Apricus Biosciences enters into licensing agreement with Bracco

Apricus Biosciences has entered into a licensing agreement with Bracco SpA granting the exclusive rights to market Vitaros, the Apricus’s treatment for erectile dysfunction in Italy. Under the terms of the licensing agreement, Bracco has been granted exclusive rights in Italy to commercialize and market Vitaros under the Bracco trademark, and Apricus Bio is entitled to receive up to E5.5 million in up-front, regulatory and sales milestone payments. Further, over the life of the agreement, Apricus Bio will receive tiered, double-digit royalties based on Bracco’s sales of the product.

Silence Therapeutics earns milestone from Quark Pharmaceuticals

Silence Therapeutics has announced that it has reached agreement with Quark Pharmaceuticals under which Silence will receive milestone payments of up to $1.5 million in relation to the option agreement signed between Quark and Novartis for QPI-1002. Silence anticipates that its share of future milestone payments relating to Quark’s license agreement with Novartis could reach $80 million.

Pro-Pharmaceuticals collaborates with Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Pro-Pharmaceuticals has entered into new research collaboration with Mount Sinai School of Medicine to evaluate in preclinical models, the anti-fibrotic effects of several of the company’s Galectin-targeting compounds

PharmaGap collaborates with Queen’s University

PharmaGap has announced collaboration with Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario to investigate the potential for development of PharmaGap’s cancer drug GAP-107B8 in bladder cancer. The initial phase of work at Queens is designed to enable investigators to design and deliver a subsequent in vivo study to determine the Maximum Tolerated Dose and efficacy of GAP-107B8 in a murine bladder cancer model using intravesical infusion.

Recordati signs co-marketing agreement with Merck Serono

Recordati announced that it has signed a license agreement with Merck Serono for the marketing and sales in France of pitavastatin. Pitavastatin is a statin for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Merck Serono will co- market the product together with Bouchara Recordati, the group’s French subsidiary. During July 2010 the Decentralized Procedure for the approval of pitavastatin (Livazo, Alipza and other brands) in Europe was concluded positively.

Hybrid BioSystems merges with Myotec Therapeutics

Hybrid BioSystems has merged with Myotec Therapeutics to form PsiOxus Therapeutics. Both companies are UK based Hybrid Systems was founded in 2002 by Prof Len Seymour, chair of gene medicine at Oxford University, and Dr Kerry Fisher, also of Oxford University, to develop vaccines for flu and cancer, using viruses. Part of the original company was spun out before the merger to form a separate company, Native Antigen, which will continue to run a screening service for anti-cancer drug compounds.

Nordic Pharma signs a strategic collaboration with Nippon Kayaku

Nippon Kayaku and the Nordic Pharma Group have signed a licensing agreement under which NK has granted exclusive rights to NORDIC for the development and commercialisation of Spanidin in selected territories outside of Japan, including Europe. Spanidin is an immunosuppressive agent developed and commercialised in Japan by NK in acute and accelerated rejection crisis after renal transplantation. Under the agreement, Nordic will design and execute the global clinical development of Spanidin, which includes a Phase III study. Nordic will also be responsible for the regulatory filing and commercialisation of the product in the relevant countries. NK will ensure production of the active ingredient until registration and beyond.

Pathfinder and SyntheMed announce merger

Pathfinder LLC and SyntheMed have announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Under the agreement SyntheMed will be renamed Pathfinder Cell Therapy Inc and the combined company will operate under the leadership of the Pathfinder management team. Pathfinder will be merged with and into a wholly-owned subsidiary of SyntheMed. Pathfinder shareholders will own around 80% and SyntheMed shareholders will own around 20% of the combined company.

AstraZeneca and Abbott end the development of CERTRIAD

AstraZeneca has announced that it has notified Abbott that it will discontinue the development of CERTRIAD, which was being investigated for the treatment of mixed dyslipidemia. The co-development and license agreement with Abbott will end in January 2011. A Complete Response Letter for the CERTRIAD New Drug Application was received from the FDA in March. The resulting regulatory delay led the companies to conclude that the development of CERTRIAD is no longer commercially attractive.

Gilead Sciences buys Arresto Biosciences for $225 million

Gilead Sciences has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Arresto Biosciences. Under the terms of the agreement, Gilead will acquire Arresto for $225 million and potential future payments based on achievement of certain sales levels. Gilead expects the deal to close in the first quarter of 2011 and plans to finance the acquisition through available cash on hand. Arresto develops medicines that target enzymes involved in the synthesis of the extracellular matrix, which appear to play a role in the etiology of a variety of fibrotic diseases and cancer.