Pappas Ventures Names Franz B. Humer as Venture Partner and Senior Advisor

Pappas Ventures Names Franz B. Humer as Venture Partner and Senior Advisor

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pappas Ventures, a life science venture capital firm, announced today the appointment of Franz B. Humer as a Venture Partner and Senior Advisor with the firm. Dr. Humer is currently the Chairman of Roche Holding Ltd, a position he will retire from in March 2014.

Dr. Humer brings a wealth of leadership experience from the pharmaceutical and life science industry, including a transformative 15-year tenure as Chairman and/or Chief Executive Officer of Roche. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Head of Pharmaceuticals for F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

FDA Clears TYRX Antibacterial Envelope for Use with Spinal Cord Neuromodulators

Monmouth Junction, NJ. (December 4, 2013): TYRX, Inc. announced today that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for expanded indications in marketing the AIGISRx® N Antibacterial Envelope for use with spinal cord neuromodulators. This comes after the recent FDA clearance of the AIGISRx N for use with vagus nerve stimulators. This expanded clearance extends TYRX’s leadership in the commercialization of implantable medical devices designed to help reduce Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) associated with implantable devices in the fields of neurosurgery and cardiology.

Lumena Pharmaceuticals Receives Positive Opinion for Orphan Drug Designation in the European Union for LUM001 in Four Rare Liver Diseases

Company receives first positive opinion in the European Union for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

SAN DIEGO – November 18, 2013 – Lumena Pharmaceuticals, a company developing oral therapeutics for rare liver diseases, today announced that it has received positive opinions for four Orphan Drug Designations by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) for LUM001. The company’s lead drug candidate, LUM001, received the first positive opinion granted by the EMA for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). In addition, the company received positive opinions for LUM001 in three other rare cholestatic liver diseases including Alagille syndrome (ALGS), progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). This follows the Orphan Drug Designation in September by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Orphan Product Development for LUM001 in the same indications.

Envisia Therapeutics Debuts with $25 Million Series A Financing

Transformative New Ophthalmology Company Licenses Technology from Liquidia

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC– November 12, 2013 – Envisia Therapeutics, a new biotechnology company formed by Liquidia Technologies, today announced the Company’s debut, which is being backed by $25 million in Series A financing. Envisia will focus on addressing unmet medical needs in various areas of ophthalmology. Envisia’s lead product, ENV515, is an extended-release formulation of a prostaglandin analogue. ENV515 has the potential to offer glaucoma patients an innovative product that can provide a sustained reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP) over many months after single administration.

Inhibition of ASBT Improves Liver Function in an Animal Model of Cholestatic Liver Disease

Data Presented Today at Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Washington DC Provides Additional Preclinical Validation for LUM001 Currently Being Evaluated in Phase II Studies in Multiple Cholestatic Liver Disease Populations

SAN DIEGO – November 5, 2013 – Lumena Pharmaceuticals, a company developing oral therapeutics for cholestatic liver diseases, today announced that inhibition of the apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT) improves liver function in animal models of cholestasis. The data will be presented at 11:15 a.m. EST today in an oral presentation titled “SC-435, an Oral Inhibitor of ASBT, Improves Liver Function in a Rat Partial Bile Duct Ligation Model of Cholestasis,” at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Washington DC.

Lumena Pharmaceuticals Initiates the CLARITY Phase II Study of LUM001 in Patients with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Novel therapeutic approach to be evaluated for its ability to reduce elevated bile acid levels and associated severe itching

SAN DIEGO – October 29, 2013 – Lumena Pharmaceuticals, a company developing oral therapeutics for rare liver diseases, today announced the dosing of the first patient in the CLARITY Phase II study of its drug candidate LUM001 in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). LUM001 is being developed as a possible therapy for a number of cholestatic liver diseases including, PBC, Alagille syndrome, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, that result in impaired bile acid flow and retention of bile acids in the liver, leading to progressive liver damage and, ultimately, liver failure. In the CLARITY Phase II study, LUM001 is being evaluated for its ability to alleviate the symptom of severe itching associated with PBC.

CoLucid Pharmaceuticals and ILDONG Pharmaceutical Enter into a Distribution and Supply Agreement for Lasmiditan, a Novel Agent for Acute Migraine

CoLucid Pharmaceuticals and ILDONG Pharmaceutical Enter into a Distribution and Supply Agreement for Lasmiditan, a Novel Agent for Acute Migraine

DURHAM, N.C., October 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and ILDONG Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., announced today that they have entered into a distribution and supply agreement for Lasmiditan in South Korea and Southeast Asia.

Under the terms of the agreement, CoLucid will receive upfront and milestone payments in addition to consideration for product supply in exchange for exclusive rights to ILDONG for development and commercialization of Lasmiditan in the territory. ILDONG will be responsible for the costs and activities related to development and regulatory approvals in the territory and will also participate in key registration trials as part of the global development plan.

New Data Highlight Value of Corus® CAD in Reducing Unnecessary Cardiac Testing and Costs for Women with Symptoms Suggestive of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease

Corus® CAD Has Potential to Reduce Cardiac Diagnostic Costs in Women by More Than $500 per Patient

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CardioDx, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company specializing in cardiovascular genomics, today announced results of two studies indicating that Corus® CAD, a blood-based gene expression test, may help reduce unnecessary cardiac testing and costs by aiding clinician decision-making in the evaluation of women with symptoms suggestive of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). The studies were presented at The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) 2013 Annual Meeting, taking place October 9-12, 2013 in Dallas, TX.

Ultragenyx Announces the Presentation of Data from a Single Dose Phase 1 Study, Conducted by Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd. (KHK), of KRN23 in X-linked Hypophosphatemia (XLH) in Adults

KRN23 increased phosphate levels and was safe and well tolerated
NOVATO, CA – October 6, 2013— Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., a biotechnology company, announced the release of data from a first-in-human, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single dose study of a human monoclonal anti-FGF23 antibody (KRN23) in X-linked hypophosphatemia in adults. X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is an inherited metabolic bone disease characterized by short stature and skeletal deformities. A Phase I study (US-02) was conducted by KHK with KRN23 to assess its safety and tolerability and to measure changes in biochemical markers in adult patients with XLH. Thirty-eight adults with XLH were randomized to receive single doses of KRN23 or placebo via intravenous (IV) (0.003 to 0.3 mg/kg) or subcutaneous (SC) (0.1 to 1.0 mg/kg) routes.

Chimerix Announces Publication of Positive Phase 2 Results of Brincidofovir (CMX001) in the New England Journal of Medicine

Phase 2 Trial Evaluated Brincidofovir for the Prevention of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infection in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 26, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chimerix, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMRX), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, oral antivirals in areas of high unmet medical need, today announced the publication of results from its Phase 2 Study CMX001-201 evaluating brincidofovir (CMX001) for the prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients. The article, entitled "CMX001 to Prevent Cytomegalovirus Disease in Hematopoietic-Cell Transplantation," appears in the September 26th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med 369:1227-36).