> San Francisco-based DiObex has laid off all its workers and is liquidating its assets, according to a report in PEHub. The drugmaker was developing drugs for Type II diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Report
> Is Carl Icahn is having some more fun with Biogen Idec, or are investors really convinced that this time, the rumors of a buyout are true? Biogen stock flew upward yesterday as much as 7 percent before closing 4.9 percent higher than Monday. Trading volume spiked, too. Plus, investors snapped up some 75,000 options contracts during the day--more than 10 times the 20-day average. Report
> Champions Biotechnology has established a U.K. subsidiary, Champions Biotechnology UK. Release
> In a significant new step toward repairing spinal cord damage, researchers have successfully used new viral technology to deploy genetically engineered cells that spur the regrowth of corticospinal motor axons. Report
> A national stem cell conference in the UK is providing plenty of fodder for anyone tracking the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells in healing bone and cartilage damage. Report
> State report says Arizona's biosciences industry directly contributed $12.5 billion to the state's economy in 2007--up 57 percent from 2002--and will continue to expand into the next decade. Report
> After a long period of relative neglect, neuroscience is gaining a big share of the federal research budget. And the New York Times highlights one program that raises the possibility that a molecule could make it possible for someone to eliminate a painful memory of a fear, a loss or even an addiction. Report
> According to Decision Resources, the small-cell lung cancer drug market will more than double from just under $250 million in 2007 to more than $684 million in 2017. Release
> pSivida says an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board has given the company the OK to proceed with two Phase III clinical trials for the use of Iluvien in the treatment of diabetic macular edema. Release
> Top psychiatrists are dropping like flies these days. The latest academic to tender his resignation is Brown University's head of psychiatry Marty Keller. Perhaps coincidentally, Keller is one of the researchers under investigation by the Senate Finance Committee for potential conflicts of interest. Report
> Pfizer has opened the doors of top management to eight Wyeth execs. After the two companies merge, Wyeth types will serve in leadership roles from R&D to consumer health, with at least two reporting directly to Pfizer CEO Jeff Kindler. Report
> Biosimilars? Thanks, but no thanks, says Johnson & Johnson. The company's executive director for public policy says it has no plans to jump into copycat biotech drugs--at least for now--despite the fact that it has plenty of expertise in the market for branded versions of those meds. Report
And Finally... All is not well in prescription-land, especially for branded meds. Not only are generic meds prescribed much more often than branded products, but more and more Americans are simply stuffing their scrips into their wallets instead of handing them to a pharmacist for filling. Report