AngioScore : Favorable Results from the MASCOT Trial

March 12, 2010 - AngioScore, Inc., a developer of novel angioplasty catheters for use in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, announced favorable clinical trial results from the MASCOT Trial, an important study evaluating the AngioSculpt® PTA Scoring Balloon Catheter for the treatment of femoro-popliteal PAD (peripheral artery disease).

MASCOT (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 00619788) was a prospective non-randomized European multi-center trial investigating the role of the AngioSculpt PTA Scoring Balloon Catheter for the treatment of severe femoro-popliteal stenotic disease (<= 8 cm in length). Patients with debilitating claudication (severe leg pain on walking) were treated at three pre-eminent European clinical sites with the recently introduced larger and longer AngioSculpt devices. Primary endpoints included safety at 30 days (complication-free survival) and target lesion patency at 12 months, as determined by Duplex ultrasound. The study results demonstrated an excellent safety outcome, with 96% of patients complication-free at 30 days, and a very favorable overall target lesion patency rate of 74.1% at 12 months. The study was conducted at two sites in Belgium and one site in Germany... AngioScore's Press Release -

Portola Pharmaceuticals and Merck : Phase 2 Study Showed Investigational Factor Xa Inhibitor, Betrixaban, Reduced Incidence of Bleeding Compared to...

March 15, 2010 – Portola Pharmaceuticals and Merck announced the results of EXPLORE-Xa, a Phase 2 exploratory, dose finding study of betrixaban, an investigational oral direct Factor Xa inhibitor. Results showed that a once-daily dose of oral betrixaban, given to patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter and at least one risk factor for stroke, reduced the incidence of major and clinically relevant non major (CRNM) bleeds compared to dose-adjusted warfarin.


The data were presented during a late-breaking clinical trials session at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 59th Annual Scientific Session in Atlanta... [PDF] Portola Pharmaceuticals' Press Release - Merck's Press Release -

Isis Pharmaceuticals : $6 Million Milestone Payment From Bristol-Myers Squibb for BMS-PCSK9Rx

March 8, 2010 - Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS) announced that it has earned a $6 million milestone payment from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) related to the acceptance of initial regulatory filings to begin Phase 1 clinical studies for BMS-PCSK9Rx.



BMS-PCSK9Rx is an antisense drug that arose out of the ongoing collaboration between Bristol-Myers Squibb and Isis to identify antisense drugs targeting PCSK9 to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol... Isis Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -

Ischemix : Phase 2a Clinical Trial

March 9, 2010 - Ischemix announced the initiation of patient accrual in a multi-center Phase 2a clinical trial of CMX-2043 for the prevention of peri-operative ischemia-reperfusion injury in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures. CMX-2043 is a cardio-protective drug that combines Akt pathway-mediated cell survival effects and anti-oxidant activity in a single small molecule.... Ischemix's Press Releases -

BG Medicine and Abbott : to Develop Galectin-3 Test for the i-STAT® System

March 8, 2010—BG Medicine, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) to extend its current development and commercialization collaboration to include the development of a galectin-3 test for Abbott Point of Care’s i-STAT System. Galectin-3 is a novel biomarker that may play a role in detecting the development and progression of heart failure.



Under the agreement, Abbott will be responsible for the development of the test in accordance with certain plans and milestones, and BG Medicine and Abbott will collaborate in support of regulatory filings and studies to support the clinical utility of galectin-3 in the management of patients with acute decompensated heart failure... BG Medicine's Press Release -