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July 12, 2017

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Today's Rundown

  1. FDA again rejects Ocular drug over manufacturing failings

  2. Working through mounting issues, Galena cuts staff, seeks ‘alternatives’

  3. Big Pharma-backed E-Scape Bio hits $63M in extended series A

  4. Erytech pens academic pact to advance rare disease drug

  5. IBM Watson takes on whole-genome sequencing of brain tumor in early study

  6. Could a MenB vaccine protect against gonorrhea? GSK wants to find out

Featured Story

FDA again rejects Ocular drug over manufacturing failings

The FDA has hit Ocular Therapeutix with another complete response letter. Officials at the agency again turned down Ocular’s filing for approval of postoperative pain prospect Dextenza over deficiencies in its manufacturing process.

Top Stories

Working through mounting issues, Galena cuts staff, seeks ‘alternatives’

After struggling through setbacks including stock promotion claims, the loss of CEOs and major hits to its pipeline, Galena is engaging in “extensive interactions with numerous companies" seeking “strategic alternatives” that could include a merger, a reverse merger, asset sale, combo and/or a spinoff.

Big Pharma-backed E-Scape Bio hits $63M in extended series A

California neurodegenerative disease upstart E-Scape Bio has closed an extension of its series A round, boosting its cash to $63 million.

Erytech pens academic pact to advance rare disease drug

Erytech Pharma has formed a collaboration with Canada’s Queen’s University to advance its drug against the rare metabolic disorder arginase-1 deficiency. The agreement enables Erytech to test its eryminase program in the inducible arginase-1 deficiency mouse model developed at Queen’s. 

IBM Watson takes on whole-genome sequencing of brain tumor in early study

A proof-of-concept study, wherein IBM's Watson supercomputer analyzed genomic data from a brain tumor, suggests that combining artificial intelligence and whole-genome sequencing could ease a "key bottleneck" in precision medicine for cancer.

Could a MenB vaccine protect against gonorrhea? GSK wants to find out

Scientists testing a meningitis shot in a mass vaccination campaign later harvested a joyfully surprising byproduct—the vaccine might also offer some protection against gonorrhea. Now, owner GlaxoSmithKline is planning to explore such potential in its MenB star Bexsero.

News of Note

As the FDA advisory committee looks over Novartis' CAR-T med, rival Kite Pharma and its CEO Arie Belldegrun say it's the Swiss pharma's "biggest cheerleader" today. Statement

Regen BioPharma says that using a focused compound library alongside its screening methodology, the biotech has identified a "dynamic new chemical compound series" that modulates NR2F6. Release

Cara Therapeutics has posted summary results from its early test of oral CR845 in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis. Statement

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Events

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