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August 22nd, 2005
New Skin Care Product Line
Reported to Help Cancer Patients with Skin Problems
Lindi Skin has reported that demand for its skin care
product for the sensitive skin of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment has resulted in sales increases
in the order of 300 percent. With that news the company also reported that the medical community has readily accepted the
technology. According to Ivan Solero VP of marketing at the company, "Lindi Skin has definitely filled a need in the oncology
market. The medical community believes in the products and is recommending them to patients. Our recent success at several
industry trade shows is indicative of the products acceptance by doctors, nurses and patients undergoing treatment. In addition,
Lindi Skin is now available at renowned oncology treatment centers throughout the U.S. and is endorsed by the U.S. Oncology
Group."
Lindi Skin so far this year exhibited at numerous medical
conferences. These included OncologyNursing Society's Annual Congress, the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting
and at Essentially Women.
Lindi Skin also offers sun screen products for children.
August 22nd, 2005
Drug Used for Tropical Skin Disease Being Tested
as New Cancer Treatment
Sodium Stibogluconate (SSG), which has been traditionally
used to treat Leishmaniasis, a tropical and subtropical skin disorder, is now undergoing tests for its potential use as an
anti-tumor therapy. Clinical trials are now under way for the treatment of breast, bladder, colon and prostrate cancer.
VioQuest Pharmaceuticals has entered into a partnership
with the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center. According to their research, SSG reduces proteins called tyrosine phosphatases.
It was also indicated that animal studies have shown SSG anti-tumor activity. Furthermore, according to Dr. Ernest Borden,
principal investigator on the trials at the Cleveland Clinic, "The preclinical data suggest this drug may be a prototype for
a completely new form of cancer therapy.”
August 22nd, 2005
ARIAD Raises $8.1 Million with Sale of Additional
Shares
As a result of options granted to underwriters in the
company’s public offering, ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) completed the sale of an additional 1,125,000
shares of its common stock. The shares were priced at$7.20 per share, which resulted in gross proceeds of $8.1 million.
ARIAD’s small molecule regulated cell signal technology
has been targeted for the treatment of cancer.
August 18th, 2005
Semiconductor
Companies Target Cancer with Cancer Free Zone Strategy
The semiconductor industry, known for its systematic
approach to technological innovation, is now applying that logic to the treatment of diseases. This time though its not a
new development in biosilicon microarrays or bionanotechology, but through employee awareness. Three Silicon Valley semiconductor
companies, Summit Microelectronics, Xilinx and Linear Technology have come out in support of the American Cancer Society’s
campaign to make the Silicon Valley region a Colon Free Cancer Zone. The three CEOs from the three companies are taking the
unusual step of taking the Cancer Free Zone message out to individual companies themselves. Wim Roelandts, Robert Swanson
and Pat Brockett will accompany American Cancer Society’s representatives on their informative visits to Cancer Free
Zone target companies.
The idea, which was introduced in 2003 by the city of
Monte Sereno, also in the Silicon Valley, is to improve employee awareness of the disease and how to detect and prevent it,
which is primary through a simple screening test. Colon cancer, which kills 56,000 in the United States every year, is considered
one of the most preventable forms of cancer. It is the only form of cancer that can be stopped through screening. The
screening, which is a colonoscopies based heath test, detects and removes pre-cancerous polyps all in one step.
All three companies have reasons to support the effort.
Summit Microelectronics’ CEO, Patrick Brokett, points to the need to reduce the toll on human life, “Over fifty
thousand Americans die from colon cancer every year, Testing people fifty and over, as well as younger high-risk groups, can
significantly reduce the number of colon cancer deaths, which is why Summit Microelectronics supports this American Cancer
Society campaign to encourage all Silicon Valley businesses to enable their employees to get screened.”
Over at Xilinx, one of the world’s largest FPGA
companies, the CEO, Wim Roelandts, sees it as an addition to its own inventive wellness program, “Silicon Valley has
been at the forefront of technology innovation for decades. Many companies here have also led the way in offering inventive
wellness programs for their employees. We at Xilinx are pleased to declare our company a ‘Colon Cancer Free Zone’
as an important step in our own wellness initiatives.
Emphasizing the pragmatic side and tragic consequences
was Robert Swanson, Executive Chairman and Founder of Linear Technology, “Promoting screening is not only a smart business
move but more importantly screening for pre-cancerous polyps will save lives. Colon cancer is the only cancer that can be
prevented through screening, which is an important message we need to ensure our employees understand.”
If your company wants to find out what it can do to make
its company a Cancer Free Zone, contact the American Cancer Society at 1.800.ACS.2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
August 17th, 2005
OncoGenex Raises $12.8 Million
for Cancer Treatment
OncoGenex Technologies Inc. has completed an oversubscribed
series B2 round valued at $12.8 million. Investors in the cancer therapeutics company included BC Advantage Funds, Business
Development Bank of Canada, H.I.G. Ventures, Ventures West, the Working Opportunity Fund managed by GrowthWorks Capital, and
WHI Morula Fund, LLC, managed by William Harris Investors.
The new funding is planned for the development of the
company’s OGX-011 and OGX-427 products. According to the CEO of OncoGenex, Scott Cormack, "This financing will provide
OncoGenex with cash to fund operations into 2008. The funds will allow us to build a robust data package for OGX-011 that
will help to further define the clinical profile of the product in the eyes of oncologists and potential commercial development
partners. We also have the opportunity to bolster the value of our oncology portfolio with the clinical development of OGX-427,
which has shown in preclinical studies that it has the potential to restore sensitivity to standard chemotherapy regimes in
both solid and hematologic tumor types."
OGX-011, the company mentions, inhibits production of
clusterin. Clusterin is a cellular stress protein that is considered related to resistance in standard cancer therapies. Specifically,
the company states, “In a Phase 1 trial of OGX-011 in prostate cancer patients, once weekly dosing with OGX-011 produced
a greater than 90 percent reduction in clusterin expression in prostate cancer cells and enhanced apoptosis associated with
hormone ablation therapy. “
August 12th, 2005
Genoptix, Inc., a personalized medicine services company
focused in the area of hematolymphatic disorders, has completed a $17.3 million Series 1-D financing round. Investors in the
round were listed as Chicago Growth Partners, Enterprise Partners, Alliance Technology Ventures, Tullis-Dickerson & Co.,
Inc., U.S. Trust's Excelsior Venture Partners III, LLC, and Lotus Bioscience Investment Holdings.
Tina S. Nova, Ph.D., CEO at Genoptix, talked of the plans
for the financing "These funds will help us accelerate expansion of our sales and marketing team, add capacity to our laboratory,
and grow our revenues. We are especially excited by the investment by Chicago Growth Partners, which brings additional financial
and industry experience to the Company and its Board of Directors."
AUGUST 10th, 2005
Novelos Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC BB: NVLT), a company
whose technology is based on oxidized glutathione for the treatment of cancer and hepatitis has announced the completion of
a private offering valued at $4,150,000. The company, which was founded to commercialize glutathione based compounds, has
developed two compounds, NOV-002 and NOV-205 for the treatment of cancer and hepatitis.
So far NOV-002 has been approved for use in the Russian
Federation. The company reports that compound, marketed under the name GLUTOXIM, has already been used by over 5,000 patients
– the drug is used for non-small cell lung cancer. According to Novelos the treatment has been effective, “When
used in combination with chemotherapy, NOV-002 increased the one-year survival rate from 17% to 63% in a Russian study, a
result that also represents an 80% improvement above the U.S. 35% current standard of care.” Currently the compound
has completed a United States based Phase ½ clinical trial. The company also indicated that NOV-002 is being developed for
the treatment of ovarian cancer that is not responsive to chemotherapy (refractory ovarian cancer).
The other compound, NOV-205 is for the treatment of chronic
hepatitis C. According to the company, “In Russian clinical studies, when used as mono-therapy for one month in hepatitis
B and for two months in hepatitis C, NOV-205 has been shown to greatly reduce or eliminate viral loads and to vastly improve
liver function relative to existing drugs on the market.”
August 9th, 2005
Aureon Laboratories, formerly Aureon Biosciences, has
secured $20 million in a Series B round. The company, which has developed a predictive test to determine the probability of
the recurrence of prostrate cancer (after the removal of the prostrate), plans to now go forward with finalizing its clinical
validation work and then commercialize its Prostate Px test product. The basis for the company’s technology is tissue
analysis through the combined use of clinical, micro-anatomic and molecular profiles of a disease.
Financiers named in the Series B round included Atlas
Venture, Sprout Group, and Pfizer.
August 8th, 2005
Infrared Sciences Corporation (ISC), which claims its breast cancer
analysis system can detect cancer ten years before other types of systems, has completed a $2.1 million Series B Preferred
Stock financing round. The capital is expected to allow the company to expand its marketing effort for its Sentinel BreastScan
diagnosis product.
The company’s Sentinel BreastScan technology is based on infrared
imaging and artificial intelligence software that the company offers as an adjunctive test for other types of early breast
cancer detection tests such as mammography, ultrasound and clinical exams. BreastScan, which the company reports has already
been FDA approved, is a non-invasive, touchless procedure that can be used to help determine the health of the breasts within
a few minutes.
ISC President Tom DiCicco clarified that the best way to determine
breast related health problems is through a corroboration of tests, as opposed to simply relying on one type of test, which
are prone to diagnosis problems. He also stated that the company’s infrared technology can detect the first signs of
breast cancer 10 years before any other procedure, "Breast infrared imaging has the ability to detect the first signs that
cancer may be forming up to 10 years before any other procedure can detect it. As an adjunctive procedure, Sentinel BreastScan
does not replace mammography or ultrasound, nor is it intended to stand alone as a single test that can determine overall
breast health. Sentinel BreastScan can greatly improve the efficacy of those technologies by drawing attention to areas standard
mammograms might miss - such as areas within dense breast tissue - or by localizing areas to be further investigated using
ultrasound or MR technology."
Mr. DiCicco went on to compare the company’s infrared technology
with other type of infrared systems, "Sentinel BreastScan's ease of use and proprietary software are a quantum leap from any
previous infrared imaging system. It is the only system in the world that provides any doctor ready access to this early breast
cancer detection data. Receiving this additional funding is a major step in enabling us to continue to bring the tremendous
health benefits of Sentinel BreastScan to a broader base of doctors and their patients."
ISC makes available its Sentinel BreastScan imaging system free
of charge to doctors. The doctors simply pay ISC a small fee for each time it is used.
BreastScan has been used at a number of medical facilities for over
four years to supplement mammography and ultrasound techniques. Studies, which involved nearly 5,000 patients have already
taken place at Arena Oncology and Long Island Diagnostic Imaging, both located in New York State. Currently clinical trials
are planned at a number of medical universities in the United States.
August 5th, 2005
LAB International Inc. (TSX: LAB, Frankfurt: LD9.F, XETRA: LD9.DE),
an integrated drug development company involved in the inhalation therapy market, reported second quarter revenue for the
period ended June 30, 2005 of $13.2 million, a 129 percent increase from the $5.7 million it reported for the same period
in 2004. For the year-to-date, the company reported a 98 percent increase in revenue over the same period in 2004.
The increase in revenue is mainly attributed to the company’s
Scantox division, which it acquired in February of 2005. Scantox, the company’s new Danish subsidiary has contributed
$9.2 million in revenue since the acquisition. Mr. Andrew Reiter, CFO at Lab International, indicated that the growth was
a result of internal growth and acquisitions, "These quarterly results are the best in our corporate history and clearly demonstrate
LAB's ability to couple strong internal growth with strategic acquisitions. LAB Research's strong financial performance, including
the substantial contribution provided by Scantox, is a key and essential element towards the success of our product development
strategy. The
significant level of cash being generated internally allows us to confidently advance LAB Pharma's pipeline
into late stage clinical trials. "
LAB Pharma, one of the units at Lab International, is focused on
its lead product used for the treatment of cancer pain. That produce is delivered via the company’s dry powder inhaler,
TAIFUN. Lab Pharma is also developing asthma products. The companies LAB Research business is a contract research services
operation.
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