Cadence Pharmaceuticals Inc said its painkiller, Acetavance, met the primary goal of a last-stage trial. Further Details

U.S. biopharmaceutical company XenoPort Inc said its treatment to reduce symptoms of acid reflux, XP19986, failed to meet the main goal in a mid-stage study. However, as a monotherapy, the experimental drug was effective in reducing heartburn in a subgroup of patients.

French biotechnology company NicOx SA said that Naproxcinod, showed positive results in advanced clinical testing. Naproxcinod is derived drug from the standard painkiller naproxen, without typical naproxen side effects such as hypertension.

A meta-analysis published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), showed that Avastin ( bevacizumab), a genetically engineered immune system molecule that targets vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF, marketed by Genentech and Roche Holding AG, raises the risk of blood clots in the veins by a third when added to chemotherapy. The Avastin label already carries a warning about blood clots in the arteries, which could break loose, travel through the arteries and cause strokes and heart attacks.

United Therapeutics Corp said a late-stage trial of its experimental treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) failed to meet the main goal of the study. The drug is an oral formulation of Remodulin, a hormone present in the human body.

Seattle, Washington-based biopharmaceutical company Cell Therapeutics Inc. announced achieving the primary efficacy endpoint for a study of pixantrone (BBR 2778) in patients with advanced, relapsed aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma based on a preliminary intent to treat efficacy analysis.

SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc and Sigma-Tau S.p.A report a Phase III trial of their experimental hepatitis C treatment, Zadaxin (thymalfasin), failed to meet the main goal of lowering the virus levels in the primary patient group, but met the goal for the secondary group of patients.

French biotech NicOx´s experimental arthritis treatment naproxcinod proved to be more beneficial to blood pressure in a Phase III trial study than a traditional painkiller naproxen, the company reported. Further details.

Medarex Inc. and the Massachusetts Biologics Laboratories reported that their two drug candidates MDx-066 and MDX-1388 were successful in reducing diarrhea in a mid-stage clinical trial, compared with a placebo.

Privately owned pharmaceutical Nycomed reported positive results from two pivotal Phase III trials of its Daxas lung drug, and said it would look to partner the medicine in the U.S.

The Food and Drug Administration has asked Dynavax Technologies Corp and Merck & Co for additional information on the companies´ experimental hepatitis B vaccine Heplisav. The agency is maintaining the clinical hold on the drug.

A Phase III clinical study of Roche Holding AG and Genentec Inc´s cancer drug Avastin plus chemotherapy (Folfox) in patients with early-stage bowel cancer is to continue as planned after independent experts backed its safety record, maker Genentech Inc announced.

CeNeRx BioPharma Inc., announced that it has initiated a Phase II clinical trial with its product candidate Tyrima for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Tyrima is a selective and reversible member of a novel class of drugs known as RIMAs, or reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). Further details.