Attempts at developing an effective therapy for PWS, and the abnormal desire for food associated with the rare disorder, have been fruitless but Levo Therapeutics' enthusiasm for LV-101 remains high, despite a Phase III setback.

The health care industry has come a long way in the past 35 years, although in some areas very little has changed. Recently retired In Vivo editor Peter Charlish has seen most of the major developments, and in his final feature, he looks back at some of the big stories in a reporting career that began in the early 1980s.

A review of biopharma startup dealmaking and financing activity from January through March 2017, based on data from Strategic Transactions, showed a 19% decline in startup financing compared with the fourth quarter of 2016, but big pharmas provided capital in the form of alliance fees.

North Carolina biotech may need to conduct a 9,000-patient safety study after solithromycin was rejected by FDA, but it has $231m in cash and another Phase III candidate. Apricus is clearing financial room by transferring ex-US rights to Vivaros to Ferring, while Heat is acquiring former spinout Pelican.