Report: 465 chronic-disease drugs are under development

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March 25, 2013 Are you part of a BD or licensing team and want to improve your skills in contracts, intellectual property, valuation and deal structuring? Register for BIO's Executive Training Courses, April 19-21, in Chicago. The news summaries appearing in BIO SmartBrief are based on original information from news organizations and are produced by SmartBrief, Inc., an independent e-mail newsletter publisher. The information is not compiled or summarized by BIO. Questions and comments should be directed to SmartBrief at bio@smartbrief.com.   Today's Top Story  Report: 465 chronic-disease drugs are under development The U.S. biopharmaceutical industry is developing 465 new drugs that target the top 10 chronic diseases affecting individuals 65 and older, according to a Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America report. The lineup includes 40 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 48 for heart failure, 82 for Alzheimer's, 92 for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and 142 for diabetes. Other treatments under development target osteoporosis, cataracts, depression and chronic kidney disease. PharmaTimes (U.K.) (3/22)        Health Care & Policy  J&J threatens to put a wrinkle in Botox's dominance Johnson & Johnson expects to receive FDA approval next year for a wrinkle-reducing injection similar to Allergan's Botox. Allergan already faces competition from Valeant's Dysport and Merz's Xeomin, but it has an 85% market share. Reuters (3/22)      Alimera again submits DME drug Iluvien for U.S. approval Alimera Sciences plans to resubmit Iluvien, a drug candidate for chronic diabetic macular edema, for FDA approval by the end of this month. Alimera licensed the drug from pSivida. The application will highlight the drug's safety profile and will focus on chronic DME patients who don't respond satisfactorily to existing treatments. The drug has been approved in the U.K., Germany, France and several other European countries. In 2011, the FDA requested additional trials. ProactiveInvestors.co.au (Australia) (3/25), Australian Life Scientist (3/25)      MS drugs from Biogen and Sanofi win EU panel support The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use endorsed the approval of Biogen Idec's Tecfidera, or BG-12, and Sanofi's Aubagio as treatments for multiple sclerosis. If approved, the two oral drugs will compete with Novartis' Gilenya. MedCityNews.com (3/22), Bloomberg (3/23)      Bayer-J&J's Xarelto gets EU support for acute coronary syndrome Bayer and Johnson & Johnson's anticoagulant Xarelto, or rivaroxaban, should be considered for preventive use in patients with acute coronary syndrome, according to a recommendation from the EU's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. The panel's opinion comes weeks after the FDA sought additional information instead of approving a similar indication in the U.S. TheHeart.org (Montreal) (free registration) (3/22), Bloomberg Businessweek (3/22)      EU panels backs approval of Ariad's Iclusig for leukemia Ariad Pharmaceuticals' Iclusig, or ponatinib, was recommended for approval by the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use as a treatment for chronic, accelerated or blast-phase chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. American City Business Journals/Boston/bioflash blog/Mass High Tech (3/22)      Firms collaborate on antibody drug development APO-T secured exclusive rights to develop and market LinXis' antibody-drug conjugates. The partners will combine APO-T's MAGE-HLA targeted antibodies and LinXis' linking platform. APO-T agreed to pay LinXis potential milestone fees and royalties. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (3/22)        Company & Financial News  Asuragen gets $7.5M to develop molecular Dx assays Molecular diagnostics company Asuragen has secured $7.5 million in a financing round targeted at $15 million. The Texas-based firm will put the money toward bringing its oncology and genetic disorder tests to market. GenomeWeb Daily News (free registration) (3/22)        Food & Agriculture  Hypoallergenic apple being developed in Italy A research team in Italy hopes to develop a hypoallergenic apple using biotechnology. The group, led by plant physiologist Alessandro Botton, is identifying hypoallergenic proteins from other plants to replace irritation-promoting proteins in apples. Yahoo/Asian News International (3/23)        Hot Topics  Top five news stories selected by BIO SmartBrief readers in the past week. Manufacturing, regulatory complexities slow biosimilars (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News) Sequestration threatens faster FDA reviews, Hamburg says (Boston Herald) AstraZeneca will pay up to $420M for Moderna's mRNA technology (The New York Times (tiered subscription model)) AstraZeneca consolidates its drug development work (Reuters) Drugmakers cut antibiotics R&D as superbugs take hold (Reuters) Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.   Industrial & Environmental  Report: 10 cellulosic fuel plants could go online through 2014 At least 10 commercial-scale cellulosic biofuel plants are expected to go online through next year, according to a report from a pair of researchers at the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University. The projects include a Sundrop Fuels facility in Alexandria, La., and a KiOR project in Natchez, Miss. BiofuelsDigest.com (3/22)        News from BIO  Ship with FedEx FedEx is now offering member companies discounts of up to 35% off select FedEx services, both U.S. and international services. The BIO program with FedEx is one of the many cost-savings programs offered by BIO through its Business Solutions program. There is no charge for BIO member companies to participate in any of the BIO Business Solutions programs -- it is a benefit of membership. 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