Top Stories

• The top story of the day was Biovail Laboratories’ acquisition of U.S. and Canadian rights for pimavanserin tartrate, Acadia Pharmaceuticals’ 5-HT2A inverse agonist currently in a Phase 3 trial for Parkinson’s disorder psychosis. Acadia gets $30M upfront plus $365M in developmental and commercial milestones. [Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News]

• Zymogenetics gets rid of its early-stage non-core assets, licenses to start-up Seattle Life Sciences. [Xconomy]

• Pharmaxis says its experimental cystic-fibrosis drug, Bronchitol, met its primary endpoint of improving FEV1. [BioSpace]

• Cougar Biotechnology starts its phase 3 trial of CB7630 (Abiraterone Acetate) in chemotherapy-naive castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. [MedicalNewsToday]

• Poniard Pharmaceuticals will present a few Picoplatin posters at ASCO this year, including results of picoplatin plus docetaxel/prednisone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer and picoplatin plus 5-FU/leucovorin in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). [PR Newwire]

• Genmab said an FDA advisory committee will review its drug Arzerra, aka ofatumumab on May 29th. Arzerra is under review for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who haven’t received prior therapy. [WSJ]

ARVO Roundup

• Fovea Pharmaceuticals said today they have positive results from its proof-of-concept trial of Prednisporin (FOV1101) in patients with persistent allergic conjunctivitis. [PR Newswire]

• Ophthotech’s volociximab, an alpha-5 beta-1 integrin antagonist mAb, combined with Genentech’s ranibizumab, has shown good safety in early phase 1 studies. [OSN Supersite]

• Finally, Lux Biosciences says that LX211 (LUVENIQ™, voclosporin oral capsule) can help patients with uveitis as well as reduce the rate of inflammatory exacerbations by 50% at six months in patients who are discontinuing steroids. [BusinessWire]

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