Biotechnology news

NeurogesX, Inc. (Nasdaq: NGSX) announces that it will hold a conference call at 8:30a.m. ET (5:30a.m. PT) to discuss the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Qutenza(TM) (capsaicin) 8% patch, the first and only product containing prescription strength capsaicin, for the management of neuropathic pain due to postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the nerve pain which can follow shingles.

Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PARD) announced updated clinical data from its randomized, controlled Phase 2 trial of picoplatin in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).

An experimental vaccine called NicVAX, designed to treat nicotine addiction that works by stopping the drug from reaching the brain, moved a step closer to the market when the vaccine developer Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (Nabi), based in Rockville, Maryland, US agreed an option and licensing deal with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA (GSK), based in Brussels, Belgium.

Drug makers are bracing for reform by raising their prices - by 9 percent in the last year, perhaps the fastest rate since 1992, The New York Times reports. This happened "even as drug makers promise to support Washington's health care overhaul by shaving $8 billion a year off the nation's drug costs after the legislation takes effect.

EntreMed, Inc. ( ENMD), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the treatment of cancer announced the presentation of data for the Phase 1 study for its Aurora A/angiogenic kinase inhibitor, ENMD-2076, in leukemia patients. The Company also announced that it has selected ovarian cancer as an initial Phase 2 indication.

ThromboGenics NV (Euronext Brussels: THR) and BioInvent International AB (OMXS: BINV) announced positive results from a Phase I trial of their novel anti-cancer monoclonal antibody TB-403 in patients with advanced solid tumours. The results were presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston, U.S.

Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: HEPH), reported preliminary results of its ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial with Apoptone® (HE3235) for hormone-resistant prostate cancer (also called castrate-resistant prostate cancer or CRPC).

Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an integrated specialty pharmaceutical company with both development and commercial capabilities focused on women's healthcare and pain management, announced today that Lysteda(TM) (tranexamic acid) oral tablets has received U.S.

Data from pivotal Phase III clinical trials demonstrate that flibanserin 100mg increased the number of satisfying sexual events (SSE) and sexual desire (the co-primary endpoints) while decreasing the distress associated with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD). Flibanserin is an investigational compound being developed by Boehringer Ingelheim for the treatment of HSDD in pre-menopausal women.

Amunix, Inc. and Versartis, Inc. announced today that the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology has published a comprehensive paper entitled "A recombinant polypeptide extends the in vivo half-life of peptides and proteins in a tunable manner." The paper (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nbt.