Industry news

Russia to allow universities to develop their own “Skolkovo” like hubs?

Marchmont Innovation News

A number of new innovation hubs similar to Skolkovo or the Moscow Lomonosov State University’s Vorobyovy Gory might soon be developed in Russia, Firrma.ru reported, citing Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Oleg Fomichov. 

29 June 2017

FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation for Ganaxolone in CDKL5 Disorder

Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:MRNS), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative therapeutics to treat epilepsy and neuropsychiatric disorders, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to ganaxolone for the treatment of CDKL5 Disorder. Ganaxolone is currently being evaluated in children with CDKL5 Disorder in a Phase 2 clinical trial. 

Pfizer starts work on $236M biotherapeutics facility in Missouri

Phil Taylor / FierceBiotech

Pfizer's biologic, vaccine and gene therapy researchers should have a new headquarters in mid-2019, now that construction work has started at a site in Chesterfield, Missouri.

Drugmakers Are Racing to Find Alternatives to Opioids

Caroline Chen / Bloomberg

In the wake of mounting overdoses and deaths from the opioid-addiction crisis sweeping across the U.S., drugmakers are racing to come up with safer painkillers.

Pfizer preps new hires as it begins building a $200M R&D campus

John Carroll / Endpoints News

Pfizer will be hiring around 80 new staffers for its new R&D campus now under construction — and this one is far from the two big hubs in the Bay Area and Boston/Cambridge that have proved so attractive to Big Pharma and biotech alike.

Pharmaceutical industry in Moscow grew by 30% over the past three years

GMP News

This was announced by Alexey Fursin, the Head of the Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship at the industry meeting of the leaders of Moscow pharmaceutical manufacturing market.

27 June 2017

Marinus Pharmaceuticals Launches the Ganaxolone Clinical Program in Patients with Postpartum Depression

Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:MRNS), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative therapeutics to treat epilepsy and neuropsychiatric disorders, today announced that it has initiated its Phase 2 double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics (PK) of ganaxolone IV in women diagnosed with severe postpartum depression (Magnolia study). 

Innovative domestically produced cancer drugs are expected in the Russian market

GMP News

In the future, new domestically produced drugs designed for the therapy of patients with oncological diseases will be available on the Russian market. The development of innovative medicines for oncology was announced by Mikhail Lifshits, the Director of Strategic Development at Drugs Technology LLC. Some drugs already passed Phase I clinical trials.

Government backs tech entrepreneurship at universities

Marchmont Innovation News

By September 1, 2017 the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and a pool of experts promise to develop a roadmap for support of technology entrepreneurship in Russian universities, Firrma.ru  reported , citing a verbal mandate government officials received from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. 

New glass ceramics for eye-friendly lasers

Marchmont Innovation News

Super-hard and durable glass ceramics with potentially market-winning nonlinear optical properties is being developed in St. Petersburg. It will be used in passive Q switches of human eye friendly lasers and is said to have no volatile and toxic components,  announced  Shvabe, a large Russian technology holding company. The developers are scientists at the S. I. Vavilov State Optical Institute, which is part of Shvabe.