> Cell Therapeutics has closed its Italian facility and reduced total headcount in Italy by 56 positions. The move is expected to save the company approximately $14 million in annual operating expenses. Cell Therapeutics originally announced its intent to close the plant in February. Release
> Waltham, MA-based start-up Avila Therapeutics has appointed its first CEO, Katrine S. Bosley. Report
> In a randomized, controlled Phase II trial in prostate cancer, OncoGenex's compound OGX-011 doubled the survival rate of patients being simultaneously treated with Sanofi's Taxotere--the survival rate jumped from 16.9 months for patients treated only with Taxotere to 27.5 months for patients treated with Taxotere and OGX-011. Release
> Intercell plans to increase staff and expand the company's Scottish vaccine manufacturing site following approval of its Japanese encephalitis vaccine. Report
> Epix Pharma announced Wednesday that it has received notification that its stock will be delisted by the Nasdaq Stock Market, effective Thursday. Report
> Health ministers in the UK say that they aren't waiting to see if the WHO will declare a level six pandemic alert. They're ready to order enough swine flu vaccine for the entire population. Report
> Sanofi-Aventis is still testing its new Dengue fever jab, but it's already broken ground on a massive new manufacturing plant in France that will churn out a huge supply of the vaccine. Report
> After a rocky 2008, persistence is paying off for Richmond, VA-based biotech Ismed. With the sale of its drugs in January, the company says it now has $125 million on hand--this after ending 2008 with just $2.4 million and burning through $1.2 million per month. Report
> Can a recent Institute of Medicine report really make a difference in the complex dance of pharma and healthcare? Report
> The amount of undisclosed cash paid a University of Texas researcher may be some 50 percent bigger than originally thought. According to a new letter from Sen. Charles Grassley to the university, psych prof Dr. Karen Wagner (photo) didn't fess up to as much as $230,000 in payments from GlaxoSmithKline. Previously, the payments were thought to total about $150,000. Report
And Finally... In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Eli Lilly chief John Lechleiter sounds off on healthcare reform. Report