Business News

Today, CytRx Corporation announced that US health regulators removed a partial clinical hold on its late-stage cancer trials, causing shares to jump ten percent. The company said that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed the partial clinical hold on its aldoxorubicin clinical trials, and enrollment and dosing …

Swiss drugmaker Roche has signed an agreement to acquire privately-held Trophos for up to $545 million. The acquisition will provide Roche with Trophos’ candidate for the rare and debilitating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Trophos’ proprietary screening platform generated olesoxime (TRO19622), which is in mid-stage development for SMA. SMA is a …

Express Scripts, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), is looking for savings from new treatments for cancer and high cholesterol. Now that Express Scripts and CVS Health, the nation’s second largest PBM, have negotiated discounts for new hepatitis C drugs, Express Scripts’ CEO said that new cholesterol and cancer …

Intrexon Corporation and its oncology partner Ziopharm Oncology have entered an immunotherapy deal with MD Anderson Cancer Center. The companies announced that they have entered into a broad exclusive licensing agreement with the cancer center, including an exclusive sublicensing agreement through MD Anderson for intellectually property developed at the University …

Dublin-based Shire has agreed to use its AbbVie breakup fee to acquire rare disease drugmaker NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The companies announced that they have entered into a merger agreement, under which Shire will acquire all the outstanding shares of NPS Pharma for $46 per share in cash, for a total …

Incyte and Agenus will partner on immuno-oncology targets in a deal worth up to $410 million. The companies announced today that they have entered into a global license, development and commercialization agreement focused on novel immuno-therapeutics using Agenus’ proprietary Retrocycle Display antibody discovery platform. According to terms of the deal, …

Gilead Sciences Inc.’s shares were up more than two percent Monday following news that the company gained exclusive coverage from CVS Health Corp. CVS Health, the nation’s second-largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBM), said that it would make Gilead’s drugs, Harvoni and Sovaldi, the exclusive option for patients on its commercial …

A panel of advisors for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended approval of Novartis’ investigational biosimilar version of Amgen’s Neupogen (filgrastim). The agency’s independent Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 14-0 in favor of approving Novartis’ biosimilar version of Amgen’s cancer drug Neupogen, which boosts white blood …