Millennium moves drug candidate into its pipeline
Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. said today it has advanced a drug candidate called MLN3126 into its development pipeline, a move with the potential to expand the company's "inflammatory bowel disease franchise."
The Cambridge company noted that another drug candidate, MLN0002, has already demonstrated the ability to induce clinical remission in patients with such inflammatory bowel diseases as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
MLN0002 is expected to enter Phase III trials late this year or in early 2009, said the company, which has identified inflammatory bowel disease as "a key focus area for Millennium."
MLN3126 is expected to enter into Phase I clinical trials in early 2009, Millennium said. 
In the United States, Millennium markets Velcade, a blood-cancer drug it co-developed with Johnson & Johnson of New Jersey.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
