Cel-Sci inks deal with Teva; Pharmaxis touts Phase III data; BioCenter expands

> Cel-Sci has struck a development and commercialization deal with Teva Pharmaceutical for the cancer drug Multikine. Release

> Pharmaxis announced that the Phase III clinical trial evaluating the long term safety of Bronchitol in subjects with bronchiectasis has concluded with no serious adverse events attributed to the drug following 12 months of treatment. Release

> San Jose BioCenter, a biotech incubator, is doubling its space to accommodate more upstarts. The incubator--a partnership between the city of San Jose and the San Jose State University Research Foundation--is adding 40,000 square feet. Report

> Sonus Pharmaceuticals shareholders have OK'd its business combination with OncoGenex. Release

> Telik and ReceptorBio have forged a licensing deal for Telik's oral small molecule insulin receptor activators. Report

> Mistral Pharma has filed a proposal under Canada's Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Release

> Navigenics and 23andMe have been licensed by California to offer their gene tests - heading off a move to stop them from doing business in the state. Report

> Bad news from the FDA can hurt pharma companies fast and after earlier news this week that Amylin's diabetes drug Byetta was associated with some serious cases of acute pancreatitis, the company's stock began to plummet. Report

> According to several reports, Barbara Ryan of Deutsche Bank hosted a conference call with Merck during which the head of its vaccine business, Maggie McGlynn, mentioned that the company will give physicians a free dosage of the gardasil vaccine if an insurer refuses coverage--in the hopes that more physicians "will convert to same-day vaccination." Report

> Does Accutane cause inflammatory bowel disease? That was the question on everyone's mind in a federal appeals court yesterday when attorneys asked a three-judge panel to admit testimony from an expert witness who says that it does. Report

> The folks at Bristol-Myers Squibb have apparently been shopping: the company will buy the rights for an experimental antibody called elotuzumab from PDL BioPharma. Report

> The tax gods were with Barr Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries: They recently cleared some IRS requirements to have their merger deal defined as a reorganization with tax-free status. Report

And Finally... There's new data that suggests low levels of arsenic in public drinking water is linked with higher rates of type 2 diabetes. Report