Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Victoria has raised $57.48 million, a portion of which will go toward development of voclosporin, a drug to help treat lupus nephritis, the company said in a statement.
Aurinia expects to start a clinical trial on patients in the second quarter of this year. For the first quarter ended March 31, 2014, the company (TSX-V:AUP) reported a consolidated net loss of $5.19 million. Revenue was $67,000 for the three months ending March 31, compared to $89,000 for those months in 2013, a statement said.
Aurinia is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the global market for nephrology (kidney function).
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Tofino chamber gets new chief
Jen Dart will be the new executive director of the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce as of Sept. 1. For the past six months, Dart has served as the organization’s communications and membership services assistant. Dart takes over from Gord Johns, who has resigned after four years as executive director. During Johns’ time with the Chamber, membership grew by 75 per cent and he established the Tofino Ambassador Program.
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The Land Conservancy sells site in Sechelt
The Land Conservancy of B.C. won court approval this week to sell its 1.82-acre development site in Sechelt for $780,000. The sale of the multi-family-zoned land to a numbered company is slated to close within the next two weeks.
The Land Conservancy, based in Victoria, is in creditor protection and is selling some of its properties to try to get out of debt.
The Sechelt site was assessed last year at $1.06 million. Though the current offer is $280,000 below the assessed value, it is reasonable because the property had been on the market for a long time and had not sold, the court-appointed monitor said in a report.
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Firm offers sales force for hire
Alistair Vigier and Matt Vaillant are launching a new company, Alpha Sales, to outsource sales services. The idea is to provide a sales force for a company, which then does not carry the costs of managing the staff, the company said. It is representing LimeSpot, a high-tech firm, and Royal Victoria Security.
