Aragon Surgical LapCap : FDA Special 510(K) Clearance For Use With Longer Needles Used In Morbidly Obese Patients

January 23rd, 2008—Aragon Surgical, Inc., a developer of surgical devices, announced that it has received FDA Special 510(k) Clearance allowing laparoscopic surgeons to use the company’s novel LapCap with any length needle, allowing the LapCap to be used across the patient obesity spectrum, including in morbidly obese patients.
The initial step in laparoscopic surgery requires instillation of gas into the abdominal cavity, creating the space in which the surgeon operates (the pneumoperitoneum). In order to instill the gas, the surgeon blindly passes a 14 gauge needle through the abdominal wall, attempting to position the needle tip within the abdominal cavity without injuring intestines or blood vessels based on subtle tactile feedback. Blind needle passage is an inconsistent maneuver associated with risk of needle injury to intestines and vessels, failure to correctly position the needle, and anxiety for the surgeon... [PDF] Aragon Surgical's Press Release -

Corcept Therapeutics and Lilly : about Collaboration With Eli Lilly and Company

Sep 3, 2008 - Corcept Therapeutics (CORT) announced that Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) has agreed to fund studies to test the effectiveness of Corcept's selective GRII receptor antagonist, CORT 108297, in rat models of olanzapine induced weight gain.
Corcept has previously published the results of studies in rats that demonstrated that CORLUX, a potent GRII (cortisol) receptor antagonist, both reduced the weight gain associated with the ongoing use of olanzapine and mitigated the weight gain associated with the initiation of treatment with olanzapine. In August of 2007, Corcept also announced that the results of a clinical trial in healthy men indicated that CORLUX mitigated the weight gain associated with the initiation of treatment with olanzapine.

Lilly supplied olanzapine and provided the funds for this human proof of concept study... Corcept Therapeutics' Press Release -

Anthill Technologies : Agreement with Zafgen

August 25, 2008 - Anthill Technologies, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with Zafgen, Inc. to apply its high-speed chemistry technologies and capabilities to Zafgen’s obesity program. Zafgen, Inc. is a Boston-based biopharmaceutical company which develops obesity therapy based on the vascular targeting of adipose tissue.
Under the agreement, Anthill will use its ACOS™ high-speed synthesis and on-demand purification capabilities to assist Zafgen in the development of lead compounds for its obesity therapy programs...
Anthill Technologies' Press Release -

GlaxoSmithKline and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute : unique collaboration to enable the discovery of new medicines

24th July 2008 - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) announced that they have entered into a five-year, $25 million-plus collaborative agreement to build a unique alliance in stem cell science, leading to the development of new medicines.

GSK’s investment, one of the largest by a pharmaceutical company in stem cell science, will support innovative research at Harvard University and in at least four Harvard-affiliated hospitals in the areas of neuroscience, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, musculoskeletal diseases and obesity. In addition, GSK will fund an annual grant, which supports early stage research in stem cell biology, as part of HSCI’s seed grant program

This agreement marks the beginning of an exciting collaboration with multiple researchers at multiple Harvard institutions, making it possible for academic and industrial scientists to work side-by-side to develop treatments in areas of unmet medical need... GlaxoSmithKline's Press Release -

MDRNA : Phase 2 Trial of PYY(3-36) Does not Meet Weight Loss Endpoint

July 31, 2008-MDRNA, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA) announced results from a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating PYY(3-36) Nasal Spray (PYY) for the treatment of obesity. The data indicate that PYY did not meet the primary efficacy endpoint of a dose response of weight loss vs. PYY dose, nor did PYY meet the secondary efficacy endpoint of greater weight loss than the active control, sibutramine (Meridia(R))... MDRNA's Press Release -