Bayer signs cancer collaboration with Amgen

Bayer has announced that it has agreed with Amgen to develop and commercialize a new antibody for treating cancer. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Under the terms of the agreement Bayer will collaborate with Amgen at its Munich site from the research phase to the completion of initial clinical trials. After the initial trials have been completed, Bayer will be responsible for further development and commercialization of the product candidate.

GlaxoSmithKline and the University of Nottingham sign green research agreement

GlaxoSmithKline and the University of Nottingham have signed a collaboration to establish a new laboratory to accommodate the the university’s Centre of Excellence for sustainable chemistry and to construct a carbon neutral sustainable chemistry laboratory. The laboratory is being supported by a £12 million grant from GSK. The laboratory will focus on research that is of particular relevance to the pharmaceutical industry and which complements established expertise at the University of Nottingham. According the the partners the centre will serve as a global hub to catalyse new collaborations with other institutions and industry partners.

Epizyme forms $90 million strategic partnership with Celgene

Epizyme has announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with Celgene to discover, develop, and commercialize personalized therapeutics for patients with genetically defined cancers. The agreement includes an upfront payment of $90 million to Epizyme, including a minority equity investment by Celgene. For each histone methyltransferase inhibitor that Celgene licenses, Epizyme may earn more than $160 million in milestone payments and up to double digit royalties on sales outside the United States. Celgene International, a Celgene Corp. subsidiary, and Epizyme also will equally share in funding collaborative programs on a global basis. Under the terms of the deal, Epizyme retains US rights to develop its HMT inhibitor programs, while Celgene receives the exclusive option to license rights outside the United States during an initial three-year period and the right to extend that for one year with additional funding.

Novartis extends Zalicus collaboration again

Zalicus has provided an update on its research collaboration with Novartis, based on its combination High Throughput Screening platform. Novartis has exercised its second option to extend its oncology discovery research collaboration with Zalicus for an additional contract year, through to April 2013. The agreement was previously extended in January 2011.

Rumours link Bayer with Onyx bid

Rumours in FierceBiotech amongst others are linking Bayer with a bid for Onyx Pharmaceuticals, a partner of Bayer’s on Nexavar. In October 2011 Onyx and Bayer settled their litigation over regorafenib.

Targacept lays off 46% of workforce

Targacept has announced that it reduce it’s workforce by 65 employees, or approximately 46% of the current headcount. According to the company, Targacept currently has over $220 million in cash and investments in marketable securities. In March AstraZeneca and Targacept announced that they would discontinue development of TC-5214 for depression.

AstraZeneca and The Medicines Company announce global collaboration

AstraZeneca and The Medicines Company have announced a global collaboration for acute ischemic heart disease compounds. The first part of the collaboration is a US co-promotion for AstraZeneca’s oral antiplatelet medicine Brilinta tablets. Under the terms of the co-promotion agreement, The Medicines Company sales force will begin supporting Brilinta in May 2012. The agreement also outlines terms for the four-year US Brilinta co-promotion agreement in which AstraZeneca will pay The Medicines Company $15 million per year for performing pre-agreed commercialization activities with up to an additional $5 million a year paid if performance thresholds are met.

Astellas Pharma and Drais Pharmaceuticals form ulcerative colitis joint venture

Astellas Pharma and Drais Pharmaceuticals have announced that they have entered into a partnership to develop and commercialize an Astellas compound. As part of the agreement, Astellas will transfer ownership of ASP3291, a melanocortin receptor agonist for the potential treatment of ulcerative colitis, from its pipeline to Telsar Pharma, a virtual company that will be operated by the Drais executive team. All Telsar development activities will be handled by the Drais executive team, which has substantial clinical development experience. InterWest Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures (two venture capital firms that are the lead investors in Drais) plus Astellas Venture Management (the corporate venture capital arm of Astellas) will invest a total of $14 million into Telsar. Telsar will be responsible for all development, manufacturing and commercialization activities and their associated costs. Astellas is entitled to receive an upfront payment and royalties on future sales of ASP3291. Astellas also has the right of first exclusive negotiation for future partnering activities related to the compound and the right of first refusal for the Japanese market. The company also has the right of non-exclusive negotiation for other markets.

Watson to buy Actavis for $5.92 billion

Watson Pharmaceuticals has announced that it has purchased Actavis for $5.92 billion. After the merger Watson will be the third largest generic maker in the world after Teva and Sandoz, a unit of Novartis.

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals’ Japanese partner announces positive phase III trial data

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals has announced that its Japanese partner, Japan Tobacco and Torii Pharmaceutical, has announced positive top-line results from a Phase 3 study of ferric citrate in Japan for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis. This study is part of an ongoing Phase 3 program for ferric citrate in Japan for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia. The Phase 3 study, conducted in Japan, was an open-label, randomized study evaluating the efficacy and safety of ferric citrate against an active control, sevelamer hydrochloride, over 12 weeks in hemodialysis patients with hyperphosphatemia.