Acute respiratory distress syndrome: searching for effective therapies

Acute respiratory distress syndrome has an annual incidence of up to 75 cases per 100,000 in the US. The condition remains very difficult to treat with a mortality rate between 30% and 60%. Although much research into ARDS has been carried out, the lack of a standard definition for the condition has made trial results unclear, so what hope is there of a treatment breakthrough in the near future?

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Antisoma/Roche: a powerful alliance

Roche will take over the development of Antisoma's oncology products, including lead drugs Pentumomab and Therex. The deal, which could be worth over $500 million, should benefit both companies. It plugs gaps in Roche's near-term R&D pipeline, while giving Antisoma the benefit of Roche's development and marketing expertise.

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Are new multiple sclerosis treatments about to rock the market?

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and unpredictable disorder, with debilitating physical and mental symptoms. However, there are few approved treatments - and most of the ones that do exist are largely confined to speeding recovery from acute attacks of the disorder or to managing symptoms. Will new pipeline MS drugs steal the market leaders' hold?

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Ark Therapeutics: targeting a new era for oncology?

Ark Therapeutics has announced that its novel gene-based targeting technology Scavidin can halt tumor progression while preventing chemotherapy side effects. Although clinical trials are urgently required to confirm Scavidin's efficacy, this leading edge technology could spell the end for unpleasant toxicities associated with chemotherapy and radiation, particularly for elderly patients.

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AstraZeneca on the acquisition trail

UK drug manufacturer AstraZeneca ended 2005 on a high note, making four significant acquisitions in December. This spending spree comprised the acquisition of product rights for one phase III drug and two phase II products, alongside the purchase of UK-based biotech firm KuDOS Pharmaceuticals. With these purchases, AstraZeneca aims to bolster its pipeline in both the short and long term.

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AstraZeneca: CAT's in the cradle

AstraZeneca has made a strategic investment in the biotech arena, following up its existing collaboration with CAT with a GBP702 million bid to acquire the remaining shares of the company. However, while access to CAT's strong antibody engineering platform should provide AstraZeneca with a strong pipeline of biological therapies in the long term, it will not address its sparse late-stage pipeline.

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Better never late protect your patents early

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Biogen-IDEC / Elan: Tysabri affirms its potential

Biogen-IDEC [BIIB] and Elan [ELA.L] have announced that Tysabri has demonstrated significant improvements in disability progression and reduction in the rate of relapse in relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The outlook for the drug is therefore extremely bright, and it could cannibalize revenues of rival RRMS products significantly. Tysabri may yet herald a new dawn in RRMS treatment.

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British Biotech: moving away from its disastrous past

The news indicates a further step in British Biotech's slow recovery from the poor performance of marimastat and the recent trial results from its Biodiv Ysio stent. However, the company still needs to find a promotion partner for the new thrombolytic if it is to continue to expand its pipeline.

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Cambridge Antibody Technology: playing catch-up

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