Archive for the ‘painkiller’ Category
Feb
22
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Blog,
Collegium Pharmaceutical,
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painkiller,
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Videos by Ryan McBride
Venture backers have rallied behind Collegium Pharmaceutical to continue a late-stage trial for its extended-release version of oxycodone. The investors--led by Longitude Capital and Skyline Ventures, and including Frazier Healthcare Ventures and Boston Millennia Partners--are betting $22.5 million in the developer's Series B round.
With traditional oxycodone offering a recipe for abuse, Collegium has a proprietary formulation of the popular pain drug dubbed COL-003 that aims to thwart the type of tampering such as crushing and snorting the drug that addicts employ. A late-stage trial for the company's lead drug is under way, and the fresh round of capital is expected to be enough to fund the developer through potential FDA approval of the treatment, according to the company's release. Collegium plans to file an application for U.S. approval of COL-003 in 2013.
"We believe that with the ongoing national epidemic of prescription drug abuse there remains a significant unmet clinical need for tamper-resistant formulations that can mitigate abuse/misuse of opioid products," Collegium CEO Michael Heffernan said in the release.
A challenge for Collegium, naturally, will be setting itself apart from the pack of drugmakers in the pain field. Competitors are at various stages of advancing their own recipes for stymying abuse of pain pills. For instance, Purdue Pharma won FDA approval for a new formulation of OxyContin (oxycodone) in 2010 that offers controlled release of the drug and measures to prevent tampering.
- here's Collegium's release
Related Articles:
OxyContin abuse overshadows formulation fix
Purdue, Endo answer calls to deal with painkiller abuse
Phosphagenics, 3M a step closer to oxycodone patch
Researchers: New pain drug tastes awful – perfect!
Feb
22
Posted under
Blog,
Collegium Pharmaceutical,
Companies,
Diagnostics,
Funding,
Medical Devices,
Medical Supply,
painkiller,
Pharmaceuticals,
Purdue Pharma,
Startups,
Universities,
VC,
Videos by Ryan McBride
Venture backers have rallied behind Collegium Pharmaceutical to continue a late-stage trial for its extended-release version of oxycodone. The investors--led by Longitude Capital and Skyline Ventures, and including Frazier Healthcare Ventures and Boston Millennia Partners--are betting $22.5 million in the developer's Series B round.
With traditional oxycodone offering a recipe for abuse, Collegium has a proprietary formulation of the popular pain drug dubbed COL-003 that aims to thwart the type of tampering such as crushing and snorting the drug that addicts employ. A late-stage trial for the company's lead drug is under way, and the fresh round of capital is expected to be enough to fund the developer through potential FDA approval of the treatment, according to the company's release. Collegium plans to file an application for U.S. approval of COL-003 in 2013.
"We believe that with the ongoing national epidemic of prescription drug abuse there remains a significant unmet clinical need for tamper-resistant formulations that can mitigate abuse/misuse of opioid products," Collegium CEO Michael Heffernan said in the release.
A challenge for Collegium, naturally, will be setting itself apart from the pack of drugmakers in the pain field. Competitors are at various stages of advancing their own recipes for stymying abuse of pain pills. For instance, Purdue Pharma won FDA approval for a new formulation of OxyContin (oxycodone) in 2010 that offers controlled release of the drug and measures to prevent tampering.
- here's Collegium's release
Related Articles:
OxyContin abuse overshadows formulation fix
Purdue, Endo answer calls to deal with painkiller abuse
Phosphagenics, 3M a step closer to oxycodone patch
Researchers: New pain drug tastes awful – perfect!
Jan
06
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Durect,
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Durect ($DRRX) disappointed investors with data from a Phase III study of anti-pain drug Posidur that were revealed Thursday, and the developer's share price was down more than 30% as of late this morning. The data failed to show that the drug provided a statistically significant improvement in pain in the 305-patient trial, which studied the safety and efficacy of the drug versus placebo in patients undergoing abdominal surgeries. The study also tested the drug against two comparator treatments in patients who underwent two other types of abdominal surgeries, Dow Jones Newswires reported. Durect release | Article
Jan
06
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BioDelivery Sciences,
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BioDelivery Sciences International ($BDSI) surged out of penny-stock territory this morning on news of its deal with Endo Pharmaceuticals ($ENDP) to partner on a version of the painkiller buprenorphine now in late-stage development.
The deal brings Raleigh, NC-based BioDelivery an upfront $30 million payment from Endo, raising hopes for the program and sending the company's shares up more than 130% in early-morning trading. Endo also agreed to pay its new partner up to $150 million in milestones. Endo's bet on the program comes after BioDelivery revealed in September that it missed its primary goal that measured difference in pain intensity among patients with chronic aches in a Phase III study, which compared the drug, BioErodible MucoAdhesive (BEMA) Buprenorphine, with a placebo.
Still, BioDelivery has said there was upbeat evidence in the study that warrants further Phase III testing of the drug, which uses a method of delivery that releases the painkiller into a patient's cheek. BioDelivery is responsible for the rest of the clinical development of the treatment, and Endo is taking charge of submitting the application for FDA approval and working with regulators, according to the companies' release this morning. Endo is also in charge of manufacturing and marketing the drug globally.
Dr. Mark Sirgo, president and CEO of BioDelivery, stated: "As we considered the ideal commercial partner for BDSI's most significant asset, we sought to balance the financial benefits of the transaction with a company that had a real need for a product with the potential of BEMA Buprenorphine along with solid experience and commitment to the pain category."
- here's the release
Related Articles:
BioDelivery shares in meltdown after pain drug flunks PhIII placebo study
BDSI moves forward with anti-opioid drug, delivery method