Interview 26 Feb 2018 This Biotech Could Replace Opioids with Safe and Effective Pain Relief for Osteoarthritis The use of opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is a massive public health issue. I spoke with Simon Westbrook, CEO of Levicept, whose new approach to pain relief, which is being tested for osteoarthritis, could be a game-changer. Back in September, a couple of weeks into my time at Labiotech, I got the chance […] February 26, 2018 - 9 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Feb 2018 Morphosys and Galapagos Announce Positive Phase I Results for Atopic Dermatitis Treatment Phase I results show promise for a new treatment for atopic dermatitis that may become a strong competitor to the market leader, Humira. Morphosys and Galapagos are developing an antibody that could compete with the world’s best selling drug, Humira. The team announced details on positive results of a Phase I trial for treating atopic dermatitis […] February 20, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Feb 2018 Janssen Biotech Offers up to $1Bn to Irish Biotech for a Bowel Inflammation Drug Janssen Biotech and Theravance Biopharma will develop together a drug to treat bowel inflammation diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Janssen Biotech has set its eyes on a drug candidate being developed by the Irish Theravance Biopharma. Both have entered an agreement to co-develop and commercialize the drug. In exchange, Theravance is getting $100M (€82M) […] February 8, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Jan 2018 This Cytokine is Key to Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases An international group of researchers has found that the cytokine IL-23 is heavily involved in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, opening the door to new therapies targeting the molecule. Research at the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research has identified a crucial molecular mechanism underlying autoimmune and inflammatory diseases like psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. The study, […] January 18, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Jan 2018 Here’s Your New Year’s Resolution: Get Your Immune System in Shape If you’re having trouble deciding on a New Year’s resolution, why not train up your immune system? Scientists believe this could help prevent the side effects of chemotherapy. Researchers at Technische Universitaet Dresden believe that by ‘training’ the immune system, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy could be spared some of the trauma. The study, published in Cell, […] January 17, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jan 2018 German Biotech Gets FDA Approval to Start an Ulcerative Colitis Phase II Study The FDA will allow Immunic Therapeutics to commence a Phase II clinical trial to test its oral investigational drug, IMU-838, for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Immunic Therapeutics, which closed a €31M Series A last September, specializes in the development of drugs for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. At the moment, the company has two ongoing […] January 11, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Jan 2018 Biotech in London Paves the Way for a New Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis TopiVert has successfully completed a Phase I trial in ulcerative colitis with a new class of drug that could help reduce adverse side effects. The results of a Phase I trial run by London-based biotech TopiVert have shown potential for a new type of therapy for ulcerative colitis. The study revealed that the drug, called […] January 8, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Jan 2018 Takeda Starts the Year Bidding for a Belgian Stem Cell Therapy Biotech Takeda has offered to acquire TiGenix subject to the upcoming European approval of its lead stem cell therapy for Crohn’s disease, Cx601. Short of two years after partnering with TiGenix for the development of a stem cell therapy, Takeda has offered to buy the remaining shares of the company in Euronext Brussels and the Nasdaq […] January 5, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Jan 2018 Enterome Brings in a €32M Series D for its Microbiome-Based Therapies Enterome will use the money to progress two of its leading microbiome programs for the treatment of Crohn’s disease and an aggressive form of brain cancer. Enterome is a pioneer in the exciting field of microbiome-based therapies for diseases like inflammatory bowel diseases and cancer. This morning, the company has announced that it has raised €32M in […] January 4, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 21 Dec 2017 Scientists Find New Immune Target to Stop Progression of Alzheimer’s Scientists have described a new mechanism by which the immune system can drive Alzheimer’s and shown that blocking it can prevent the disease in mice. A study published yesterday in Nature details how a molecule involved in the innate immune response can promote the aggregation of amyloid-β plaques that appear in the brains of patients […] December 21, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Dec 2017 Belgian Biotech’s Crohn’s Disease Cell Therapy Gets Recommended for Approval An EMA committee has supported an allogeneic stem cell therapy for the first time, as TiGenix’s Crohn’s disease candidate is backed for approval. TiGenix and its Japanese partner, Takeda, are developing a stem cell therapy for Crohn’s disease – an autoimmune disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract. This morning, the companies have revealed that their candidate, Cx601, has received the backing […] December 18, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 14 Dec 2017 New Biotech in Oxford Takes on Arthritis of the Spine Izana Bioscience has been launched today to develop an antibody to treat ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis that affects the spine. Oxford’s newest biotech, Izana Bioscience, has an exclusive license from Takeda to develop the antibody drug Namilumab (IZN-101) and a £1.35M grant from Innovate UK to fund a Phase II study. The company plans to […] December 14, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email