Breaking News on Drug Discovery

Annual round up of all drugs entering Phase I

Small molecules still leading the way into the clinic

DrugResearcher.com brings you its annual round up of all the drugs that entered clinical development in 2007.

Biochips help reduce the need for animal testing

US researchers have developed a new biochip technology that could dramatically reduce the need for animal testing during drug development safety studies.

Mapping the 'human embryome' in BioTime

BioTimes' subsidiary, Embryome Sciences, is planning to build a relational database that will help identify the hundreds of cell types that can be made from human and mouse embryonic stem cells.

New drug on the blocks for athletes

Scientists have discovered a potential new drug target that will prick up the ears of sportsmen and athletes alike. Not that this is an performance-enhancing drug; instead, it could help athletes recover from injury more quickly.

Pfizer buys CovX to bulk biologics pipeline

Pfizer, the world's largest pharma firm, has reached into its pockets to buy CovX, a privately-held US biotech that specialises in combining the strengths of peptides and antibodies into new drugs.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 39

The last in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to industry regulators.

Oxford Genome Sciences advances on Amgen deal

Oxford Genome Sciences (OGeS) has taken a step closer to shedding its service provider skin and morphing into a pharma firm after entering a new cancer collaboration with Amgen, one of the world's largest biotech firms.

Affymetrix simplifies genetic copy number analysis

Affymetrix has launched a new analysis tool for determining genetic variations in whole-genome association and cytogenetic studies that is up to 10 times more sensitive than competing platforms.

NIH cash for new tools to unravel genome's secrets

The technology used to decipher an organism's gene sequence has come on in leaps and bounds this year. So much so that the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has now released funds to create new tools to analyse this wealth of data.

French CROs have eye on niche market

Two French contract research organisations (CROs) that specialise in ophthalmology have banded together to offer specialised services to this niche market.

Shire snaps up Alba's gastrointestinal drug for $325m

US biopharma firm Alba Therapeutics has received a boost to its coffers after Shire agreed to pay up to $325m (€226m) to help bring its lead gastrointestinal drug candidate to market.

Semen fibrils ferry HIV into cells

Tiny protein fibres in semen have been found to enhance the ability of HIV to infect cells by up to 100,000 fold and could provide drug developers with a potent new target to tackle the virus.

Curiox' mini-bioassay tech to aid cheaper drug development

Curiox Biosystems has developed a miniaturisation platform that enables cheaper and more efficient bioassays to be conducted, potentially slashing the costs of life science and drug discovery research.

Japan says Tamiflu/psychiatric link unclear

Any link between the antiviral Tamiflu and neuropsychiatric problems is inconclusive, according to the Japanese Government.

Biogen Idec shares nosedive after withdrawing 'for sale' sign

Like countless pets after every Christmas, it seems that nobody wanted Biogen Idec after all; the firm has announced it will remain independent after it 'did not receive any definitive offers to purchase the company'.

New cell line to tackle drug resistant cancer

The creation of a new 'super cell' that can stand firm against one of the newest types of cancer therapy could shed new light on how to treat patients if they become resistant to these drugs.

Merck confirms diabetes retreat

Merck Serono intends to forge ahead with severing its investment in diabetes and either sell or partner out its existing research and development (R&D) activities in this field, which it no longer feels able to compete in effectively.

BioWa and Lonza agreement for potent antibodies

BioWa and Lonza are joining forces to develop a new technology platform to produce more potent antibodies with enhanced cell-killing powers.

Mini synchrotron to ease structural analysis?

Researchers have developed a miniature synchrotron that could enable researchers to conduct protein crystallography experiments in their own university and 'revolutionise the way science is done'.

Roche targets Ventana's board to force takeover

The latest twist in Roche's long-running bid to acquire diagnostics expert Ventana has seen the pharma giant announce it intends to elect directors to Ventana's board at its next AGM (annual general meeting).

GSK allies with OncoMed to beat cancer stem cells

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and OncoMed are teaming up to develop novel antibody therapies that target the cancer stem cells believed to play a key role in forming cancers.

Carl Zeiss licenses 'record-breaking' fluorescence technology

Microscopy expert-Carl Zeiss has licensed a new fluorescence microscopy technique that enables scientists to determine the precise intracellular location of proteins of interest.

Eisai continues biologics push with $3.9bn MGI Pharma buy

Japanese drugmaker Eisai has agreed to buy US biopharma firm MGI Pharma for $3.9bn (€2.7bn) in a bid to expand its US presence and strengthen its oncology pipeline.

Galapagos branches out with new GSK deal

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is the latest drug firm to involve Galapagos in a new development partnership, in a deal worth up to €218m for the Belgian biotech.

Two early-phase CROs merge

Two US players in the early-phase contract research organisation (CRO) space have announced their intentions to merge.

ACD/Labs takes the stress out of NMR spectral analysis

ACD/Labs has unveiled a new programme designed to help synthetic chemists reduce the amount of time required to spend on NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) data analysis.

Microfluidics promises a bright future for cell-based assays

UK researchers have published results that show that microfluidic devices can provide robust quantitative pharmacological information from low numbers of single cells.

BMS reveals plans to trim the fat

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has finally detailed its plans to trim the fat and save cash, months after first revealing that big changes would be on the cards.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 38

The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to industry regulators.

Separating mixtures in an NMR machine

Canadian researchers have devised a method of extracting the complete proton NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra for a component of a mixture without the need for physical separation.

Morphosys to exit fee-for-service upon Novartis deal

Morphosys has landed in the money after scoring a lucrative 10 year antibody development deal with Novartis and as a result, will now place all its eggs in one basket and cut ties with its fee-for-service customers.

India's Glenmark pioneering through prioritising preclinical

Glenmark is one of a handful of pharma firms in India pushing forward a preclinical programme as a priority.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 37

The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to industry regulators.

Addex and Merck target new cure for Parkinson's

Merck & Co. has entered into an exclusive collaboration and licensing deal with Addex Pharma to develop a new class of orally available Parkinson's therapies.

Pfizer plans more off-shoring and outsourcing

Pfizer is looking to Asia for both R&D and manufacturing outsourcing and to help it cut costs in a bid to mitigate the effects of patent expiries and competition from generic drugs.

Regeneron helps make Sanofi VelocImmune to its 'weak' pipeline

Sanofi-Aventis recently admitted it needed to increase the number of biotech compounds in its pipeline and now, true to its word, the French pharma heavyweight has signed a big antibody deal with US biotech Regeneron.