801I-14) (0.4mg, 1mg, and 3mg) or laser. The study was designed with a primary endpoint of mean visual acuity improvements over baseline at 24 months.

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Many trials exclude depressed patients

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:20 AM

When the FDA announced in 2009 that Pfizer’s smoking-cessation drug Chantix would need to carry a restrictive "black box" warning label, the move didn't really surprise the market, according to a Reuters report.

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Pfizer to gradually move antibacterials operations to China

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 01:00 PM

Pfizer plans to move its antibacterials research unit in Groton, Conn., to Shanghai, China, but said some local scientists involved in the research will remain in Groton for up to two years as the company builds the new Shanghai unit, according to a report in Connecticut newspaper The Day.

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Pfizer talking with CROs to fill R&D hub

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 12:33 PM

A U.K. task force—assembled to salvage as many R&D jobs at Sandwich as it can before Pfizer completes its planned exit—has confirmed that the pharma giant is in discussions with CROs that may step in to hire some of the 2,400 workers being let go, according to Fierce Biotech.

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Report: Big Pharmas embracing technology as they transform to ‘holistic healthcare entities’

Monday, March 14, 2011 07:00 AM

Pharmaceutical companies—having outsourced R&D functions to CROs and collaborated with biotechs, drug companies and academic groups for innovative products and platforms—are now embracing a different type of innovation: technology.

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Amgen to buy Pfizer plant, saving 280 jobs

Friday, March 11, 2011 01:53 PM

Amgen has agreed to buy a Pfizer manufacturing plant at Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin, securing 280 jobs in the process. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of the year, according to Fierce Pharma.

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Pfizer’s new RA clears phase III

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 10:51 AM

Pfizer has reported data from its phase III trial of its oral JAK inhibitor tofacitinib, which underwent a name change from tasocitinib. The drug hit its primary endpoint for statistical significance among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The experimental therapy, one of Pfizer's biggest late-stage prospects, was shown to improve symptoms of RA. Full data will be forthcoming.

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Xiapex approved for use in Europe

Monday, March 7, 2011 07:31 AM

Xiapex (collagenase clostridium histolyticum), a non-surgical treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture in adult patients with a palpable cord, has been granted marketing authorization by the European Commission and should available for use in some European markets later this year. 

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Charles River, Pfizer collaborate

Friday, March 4, 2011 02:19 PM

Charles River Laboratories has signed a marketing and distribution agreement with Pfizer to provide certain Pfizer-developed genetically modified research models to the global biomedical research community. Under this agreement, CRL will supply a number of pre-competitive, transgenic research models developed by Pfizer across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including neuroscience, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

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Pfizer cuts 15 R&D projects, buys King

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 12:56 PM

Pfizer has cut its R&D pipeline again, removing 15 experimental projects in a bid to restructure its operations and conserve earnings, according to PharmaTimes. 

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