By John Carroll Aveo Pharmaceuticals ($AVEO) has landed a rich, $1.4 billion development and commercialization pact with Astellas for its late-stage VEGF inhibitor tivozanib. Now in a Phase III head-to-head study comparing the drug to Nexavar, Astellas will spearhead the commercialization work for tivozanib in Europe, leaving Aveo in charge in the U.S. In exchange for …
By Maureen Martino Seattle-based biotech Theraclone has signed a deal with Pfizer in which the company will use its I-STAR platform technology to help the Big Pharma identify monoclonal antibodies against up to four undisclosed targets–two for infectious disease and two for cancer. I-STAR can quickly test tens of thousands of antibodies to find those with the …
By John Carroll With all the buzz last week about Sanofi’s new Covance deal and its ongoing struggle to gain control of Genzyme, it was easy to overlook CEO Chris Viehbacher’s pipeline review for the Big Pharma company. Viehbacher has been engaged in a head-to-toe revamp of R&D from his first day at the helm. Late last …
By John Carroll An experimental immunotherapy skin cancer drug from Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) will get star treatment at the upcoming ASCO confab. Observers will get a close look at new data on ipilimumab, which has extended the lives of metastatic melanoma patients in three small clinical trials and may be up for an approval in …
By John Carroll A group of MGI Pharma alumni is launching a Boston-based startup named Tesaro in Boston with $60 million in venture backing for its plan to acquire, develop and commercialize new cancer drugs. The company is being co-founded and partially financed by a core of execs coming from MGI–by way of Abraxis–which was acquired …
By John Carroll The Lone Star State’s two biggest university systems are joining hands with the world-renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to help design and staff a sprawling new cancer R&D complex. Texas A&M and the University of Texas, intense rivals on the football field, will be working together to help build the National Center …
By John Carroll Merck has opted to move into the driver’s seat to steer the development of Ariad’s late-stage cancer therapy ridaforolimus. The pharma company (ARIA) is taking direct control over the clinical development of the drug, paying Cambridge, MA-based Ariad $50 million upfront along with $19 million to reimburse the biotech for its R&D …
By John Carroll The FDA has approved Dendreon’s Provenge, a breakthrough cancer vaccine that promises to extend the lives of prostate cancer victims by several months. Widely seen as a likely blockbuster with a cost of around $75,000 per patient, the approval comes after the Seattle-based Dendreon (DNDN) braved a major setback at the FDA in …
