CognitrexCancerDigest

According to the data by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India is projected to have 17.3 lakh new cases of cancer by 2020 and over 8.8 lakh patients are expected to die from the disease. Breast cancer which has the highest incidence of all cancers in females has also become frequent in a population younger than 50 years. At times, breast/ovarian cancer occur due to inherited genetic mutations (this is called Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer syndrome). A symposium was organized at Hotel Park Ascent in Noida by Strand Life Sciences to bring together domain experts from gynaecology and IVF to discuss this trend of higher incidence of breast and ovarian cancer and associated screening for early diagnosis. Dr. Ramesh Hariharan, CEO of Strand Life Sciences, was present at this occasion and shared Strand's capabilities as a diagnostic lab to screen such cancers. With the acquisition of Quest Diagnostics' India business, Strand is now better placed to cater to the N...

Pharma major Lupin Limited (Lupin) and global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie Inc., today announced that AbbVie has licensed Lupin’s MALT1 (Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma Translocation Protein 1) inhibitor program. Through this partnership, AbbVie gains exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize Lupin’s MALT1 inhibitors. MALT-1 is a protein involved in T-cell and B-cell lymphocyte activation and AbbVie intends to pursue development across a range of hematological cancers, many with limited current treatment options. Commenting on the development, Nilesh Gupta, Managing Director, Lupin Limited said, “Delivering on new drugs was a key element of Dr. Deshbandhu Gupta’s vision. We are extremely proud of being able to realize his vision to bring new treatments to patients in need. We are very pleased to partner with AbbVie who share a commitment to deliver high quality medicines in areas that lack approved treatment and have a dire medical need. Their proven succes...

Persistent infection with high-risk HPV has been established to be the principal cause of cervical cancer in women, with HPV implicated in greater than 99 per cent of cervical cancers worldwide. It can take 10 to 15 years or longer for cervical cancer to develop so regular screening to know a woman’s individual risk and finding disease early, before cancer develops, is an important prevention strategy. The molecular lab launch event which discussed at length the need for screening of cervical cancer saw the presence of dignitaries namely Dr J Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), Government of Tamil Nadu, Dr V Shanta, Chairperson, Cancer Institute (WIA), Mr S N Pandey, Managing Director, Chennai Petroleum Corporation and Dr Shravan Subramanyam, Managing Director, Roche Diagnostics India. India accounts for 20 per cent of world-wide prevalence for cervical cancer, and has an incidence and mortality rate higher than most regions, including South East A...

MELBOURNE, Australia  (OTCQB: PPCB) (“Propanc”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on development of new and proprietary treatments for cancer patients suffering from solid tumors such as pancreatic, ovarian and colorectal cancers, today announced that Propanc’s foundation patent application has been granted by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Design and Trademarks, India. The foundation patent, which covers the Company’s lead product candidate, PRP, pioneers the discovery of a pharmaceutical composition for treating cancer via a combination of trypsinogen and/or chymotrypsinogen pancreatic proenzymes. A report by PWC looking at prospects for growth, predicts that the Indian Pharmaceutical market will reach $50 Billion and become one of the sector’s top 10 markets in the world by 2020. So far, the foundation patent has been granted in the USA, Europe (including Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, ...

Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas") today announced that it exercised, and closed on its exclusive option to acquire Potenza Therapeutics, Inc. ("Potenza") on December 13, 2018, U.S. Eastern Time. This acquisition marks the successful outcome of a collaboration agreement entered into in 2015 to build a portfolio of novel immuno-oncology (IO) therapies. The clinical IO therapies developed through this collaboration may also provide a platform for IO combinations with Astellas' existing non-IO programs for life cycle management and future novel IO combinations. "This transaction underscores Astellas' commitment to innovation and scientific partnerships to advance our creation of value for patients," said Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., President and CEO, Astellas. "In oncology, Astellas has focused on developing treatments for unmet medical needs with novel mechanisms of action and modalities. We believ...

Bigger players in space are getting into sophisticated high end testing, oncology testing, reproductive genetics and other specialised fields, while maintaining basic testing as a revenue safety net Last month, Strand Life Sciences, a Bengaluru-based specialty diagnostic company, bought the India operations of US-based  medical diagnostic  company, Quest Diagnostic. The takeover created ripples in the  medical diagnostic  industry in India. Quest had set shop some ten years ago and has an established routine testing business with many corporate clients. Strand is actually a spinoff from IISc Bangalore as a bioinformatics company. It bought out HCG’s diagnostic business in January, with a focus on oncology testing and now with Quest, it is emerging as a sophisticated end-to-end operator. The Quest acquisition offers a new service line, of routine testing, which is 80-90 per cent of the diagnostic market. The deal could make Strand a leader in the testing busine...

Analysts expect Saratoga Investment Corp. (NYSE:SAR) to report $0.55 EPS on January, 9.They anticipate $0.01 EPS change or 1.85% from last quarter’s $0.54 EPS. SAR’s profit would be $4.11M giving it 10.02 P/E if the $0.55 EPS is correct. After having $0.69 EPS previously, Saratoga Investment Corp.’s analysts see -20.29% EPS growth. The stock decreased 0.18% or $0.04 during the last trading session, reaching $22.04. About 46,316 shares traded or 25.83% up from the average. Saratoga Investment Corp. (NYSE:SAR) has risen 1.68% since December 16, 2017 and is uptrending. It has outperformed by 1.68% the S&P500. Some Historical SAR News: 18/05/2018 – Sandestin Investments Taps Highgate to Manage New Hotel; 14/05/2018 – Saratoga Investment 4Q EPS 89c; 30/05/2018 – Saratoga Investment Corp. Increases Quarterly Dividend To $0.51 Per Share; 07/03/2018 – Saratoga Hospital partners with Philips to improve patient care and safety; 07/03/2018 SARATOGA HOSPITAL PARTNERS W/ PHILIPS; 08/03/201...