> Tolerx has won a $15 million milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline on its launch of a late-stage trial of an experimental diabetes therapy. Report [1]
> Ore Pharmaceuticals has acquired the exclusive development rights for the clinical-stage compound romazarit from Roche. Ore release [2]
> Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Med are forming joint ventures in Mexico, Canada and Australia to develop and market new therapies. Report [3]
> Alnylam will get $7.5 million in new federal funds to support its work developing new antiviral drugs. Report [4]
> BioSante Pharmaceuticals has reacquired Elestrin (estradiol gel) from Nycomed, which acquired Bradley Pharmaceuticals--BioSante's previous licensee of Elestrin--last February. BioSante release [5]
> Cardinal Health is considering spinning off its clinical and medical products divisions. Release [6]
> Can Merck boost Singulair sales? Report [7]
> How do different antidepressants stack up? Blood-pressure meds? Diabetes drugs? Do we know? Well, Sen. Max Baucus says he aims to find out: He's introduced a bill [8] that would create an institute for comparative-effectiveness research. Report [9]
> When Biogen Idec announced last week that a potentially fatal brain infection had cropped up again in Tysabri patients [10], markets reacted swiftly--and negatively. Financial analysts have done some number-crunching to quantify those long-term effects. And the news isn't good. Tysabri report [11]
> The debate over costly oncology meds rages on in the U.K. as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence rejected four high-tech drugs for advanced kidney cancer treatment. NICE report [12]
> The FDA has come up with a lineup of three all-new flu strains for this year's vaccine recipe. Report [13]
> Good news for Roche and GlaxoSmithKline: The U.K. is planning to double its stockpile of anti-flu meds to prepare for a possible pandemic. Report [14]
And Finally.... Federal officials believe that Senator Tom Daschle's objections to the anthrax vaccine angered researcher Bruce Ivins, leading to the anthrax attacks. Report [15]
Links:
[1] http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/08/04/daily48.html
[2] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/ore-pharmaceuticals-acquires-rights-develop-second-drug-candidate-roche
[3] http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=677496&SMap=1
[4] http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2008/08/alnylam_gets_75.html
[5] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/biosante-pharmaceuticals-announces-reacquisition-elestrin
[6] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/cardinal-health-profit-beats-estimates-explores-spin
[7] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/can-merck-boost-singulair-sales/2008-08-07
[8] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/bill-to-propose-federal-drug-comparisons/2008-04-02
[9] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/comparative-effectiveness-bill-hits-senate/2008-08-07
[10] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/biogen-tysabri-patients-have-pml/2008-08-01
[11] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/tysabri-scrips-will-suffer-analysts-say/2008-08-07
[12] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/nice-rejects-four-cancer-meds/2008-08-07
[13] http://www.fiercebioresearcher.com/vaccines/story/fda-selects-flu-strains-next-round-vaccines/2008-08-07?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&cmp-id=EMC-NL-FP&dest=FBRV
[14] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/u-k-double-flu-drug-stockpile/2008-08-07
[15] http://www.fiercebioresearcher.com/vaccines/story/anthrax-attack-may-have-been-spurred-vaccine-criticism/2008-08-07?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&cmp-id=EMC-NL-FP&dest=FBRV