Biogen buys back in

Biogen Idec Inc. is buying Stromedix Inc. to re-acquire the anti-fibrotic mAb it cast off five years ago. The big biotech thinks the time is ripe because FDA has clarified a regulatory path in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and because Stromedix has verified STX-100's best-in-class potential based on the science, preclinical and early clinical data. Results from an ongoing Phase IIa trial are expected in 2H13.

STX-100 is a humanized mAb against integrin alpha(v)beta(6). Biogen Idec was developing the molecule for IPF but lost interest in 2005 due to regulatory uncertainty in fibrotic diseases and because its attention was focused on dealing with problems surrounding multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri natalizumab...