Healthcare industry

Article - 14/02/2011

A molecule that enables local virus defence

Dr. Markus Mordstein has spent the last four years as a doctoral student at the University of Freiburg investigating the previously relatively unknown interferon lambda. He has been able to show that this molecule has similar protective functions to type I interferons and he has also found that it is far more selective in terms of the site where it exerts its effect.

Press release - 26/01/2011

‘Complexes Matter’ in How Epigenetic Inhibitors Interact with Their Drug Targets

Cellzome Scientists Publish First Chemoproteomic Characterization of HDAC Inhibitors in Nature Biotechnology. Results of the first ever chemoproteomic study of inhibition of HDAC Histone Deacetylase complexes opens up the potential for a new way of studying potency and selectivity for inhibitors of epigenetic drug targets such as HDACs.

Press release - 28/11/2010

Immune cells react to their immediate environment

A new collaborative research centre (SFB) will be established in Heidelberg to investigate chronic inflammatory diseases. Scientists from the University of Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center will be funded with around 10 million euros for the research. Prof. Meuer from the University Hospital of Heidelberg will coordinate the new SFB.

Press release - 23/08/2010

Mystery of nickel allergies solved

Researchers from the University of Gießen and the Mannheim Medical Faculty along with colleagues from Freiburg, Münster and Munich, have made a fundamental contribution to deciphering the biological mechanisms behind nickel allergies. The results, which might be of great importance for developing innovative preventive and therapeutic approaches, have now been published in the current edition of “Nature Immunology”.

Nitec Pharma AG, a spin-off from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany) and Horizon Therapeutics, Inc. (USA) have announced the combination of their businesses to become Horizon Pharma, Inc. and the filing of a registration statement for a proposed initial public offering. The company’s Mannheim-based subsidiary, which is focused on the development and commercialisation of drugs for the treatment of pain and chronic inflammatory diseases, has been named…

Press release - 29/04/2010

Nycomed and Merck & Co., Inc., announce commercialization agreements for Daxas® in Europe and Canada

Nycomed and Merck Co. Inc. based in Whitehouse Station New Jersey and known as MSD outside the USA and Canada announced that they have entered into a co-promotion agreement for Canada and certain European countries for the commercialization of Daxas roflumilast an investigational once-daily tablet for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD.

Press release - 15/04/2010

Nycomed and Baxter receive FDA approval for TachoSil®

Today Nycomed and its partner Baxter International Inc. NYSE BAX received the approval for TachoSil a surgical patch from the US Food and Drug Administration FDA. TachoSil has been approved as an adjunct to haemostasis control of bleeding in cardiovascular surgery.

Article - 22/03/2010

IBR Inc.: Dual strategy for safe and effective drugs

IBR Inc. a science-based provider of preclinical and clinical services specialises in inflammatory diseases. The analyses it carries out for the pharmaceutical and biotech sector help exclude potential side effects of specific drug candidates early in the development process.

Article - 18/03/2010

Boehringer Ingelheim researchers to focus on inflammation

Boehringer Ingelheim is hoping to find ways to use anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action to improve the treatment of respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Clinical studies will show what kind of improvements patients can expect from the substances, which are currently at different stages of development. Drugs to widen the bronchia, marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim, will in the medium term become…

Article - 04/03/2010

Asthma and COPD – how to control centres of inflammation

In today’s world, not all asthma patients benefit from adequate treatment. There is no cure at all for people who suffer from COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A group of researchers led by Dr. Marco Idzko at the Freiburg University Medical Centre are looking for new strategies to treat lung diseases such as these. They have already discovered that ATP, which is the major energy currency molecule in the body, has an effect on the…

Press release - 18/02/2010

New molecules promise improved diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is often a death sentence. One reason for the high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer patients is that there is currently no reliable diagnosis of early stages and no cure once the disease has reached a late stage. In an EU-funded project, 23 research groups from six countries have developed new strategies for the improved diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Researchers at the Ulm-based Hospital for Nuclear…

Article - 25/01/2010

Intelligent use of suitable biomarkers

How quickly does a pharmaceutical substance exert its effect? What mechanisms does it use to exert its effect on people and how long does it remain active? In a team headed by Prof. Dr. Martin Elmlinger Nycomed GmbH has developed an efficient biomarker discovery concept specially adapted to the companys requirements and designed to clarify such questions. The concept is specifically geared to the phases and requirements of the companys projects.…

Article - 25/01/2010

Hope for effective ulcerative colitis treatment

Ulcerative colitis, a chronic form of inflammatory bowel disease, is characterised by a reduced amount of the lipid phosphatidylcholine in the colon mucosa. This fact was discovered by Wolfgang Stremmel and his team at the University Hospital of Heidelberg. In collaboration with the Heidelberg-based biotechnology company Lipid Therapeutics, the researchers are now working on the development of a phosphatidylcholine drug for the treatment of this…

Article - 19/11/2009

Cellzome - kinase inhibitors for therapy

Cellzome is a privately-owned biotechnology company which develops new drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and chronic inflammatory intestinal diseases at its two company sites in Heidelberg (Germany) and Cambridge (UK).

Press release - 30/10/2009

Apogenix Significantly Strengthens IP Protection for its Clinical Lead Compound APG101

Apogenix GmbH, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel drugs for malignant and inflammatory diseases, today announced that the Company´s IP position on its lead candidate APG101 was significantly strengthened by two patents recently granted by the European Patent Office. One patent covers APG101´s composition of matter. Allowed claims of the second patent cover the medical use of CD95 ligand inhibitors such as APG101 for the…

Lipid Therapeutics GmbH and Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH announced on 30th, September, that they have entered into a co-development and licensing agreement for LT-02. Under the terms of the agreement, Dr. Falk Pharma will receive exclusive access to the European rights to Lipid Therapeutics’ lead product LT-02 for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is a severe inflammation of the colon affecting more than one million people…

Nycomed announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for Instanyl its first-in-class intranasal fentanyl spray. Instanyl is aimed at managing breakthrough pain in adult cancer patients already receiving maintenance opioid therapy for chronic pain.

Press release - 09/07/2009

Marcus Groettrup: Discovery in the kingdom of cells

Prof. Marcus Groettrup has been closely investigating the daily defence battle of the human immune system for a number of years. The researcher from Constance has now found a substance that has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of rheumatism.

Press release - 29/06/2009

From spinal cord to bowel – pragmatic drug development in Tübingen

Tübingen-based Synovo GmbH seeks partners to develop drugs for chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.

Merck KGaA announced today the formation of Merck Serono Ventures a strategic corporate venture capital fund to invest in emerging biotechnology companies. The fund will support biotech start-up companies that have the potential to provide innovative products in the Merck Serono divisions core therapeutic areas in particular in Neurodegenerative Diseases Oncology and Autoimmune Inflammatory Diseases.

Nycomed has announced encouraging results from a preliminary analysis of four Phase III trials of Daxas roflumilast in the treatment of symptomatic COPD. The application for marketing authorisation of the drug is expected for 2009.

Under the agreement Nycomed will receive the exclusive worldwide rights to develop manufacture and commercialise the subcutaneous formulation of veltuzumab for the treatment of all non-cancer indications.

In future small bubbles will allow the identification of pathological alterations at a very early stage. Molecular imaging methods developed by Bracco Imaging S.p.A. use a new ultrasound contrast agent. The German subsidiary of the company Bracco Imaging Deutschland GmbH based in Constance develops and sells contrast agents.

Eight projects in the preclinical and first clinical stage will be transferred to 4SC. Nycomed decided not to further invest in oncology RD activities. 4SC develops drug candidates for inflammatory diseases cancer and infectious diseases.