Monoclonal Antibody Adds Early-Stage Biologic to Abbott's Oncology Pipeline
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Pierre Fabre SA to develop and commercialize h224G11, a pre-clinical monoclonal antibody identified at the Centre d'Immunologie Pierre Fabre (CIPF) in France and targeting the cMet receptor for the treatment of cancer. cMet protein plays a role in the progression of a range of solid tumors including, prostate, lung and gastric cancers and mediates resistance to chemotherapy. As part of the agreement, the companies also intend to collaborate on research to explore next-generation cMet antibodies. 
Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that the European Commission has approved Herceptin (trastuzumab) in combination with chemotherapy for use in patients with HER2-positive metastatic stomach (gastric) cancer. The approval is based on the impressive results from the international ToGA trial, which showed that treatment with Herceptin significantly prolongs the lives of patients with this aggressive cancer. 
Pfizer Inc. has provided an update to its pipeline for the first time since the close of the acquisition of Wyeth in October, 2009. The new development pipeline, composed of assets from both legacy companies, includes 133 programs from phase 1 through registration, and shows growth and increased diversity in each of the areas where the company invests in research and development. 
Results of the TRANSFORMS[1] and FREEDOMS[2] studies, the two pivotal Phase III clinical trials with oral FTY720 (fingolimod), have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, providing comprehensive evidence to support the efficacy and safety profile of this first-in-class therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS). The data, from one of the largest Phase III programs conducted in MS, were included in the applications for regulatory approval submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMEA) in December 2009. 
Boehringer Ingelheim and Priaxon entered into a worldwide collaboration to research and develop mdm2/p53 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Priaxon is providing its innovative and proprietary small molecule drug discovery expertise which is particularly suited to investigate inhibition of protein-protein interactions. p53 is a human tumor suppressor protein.