> Shares of Vivus were buoyed by the news that its drug Qnexa improved blood sugar in obese patients with Type 2 diabetes. Patients treated with the experimental therapy lost an average of 9.4 percent of their body weight. Report
> Raptor Pharmaceuticals is pocketing an undisclosed upfront payment from Roche on an agreement to collaborate on developing new drugs that use Raptor's technology to get past the blood-brain barrier. Story
> Kamada says that its flagship drug--a treatment for the respiratory disease bronchiectasis--successfully passed Phase II, posting positive safety data and revealing important clinical information. Report
> Canada's Pacgen Biopharmaceuticals has inked a share purchase deal with the shareholders of Xphase Pharmaceuticals. Pacgen will issue three million common shares of Pacgen to Xphase shareholders in exchange for 100% ownership of Xphase as well as management services of Xphase principals. Pacgen release
> ISTA Pharmaceuticals announced positive results from a proof-of-concept Phase 2 clinical study in subjects with dry eye disease. ISTA release
> Valeant Pharmaceuticals is paying $1.8 million upfront for the license to market Endo Pharmaceuticals' pain drug Opana in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Report
Research News
> The Max Planck Society has recruited a Nobel Prize-winning scientist to become the science director of its new research center in Palm Beach County, Florida. Report
> Scientists exploring ways to significantly increase our longevity have been focused on the insulin-signaling pathway. Deactivating a gene in the pathway can extend the lives of animals, probably for the same reasons that extreme low-calorie diets produce a similar effect, reports the New York Times. Report
> California's stem cell agency is mapping out ambitious plans to provide $20 million to each of 10 to 12 research teams that can be in the clinic with a new therapy inside of four years. Report
Pharma News
> U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina apparently believes the old adage that everyone has at least one book in them. Urbina has ordered a former Bristol-Myers Squibb exec to write tell-all book on how he lied to feds in an efforts to block generic competition. Report
> Doctors aren't so sure that the Avandia-exonerating safety study is as conclusive as presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting. Report
> Just how far does the vaccine shield law go? The U.S. Supreme Court wants to know. It's eyeing a Georgia Supreme Court ruling that allowed a liability suit over vaccines made by Wyeth and GlaxoSmithKline. Report
> Pharma coming to an iPhone near you? Apparently, there's an app for that. As Advertising Age notes, iPhone users will soon be able to track their vital signs--blood pressure, glucose level, etc.--and if drugmakers know what's good for them, their marketing efforts won't be far behind. Report
Biotech IT News
> This is the time to negotiate steep discounts for traditional on-premise software, according to 60 percent of respondents to an IDC survey. Report
> 23andMe is one of nearly 100 companies worldwide that genetics services, and one of few that also let customers create a public profile and share their genetic data. Such data, however, necessarily applies to multiple people. And bioethicists advise that sharing genetic information online raises a host of ethical questions, including issues of privacy and consent. Report
And Finally... Transplanting the fat-burning pathway of bacteria into mice allowed the rodents to eat a high-fat diet while remaining lean. And the results of the study point to a whole new approach to treating ailments in humans who could benefit from some other species' biologic functions. Report