Ligand Acquired Milestone and Royalty Interest in AstraZeneca IL-9 Program for Asthma

May 21, 2010 - Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: LGND) announced that it has purchased from the Genaera Liquidating Trust certain intellectual property and interests in future milestones and royalties for MEDI-528, an IL-9 antibody program under development by AstraZeneca's subsidiary, MedImmune. MEDI-528 is currently in a 320-patient Phase II study for moderate-to-severe asthma.


Ligand paid $2.75 million to the Genaera Liquidating Trust in connection with the purchase. This opportunity arose from initial diligence and work conducted by Biotechnology Value Fund, L.P. (BVF). As part of this transaction and a result of BVF's contributions, Ligand entered into a separate agreement with BVF and certain of its affiliates, whereby BVF and Ligand will share the purchase price and any proceeds from the deal equally. Accordingly, BVF has paid Ligand $1.375 million... Ligand Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -

Radiometer : ABL800 FLEX reduces risk of misdiagnosis of patients with pleural effusions

16 April 2010 - Radiometer’s ABL800 FLEX blood gas analyzer now offers a dedicated mode for measuring pH in pleural fluid (the fluid between lungs and chest wall) on patients with pleural effusion.

Measurement of pH in pleural fluid on the ABL800 FLEX – as opposed to commonly used pH meters – is validated and done through a dedicated sample mode, reducing the potentially fatal risk of a diagnostic misclassification of the effusion and under-treatment of the condition.

pH in pleural fluid best performed on blood gas analyzers
Pleural effusion is often present in patients suffering from infections such as pneumonia and cancers, but also on patients suffering from heart failure.

The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) consensus panel on the medical and surgical management of parapneumonic effusions recommends that pleural fluid pH is the preferred pleural fluid chemistry test for pleural effusion and should be measured on a blood gas analyzer... Radiometer's Press Release -

SonarMed : FDA clearance for respiratory product

May 11, 2010 - Indianapolis medical device firm receives FDA clearance for respiratory product – SonarMed™, a developer and manufacturer of critical care respiratory monitoring technologies, announced that it has received Food and Drug Administration clearance for its patented SonarMed™ Airway Monitoring System (AMS), which monitors breathing tubes for patients requiring ventilators.
The SonarMed AMS uses acoustic reflection technology to provide precise, real-time monitoring of breathing tubes. The system may be used to assist clinicians in preventing and detecting conditions that can harm the patient, such as movement of the breathing tube, which can result in ventilation failure or lung damage, and obstruction of the breathing tube, which can deprive the patient of needed oxygen. Compared with the conventional standards of care and available patient information, having this type of adjunctive information about the breathing tube provides clinicians with a more immediate and complete picture of the patient’s respiratory support status... [PDF] SonarMed's Press Release -

Pulmonx : $32 Million for Launch of Emphysema Products

February 22, 2010 - Emerging Interventional Pulmonology Leader Commences Rollout of Breakthrough New Products – Pulmonx, an emerging leader in interventional pulmonology, announced that it has concluded an agreement for a new round of equity financing from an investment syndicate led by two new investors. The company also announced that it plans to use this capital to support the international commercial launch of its Zephyr® Endobronchial Valve (EBV), and its recently approved Chartis® Pulmonary Assessment System. Both products are CE marked and cleared for sale in Europe and other major international markets. The company expects that this round of financing will fund the expansion of its commercial operations through to positive cash flow and profitability... [PDF] Pulmonx's Press Release -

Nycomed’s novel anti-inflammatory therapy Daxas® (roflumilast) : marketing authorisation in the European Union for patients with COPD

06.07.2010 :

• Anti-inflammatory treatment aimed at patients with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) associated with chronic bronchitis
• First new class of treatment for COPD in more than a decade
• Improves lung function and reduces exacerbations, when added to bronchodilator treatment

Nycomed announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for Daxas® (roflumilast) in the European Union. Daxas® is a proprietary selective phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) enzyme inhibitor that has been developed by Nycomed for the treatment of COPD, a progressive, life-threatening lung disease.

Daxas® is indicated for maintenance treatment of severe COPD (FEV1 post-bronchodilator less than 50% predicted) associated with chronic bronchitis in adult patients with a history of frequent exacerbations as an add-on to bronchodilator treatment. Daxas, an oral tablet taken once a day, is the first drug in a new class and is expected to be launched soon in the first European countries, starting with Germany and the UK... Nycomed's Press Release -

Kitware and Lung Cancer Alliance : First Publicly Available Lung Cancer Database Created Through Patient Data Donations

June 8, 2010 - Kitware and Lung Cancer Alliance announce the release of the first group of lung cancer patient records now publicly available for download at GiveAScan.

This open image archive represents the successful completion of a pilot project to determine the feasibility of a patient donated database to accelerate medical research. This initial nine patient database includes over 1 GB of radiological imaging studies including Computed Tomography (CT) scans, volunteered by patients to accelerate lung cancer research including screening, computer aided detection and diagnosis, and the development of quantitative methods for drug therapy assessment.

Patient imaging records and additional related medical information reside in the public database, but remain anonymous.

"Lung cancer research relies heavily on the ability to extract statistically meaningful insights and observations from real-world clinical data,"... Kitware's Press Release -