lupus news from FierceBiotech

Genentech and Biogen Idec were taking it on the chin this morning after researchers announced that Rituxan had failed in a later-stage trial as a therapy for lupus. The failure won't harm the Read more...

Just days after scornfully assessing a field of weak-kneed pharma Read more...

> A mid-stage study of Avastin shows promising results in treating a form of brain cancer. Read more...

Switzerland's Galenica is buying out Canada's Aspreva Pharmaceuticals for $915 million. The deal values Aspreva's shares at $26 each, a 16 percent premium from yesterday's close. The buyout comes Read more...

Teva says its Phase II trial for the experimental lupus drug edratide failed to hit its primary endpoint. The weekly therapy failed to cut the rate of disease activity after 26 weeks of treatments. Read more...

Shares of Aspreva Pharmaceuticals slipped a bit this morning after the company and Roche announced that they would not be pushing ahead with a regulatory filing for CellCept, a new therapy for lupus Read more...

Shares of Aspreva slumped today after it announced that CellCept failed a late-stage trial comparing the drug to standard lupus therapy. Aspreva and Roche are developing the drug. Response rates for both therapies were similar and did not demonstrate CellCept's superiority to intravenous cyclophosphamide--the study's primary goal. The trial included 370 volunteers. Aspreva says that it is analyzing the results as it evaluates a possible regulatory filing.

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Human Genome Sciences is one of several developers working on a new advance for lupus. This Wall Street Journal piece looks at the pipeline for lupus, which includes programs at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech and …

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Biogen Idec and Genentech have warned doctors that two patients taking Rituxan for lupus have died of a rare brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML. Rituxan is approved for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis and cancer patients have already been warned about their risk of PML. One analyst noted that the new risk for lupus may make it harder for the companies to gain approval to use Rituxan for lupus and M.S. Biogen Idec has also had to …

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An extended mid-stage trial of Human Genome Science's lymphostat for lupus has produced new positive data on the drug. The results come a year after HGS concluded that 24-week data on 449 patients did not show that lymphostat-B reduced symptoms in the disease. In June, though, HGS announced that 52 week data did demonstrate efficacy and this new data is from 76 weeks of results on 321 patients. HGS said the response rate to the drug jumped from 46 percent to 56 percent. A late-stage trial …

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