ASCO

SPOTLIGHT: Avastin leaves ASCO ahead of Erbitux

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:59:53 -0400

Shares of Genentech have been buoyed by news from ASCO that Avastin will likely be preferred to Erbitux for treating lung cancer. Avastin offers an extra month of average survival time compared to Erbitux. Report

ALSO NOTED: Acorda shares soar; Lexicon wins fast track; NIH grants $533N in research funds; and much more...

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> News yesterday that Acorda Therapeutics' experimental MS drug helped patients walk better sent its shares up 27 percent. Report

> The FDA has provided fast-track status to Lexicon Pharmaceuticals' therapy for carcinoid syndrome. Story

> Cougar Biotech says it presented positive Phase I and Phase II data for CB7630, an experimental therapy for castration resistant prostate cancer. Release

> Arana Therapeutics and Greenovation Biotech have forged a pact to develop up to five anti-cancer antibodies. Report

> China's Genesis Pharmaceuticals Enterprises has raised $30 million in a private placement. Release

> Novartis "stole the show" at ASCO, Forbes says. Between the big Zometa news--that the bone drug may actually prevent breast cancer recurrence--and dramatic data on an experimental med, the Swiss pharma came out of ASCO looking pretty sweet. ASCO report

> Guess who's the new up-and-comer in pharma? Brazil. Report

> It's not a new question, but it's one whose urgency is growing: How long can Pfizer pay its big dividend? Report

> Eugene Melnyk (photo) said he'd do it, and now he has. The founder of Canada's Biovail launched a proxy battle for the company, looking to sweep out its board and senior management. Report

And Finally… The Scripps Transitional Research Institute was one of 14 research groups that will gain $533 million from the NIH over five years. The funds are earmarked to speed the development of new technologies. Report

ALSO NOTED: ASCO already churning out news; Lilly, FDA ironing out Zyprexa shot problems; and much more...

Fri, 30 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Today marks the start of the annual ASCO. Here's a round-up of some of the news coming out of the conference. ASCO report

> More from the Web-marketing frontier, where portals and blogs are passé: An Arizona entrepreneur is working up a site where cancer doctors and drugmakers can mix and mingle. Report

> Pharmacy records could soon become an open book in California. Yesterday, the state Senate passed a bill allowing pharmacies to sell patient info to third-party firms working for drugmakers. Report

> Eli Lilly says it's making progress with the FDA on approval of its long-acting, injectable form of Zyprexa. FDA report

And Finally... Solving the mystery of why type 1 diabetes is so prevalent in Finland could be the key to teasing out the causes of the disease. Report

SPOTLIGHT: Novartis touts cancer data

Mon, 19 May 2008 06:59:53 -0400

Novartis has released positive data for RAD001 in advance of ASCO. According to interim data the therapy extended time without tumor growth from 1.9 months to 4 months and reduced the risk of progression by 70 percent. Release | Report

ASCO braces for massive data dump before meeting

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

The analysts devoted to tracking biotech companies in the oncology arena will have their hands full tomorrow night at 9 p.m. EST. That's when ASCO will do an online data dump in advance of its annual meeting, revealing many of the little--and big--details that could spell swift gyrations in the value of a company's shares.

The data blast, which will cover the results from thousands of studies, marks a big change for the cancer group. In the past, ASCO members got an advance look at the data that was being presented, and the numbers oh-so-mysteriously migrated into the hands of investors, who were able to get a jump on the market movers. Last year, for example, you could tell who was going to release positive or negative data by the movement of a company's shares in advance of the meeting.

Analysts say this year's switch will cost them a night's sleep, but look for plenty of headlines over the weekend.

- read the report from the Wall Street Journal

Onyx CEO to retire

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:59:54 -0400

Hollings C. Renton, CEO of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, announced plans to retire next year. He will remain chairman of the board of directors. The company has initiated a search for his successor. Onyx has promoted Laura A. Brege to the newly-created position of executive vice president and CEO and Randy A. Kelley to senior vice president of sales and marketing. Onyx, together with Bayer, developed Nexavar, an approved live cancer therapy that made waves at this year's ASCO conference.

- see this release from Onyx

Related Articles:
Bayer, Onyx seek new Nexavar approval. Report
Bayer, Onyx tout Nexavar data. Report
Bayer, Onyx announce disappointing Nexavar results. Report

SPOTLIGHT: Hollis-Eden skyrockets on preclinical cancer data

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 06:59:53 -0400

At the 2007 ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium, Hollis-Eden reported impressive data for HE3235, a preclinical candidate for breast cancer. HE3235 significantly inhibited the incidence of new tumors and stopped the growth of existing tumors in a preclinical model of breast cancer. The company's stock shot up 30 percent on the news. Last week, Hollis-Eden was featured in FierceBiotech's weekly series on emerging drug developers. Release