Scil Technology GmbH, a privately held biopharmaceutical company with core expertise in protein drug development, formulation and analytics, today announced that Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) has exclusively licensed Scil Technology’s program for the regenerative treatment of osteoarthritis and cartilage disorders.

Under the agreement, SCIL Technology will receive an upfront payment and potential milestone payments totaling up to EUR 180 million. Moreover, the company is entitled to receive undisclosed royalties on worldwide product sales. Sanofi will assume responsibility for the progression of the development program with immediate effect, including the start of clinical trials.

The program is based on targets for the regeneration of cartilage tissue, which also stimulate chondrocyte differentiation and the synthesis of cartilage matrix. The leading compound is based on a proprietary formulation for direct delivery into the joint, making it an excellent treatment option for osteoarthritis. The program is currently in advanced preclinical development.

The cartilage regenerative program is Scil Technology’s second program which has been out-licensed successfully. The first (GDF-5) was taken over by Medtronic after completion of Phase II.

- Preparation of CE-marking and product launch in Europe in 2012 -

Curetis AG, an innovative molecular diagnostics company focusing on the development and commercialization of in-vitro diagnostic products for infectious diseases, today announced that Dr. Klaus Brinkmann has joined its management team as Director of Sales.

Dr. Klaus Brinkmann is a seasoned executive with extensive commercial expertise in setting-up sales organizations and infrastructures and leading sales teams in very competitive markets. He has an outstanding track record in the commercialization of complex in vitro diagnostics (IVD). His experience covers instrument platforms as well as test kits in the areas of immunology, traditional microbiology and molecular-based infectious disease testing. He joins Curetis from BioRad Laboratories GmbH, where he has been Account Manager Lab Automation. Previously, he held various sales management positions with Becton Dickinson GmbH and Beckman Coulter GmbH. Klaus Brinkmann studied chemistry and holds a doctorate from Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.

French nanomedicine company Nanobiotix is featured in a one-page article by Susanne Kutter in this week’s Wirtschaftswoche. The article (not yet online) features the technology by Nanobiotix and its NBTXR3 compound which has been developed to enhance the local destruction of tumor mass during radiotherapy.

NBTXR3 is a nanoparticle consisting of hafnium oxide crystals. Once injected into the tumor, NBTXR3 accumulates in the cancer cells. Due to the physical properties of hafnium oxide, the particles emit huge amounts of electrons upon radiation. This leads to the formation of radicals within the tumor cell, which in turn damage the cancer cells and cause their targeted destruction. NBTXR3 particles are inert and emit electrons only during their exposure to radiotherapy. As a result, the destructive power of standard radiation therapy could be locally and selectively enhanced within the tumor cells.

In September, the company started a clinical trial of the compound which is regulated in the EU as a medical device.

Micromet has presented promising new data from two clinical trials with its lead BiTE® antibody, blinatumomab, at the 53rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. Blinatumomab is the first of a new class of agents called BiTE® antibodies, designed to harness the body’s T cells to kill cancer cells. The compound is being developed for the treatment of leukemia and B cell lymhoma.

The data show that Micromet’s blinatumomab more than doubled the complete remission rate produced by current standard therapies used to treat adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

In a phase 2 single-arm dose-ranging trial, 68% of evaluable patients (17/25) across all tested doses and schedules achieved a complete response (CR) or complete response with partial hematologic recovery (CRh*) following treatment with blinatumomab.  Of the 12 evaluable patients who received the selected dose and schedule 75% (9 of 12) achieved a CR or CRh*.  Notably, all responders also achieved a molecular response, or in other words, had no evidence of remaining leukemic cells detectable in the blood or bone marrow.  » Read more...

- Positive efficacy trend of EndoTAG^®-1/Paclitaxel combination therapy confirmed
- Subgroup analysis reveals encouraging overall survival data with EndoTAG^®-1 plus paclitaxel combination therapy

MediGene AG today announced median overall survival data from its phase II trial of EndoTAG^®-1 for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which was presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, USA. The secondary endpoint data confirm the positive efficacy trend of EndoTAG^®-1 in combination therapy with standard weekly paclitaxel, which was previously reported by the primary endpoint data (progression-free survival rate at 16 weeks). Furthermore, an additional analysis of a subgroup of patients not predefined in the study protocol (119 of 140 patients: ECOG 0/1, first-line therapy for advanced cancer) showed encouraging overall survival data with EndoTAG^®-1/paclitaxel combination therapy. The data were presented by Prof. Dr. Ahmad Awada, principal investigator of this trial and Head of the Medical Oncology Clinic at Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels, Belgium.  » Read more...