Nordion seeks to expand targeted therapies portfolio

Nordion (NYSE:NDZ TSX:NDN), the last man standing after the breakup of the MDS health sciences conglomerate,  has its eye on building a bigger portfolio of targeted therapeutics to complement its TheraSphere liver cancer therapy. “One of our strategic goals is to expand our product portfolio in this area,” CEO Steve West says in an exclusive [...]

Afexa sees benefits in Valeant takeover

After attracting a friendly all-cash takeover offer from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (NYSE:VRX) to trump a hostile bid, Afexa Life Sciences (TSX:FXA) is enthused about the path forward with Valeant. “Through our discussions with Valeant, it became apparent that they are interested in all parts of our business, not only the Canadian COLD-FX business,” Afexa CEO [...]

Analysts hike price target on Theratechnologies

Versant Partners and Canaccord Genuity raised their price targets on Theratechnologies (TSX:TH) after the company signed a partnership with Sanofi-Aventis to distribute its Egrifta HIV treatment in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, and confirmed that the U.S. selling price of the drug would be $23,900 (U.S.) a year, higher than previously assumed. Cannacord [...]

Canaccord ups Theratechnologies on FDA approval

Canaccord Genuity has raised its price target on Theratechnologies (TSX:TH) to $7.85 from $7 after the FDA approved the company’s lead drug Egrifta for the treatment of HIV lipodystrophy, a metabolic disorder associated with HIV.  The stock closed at $5 on Wednesday. Analyst Neil Maruoka writes that he expects Egrifta to be launched in the [...]

IMRIS to develop radiation treatment with Varian

IMRIS (TSX:IM) and Varian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR) have agreed to co-develop a radiation therapy suite that couples IMRIS’ magnetic resonance imaging technology with Varian’s TrueBeam radiotherapy system for use in treating a variety of cancers. “We are seeking to augment physicians’ ability to target cancerous tissue very precisely, even in areas of the body that [...]

Canaccord downgrades MethylGene

The sudden departure of MethylGene (TSX:MYG) CEO Donald Corcoran prompted Canaccord Genuity to downgrade the stock to “hold” and place its target price “under review.” The stock finished at 16 cents Monday. Analyst Neil Maruoka writes that the departure highlights the uncertainty of the company’s lead products. “Although the development plan for lead cancer drug [...]

Oncolytics ready for final step with Reolysin

After a 10-year journey, Oncolytics Biotech (TSX:ONC; NASDAQ:ONCY ) is ready to take the final clinical step with its sole Reolysin drug as a treatment for a broad range of cancers. “Our product has really shown a breadth of activity in a wide variety of cancers that we had hoped it would way back when [...]