News

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE American: TRXC), a medical device company that is pioneering the use of robotics to improve minimally invasive surgery, today announced the Company has received FDA 510(k) clearance for the Senhance™ Surgical Robotic System. With this clearance, the Senhance becomes the first new market entrant into the field of abdominal surgical robotics since 2000. Using the system, a surgeon directs small surgical instruments and a camera with precise movements and comfort. The system builds on the foundation of laparoscopy and features the security of haptic feedback and eye-sensing camera control for the first time in a robotic surgery platform. Additionally, the Senhance utilizes an open architecture, which allows hospitals and surgeons to leverage existing technology investments within the operating room ecosystem. The system is specifically engineered to manage operative costs effectively, making robotic surgery cost-effective on a per-procedure basis through the use of fully reusable instruments.

Geneva, Switzerland and Boston, MA - 10 October, 2017 - ObsEva SA (NASDAQ: OBSV), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for serious conditions that compromise a woman's reproductive health and pregnancy, today announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with a group of institutional accredited investors for the private placement of common shares and prepaid warrants. The private placement is expected to yield gross proceeds of $60 million, and to close on or about October 13th, 2017, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Investors in the private placement consist of new and existing investors, including: some of the company's current shareholders New Enterprise Associates (NEA), New Leaf Venture Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, DAFNA Capital Management, Sphera Global Healthcare Fund, and Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, as well as initial investments from Aisling Capital, First Manhattan Co., Ghost Tree Capital and Omega Funds.

HOUSTON and PALO ALTO, Calif. Oct 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and BridgeBio Pharma today announced the launch of Navire Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company aimed at developing novel small-molecule inhibitors of a tyrosine-protein phosphatase called SHP2 for genetically-driven and treatment-resistant cancer. BridgeBio has committed $30 million and a team of senior business managers to the company, while MD Anderson, through its Institute for Applied Cancer Sciences (IACS), provides intellectual property and an oncology drug development team to advance SHP2 inhibitors toward clinical studies.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 26, 2017-- GTx, Inc. (NASDAQ: GTXI) today announced that it has entered into a definitive securities purchase agreement for the sale of its common stock and warrants to purchase common stock in a private placement that is expected to result in gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $48.5 million, before deducting placement agent and other offering expenses. The financing is being led by CAM Capital, Amzak Health and Aisling Capital with additional participation by Boxer Capital of Tavistock Group and Abingworth BioEquities Master Fund Ltd, as well as other existing institutional and individual investors.

STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Loxo Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq:LOXO), a biopharmaceutical company innovating the development of highly selective medicines for patients with genetically defined cancers, announced details of the LOXO-292 abstract that will be presented as a late-breaking oral presentation at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 18^th World Conference on Lung Cancer being held from October 15-18, 2017, in Yokohama, Japan. LOXO-292 is Loxo Oncology’s highly selective RET inhibitor.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BridgeBio Pharma, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today provided further detail on its growing pipeline of genetic disease assets and announced a new financing of $135 million, with potential to access significant additional capital via insiders. New investor Viking Global Investors and existing investor KKR co-led the round and were joined by existing investor Perceptive Advisors alongside new investors AIG, Aisling Capital, Cormorant Capital and Janus Funds. The new financing will be used to support BridgeBio Pharma's existing programs and establish novel efforts.

LONDON, Sept. 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verona Pharma plc (AIM:VRP) (NASDAQ:VRNA) (“Verona Pharma”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for respiratory diseases, announces today positive top-line results from its Phase 2a clinical trial, in which RPL554 was dosed in addition to tiotropium (Spiriva®), one of the most commonly used drugs to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In summary, despite the limited number of patients, the data from this Phase 2a trial demonstrated significantly improved peak lung function when RPL554 was added to tiotropium in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.

MALVERN, Pa., Aug. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRS), a dermatologist-led, biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing and commercializing innovative and differentiated therapies to address significant unmet needs in medical and aesthetic dermatology, today announced the appointment of Andrew Schiff, Managing Partner of Aisling Capital, to its board of directors, effective August 9, 2017.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 08, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR), the Lipid Management Company focused on developing and commercializing convenient, complementary, cost-effective, once-daily, oral therapies for the treatment of patients with elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), today announced positive top-line results from the Phase 2 clinical study (1002-038), also known as the triplet oral therapy study, evaluating the LDL-C lowering efficacy and safety of the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination (bempedoic acid 180 mg, ezetimibe 10 mg) plus atorvastatin 20 mg, versus placebo, in patients with hypercholesterolemia. The six-week study met its primary endpoint of greater LDL-C lowering from baseline of 64 percent (p<0.001) in the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination plus atorvastatin group, as compared to placebo. Ninety five percent of patients receiving treatment achieved greater than or equal to 50 percent LDL-C lowering reduction and 90 percent achieved LDL-C levels of less than 70 mg/dL.

MALVERN, Pa., Aug. 08, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (“Aclaris”) (NASDAQ:ACRS), a dermatologist-led, biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing and commercializing innovative and differentiated therapies to address significant unmet needs in medical and aesthetic dermatology, today announced that it has acquired Confluence Life Sciences, Inc.(“Confluence”), a privately held biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of kinase inhibitors to treat inflammatory and immunological disorders and cancer.  At the closing, Aclaris paid approximately $10 million in cash and issued approximately 350,000 shares of its common stock, with a value of approximately $10 million on the closing date, to the former equityholders of Confluence.