Harvard Medical School

Resveratrol potential fires interest in longevity drugs

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Interest in longevity drugs continues to grow as new research points to the tonic effects of resveratrol. The New York Times notes that some scientists have become so enamored by the potential of the ingredient they have begun to take it in pill form. And the implications could be huge for any developer like Sirtris.

"The upside is so huge that if we are right, the company that dominates the sirtuin space could dominate the pharmaceutical industry and change medicine," said Dr. David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School, a co-founder of the company.

- read the article in The New York Times

C&L: PDL BioPharma's L. Patrick Gage resigns

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:59:52 -0400

PDL BioPharma director and interim Chief Executive L. Patrick Gage resigned due to differences among the board about prioritizing company goals.

Histogenics has named F. Ken Andrews president and CEO. Andrews is a former vice president of marketing and sales of the tissue repair division of Genzyme.

Epix Pharmaceuticals announced the resignation of Dr. Andrew Uprichard from his position as president and head of research and development.

Alexza Pharmaceuticals announced that Jeffrey S. Williams has rejoined the company in a part-time position as president, Alexza Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alexza.

Biogen Idec has promoted Hans Peter Hasler to chief operating officer. He had been executive vice president, global neurology.

Etrials Worldwide said James W. Clark, Jr. has resigned his position as secretary, treasurer and chief financial officer.

Genmab AS said it has appointed David Eatwell as new chief financial officer of the group.

Amazon Biotech announced that Dr. Michael Silver has been appointed as the company's new scientific director.

ImClone Systems has appointed Bernhard Ehmer, M.D. as senior vice president and managing director, international operations.

Adolor Corporation has promoted Lee Techner, DPM to vice president, medical affairs and medical director.

MAP Pharmaceuticals has appointed Marco F. Rosa to the newly created position of vice president of human resources.

Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. has appointed Thomas Franck as vice president of commercial planning.

BioChemics has named Dr. R. Rox Anderson, professor at Harvard Medical School, as a member of the company's Scientific Advisory Board.

DermTech announced that Herbert A. Fritsche, Ph.D., has joined DermTech's Scientific Advisory Board.

Avantogen Ltd welcomed Professor Ian Frazer to the Scientific Advisory Board of Hawaii Biotech Inc.

Provectus Pharmaceuticals has announced that Kelly M. McMasters MD, PhD, has agreed to serve as a member of the corporate board of directors. Additionally, Dr. McMasters will head the scientific advisory board.

TOPIGEN Pharmaceuticals has named Jeremy Curnock Cook, MA, to its board of directors.

Trius Therapeutics announced the appointment of Paul Truex to its board of directors.

NanoBio announced the appointment of David M. Stout to its board of directors.

Enzon Pharmaceuticals announced that Dr. Jack Geltosky has been appointed to the company's board of directors

FDA approves Lilly's ADHD drug Strattera

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Eli Lilly has won FDA approval of Strattera, a therapy designed to treat ADHD. Lilly says this is the first regulatory win for a non-stimulant ADHD drug in a market dominated by two stimulants--Adderall (Shire) and Ritalin (Novartis). And researchers say that the data indicates the drug works past the 3 o'clock bell and into the evening.

There is a slight increase of suicidal thoughts for children and teens in the data; .4 percent in the Strattera group compared to none in the control group. In adults there was no discernible increase in suicidal thoughts.

"The approval provides physicians and their patients with the first treatment option that is indicated for maintenance of ADHD" said Thomas J. Spencer, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. "This is critical as ADHD may be a life-long disease and effective long-term control of symptoms may mean improved outcomes in children and adolescents."

- check out the press release
- read the AP report

Millennium's Levin uses golden touch to fund start-up

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Mark Levin earned a reputation for a colorful personality with an incredible knack for raising cash as co-founder of Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Two weeks ago, Takeda helped seal Levin's reputation in biotech with its $8.8 billion acquisition of Millennium. And Levin, who ran Millennium as CEO from 1993 to 2005, has sealed his reputation for raising cash with a $32 million Series A to get Constellation Pharmaceuticals up and running.

Levin is betting on the therapeutic power of epigenetics, the ability to switch genes on and off. So are Third Rock Ventures, The Column Group and Venrock, which co-led the round. Levin, a Third Rock partner, is acting CEO of Constellation. The company's list of founders includes some scientific heavyweights: Danny Reinberg, Ph.D, New York University School of Medicine; Yang Shi, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School and David Allis, Ph.D., The Rockefeller University.

Constellation isn't the only new epigenetics company to get started. The Boston Globe notes that MPM Capital of Boston and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers have quietly launched EpiZyme, a very low-profile start-up that currently isn't doing much talking.

- check out the Constellation release
- read the report in the Boston Globe

ALSO NOTED: NMT closes trial; NovaMed raises cash; Sinovac sells shares; Genentech team advances lupus work; and much more...

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> NMT Medical says it will close a trial of its migraine technology after experiencing difficulties--and high costs--enrolling patients. Release

> China's Novamed gained $13.8 million in a funding round led by Fidelity Asia Ventures and Fidelity Biosciences. "This Series B round marks a significant milestone in NovaMed's business development in China. It allows us to continually expand and strengthen our portfolio in a number of important therapeutic areas while playing an increasingly stronger role in China's drug development landscape," said Mark Lotter, CEO of NovaMed. Release

> China's Sinovac Biotech has raised $9.75 million from the sale of shares. Release

> A research team at Genentech has identified two new genes that are linked to lupus, further advancing the biotech giant's work to identify new ways to identify and treat patients with the disease. Report

> An international research consortium is launching the 1,000 Genomes Project, mapping the genomes of a thousand different people in an effort to shine a bright research light on the influence of genetic variations on disease. Report

> Researchers have delivered proof of principle in a mouse study demonstrating that embryonic stem cells can be used to spur the development of dystrophin-producing cells, offering a potential cure to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Report

> A new study from Harvard Medical School that identified antibodies that could be used to slow melanoma, the most lethal form of cancer. Report

> Generex Biotechnology says the Ministry of Health of the Ukraine issued an approval letter for the conduct of a Phase III clinical trial protocol for Generex Oral-lyn. Release

> according to Verispan, U.S. prescriptions written for Vytorin last week fell by 9.5 percent to 359,659 compared with the week before. Zetia scrips dropped even more, to 258,619 from 294,405--a 12 percent decrease. Report

> The Roche-Ventana merger isn't as wrapped up as it might appear. Report

> Can pharma fend off circling critics? Report

And Finally... In a move that could have far reaching influence over the scale of pay for young researchers, the prestigious Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research has significantly increased the wages earned by postdocs. Report

RNAi screening finds 273 proteins used by HIV

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:59:54 -0500

Harvard Medical School's Dr. Stephen J. Elledge and a team of scientists used RNA interference to screen thousands of protein-making genes, and have identified 273 proteins HIV needs in order to survive in human cells. The finding raises the possibility that the proteins may be targets for the treatment of AIDS. Previously, only 36 of proteins were known to play a role in HIV's survival.

Patients using current treatments often have to switch drug regimens as the virus mutates and becomes immune to older drugs. A therapy based on these new findings wouldn't have that same problem, since it would block the disease from entering human cells entirely. However, according to a Harvard press release, "the challenge will be to develop drugs that inhibit HIV by interacting with these human proteins without hurting our cells." Currently, only one drug prevents the virus from entering white blood cells--Pfizer's recently-approved Selzentry. The Harvard study was published in Science Magazine.

- see this press release on the findings
- read the New York Times article for more

Related Articles:
New HIV drugs offer breakthrough therapies. Report
Selzentry approval marks big win for Pfizer. Report

ALSO NOTED: Nuvelo drug gets fast tracked; QLT brings on Goldman Sachs; and much more...

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> Sanofi-Aventis has set up a small executive committee to set strategy, allocate resources and oversee company management, according to anonymous sources who talked to APM Europe. The idea is to consolidate decision-making to make management more nimble. Report

> The FDA has handed generic drugmaker Mylan for Lamotrigine Tablets, a generic version of GSK's Lamictal Tablets for seizures. Report

> Nuvelo has started a Phase II trial of alfimeprase for acute ischemic stroke. The company has also won fast track designation by the FDA for this indication. Release

> As promised, QLT has hired Goldman Sachs to explore strategic alternatives. Report

> Roche has filed an IND for an antibody targeting asthma. Report

> The empire strikes back. AstraZeneca went on attack today, suing seven generics makers who've filed for FDA permission to sell copycat versions of Crestor. Report

> Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, the Japanese scientist who led one of the two teams that recently announced they had turned human skin cells into the equivalent of embryonic stem cells, was driven by a passion to stop the destruction of embryos in medical research. Report

And Finally... Harvard Medical School professor George Church, one of the key players in the Human Genome Project and a noted expert in genetics, has set his sights on winning the $10 million prize being offered to the first team that can sequence the genomes of 100 people in 10 days at a cost of $10,000 per genome. Report

Merck, Harvard forge research agreement

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 06:59:55 -0400

Merck and Harvard Medical School have signed an agreement to jointly advance research programs in two core areas--oncology and central nervous system disorders. Financial details were not disclosed. The pharma and university giants say the deal is unique because:

Merck is funding six HMS labs, enabling the advancement of a broad range of projects
Researchers from both sides will work closely together
HMS and Merck are located within walking distance of each other in Boston, which will further enable a close partnership.

Universities are playing an increasingly important role in drug development: A recent worldwide analysis of biotech patents found that universities and public research institutions play the leading role in drug discovery.

- see Harvard's release

Related Articles:
Universities, public institutes lead biotech revolution. Report
NIH program to create academic research consortium. Report