Nano Stocks

Elan’s (NYSE: ELN) NanoCrystal^® technology has been approved for use in Japan. The approval comes as part of the approval for EMEND^® a drug treatment for chemotherapy induced nausea. EMEND^® is the first NanoCrystal® based drug to be approved in Japan. The stock traded up over 4.5% on the news today.

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Janssen-Cilag a division of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) has submitted a marketing application for paliperidone palmitate (marketed as Invega Sustenna in the US) a once-montly schizophrenia treatment that utilizes Elan’s (NYSE: ELN) Nanocrystal drug delievery system. The treatment was granted approval by the FDA in August. The monthly injection is seen as having certian advantages over oral drug treatments. Specifically, paliperidone palmitate avoids the potential for relapse as result of individual’s failing to take their medication (a common outcome of oral-based schezophrenia treatments).

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J&J partnered with Elan following a $1 billion investment by the New Jersey health care giant earlier this year. In return for the investment J&J recieved an 18.34% stake in the Dublin based biotech company and rights to teh biotech’s Immunotherapy Program.

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The Michael J. Fox Foundation in partnership with biotech firm Elan (NYSE: ELN) have contributed grants totaling $1.5M towards the Novel Approaches to Drug Discovery for Parkinson’s Disease program. The money goes to six grant winners whose research has shown promising initial results but lacks necessary funding to further development. Of the six winners two researchers use nano-based protein targeting.

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Biogen and Elan’s (NASDAQ: ELN) multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri has been a subject of serious concern as a rare brain infection PML has been a known side effect of the drug. However, more recent reports have shown that the frequency as well as the severity of the side effect is not as grave as originally thought. In fact, initial estimates of the frequency of PML as a side effect was 1/1000. However, data collected over the past 4 years has shown that the frequency is closer to 1/2500.

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Yesterday Elan and Biogen announced that Tysabri significantly reduces the amount of hospital required for patients suffering from moderate to advanced crohn’s disease compared to placebo.

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