> NMT Medical says it will close a trial of its migraine technology after experiencing difficulties--and high costs--enrolling patients. Release
> China's Novamed gained $13.8 million in a funding round led by Fidelity Asia Ventures and Fidelity Biosciences. "This Series B round marks a significant milestone in NovaMed's business development in China. It allows us to continually expand and strengthen our portfolio in a number of important therapeutic areas while playing an increasingly stronger role in China's drug development landscape," said Mark Lotter, CEO of NovaMed. Release
> China's Sinovac Biotech has raised $9.75 million from the sale of shares. Release
> A research team at Genentech has identified two new genes that are linked to lupus, further advancing the biotech giant's work to identify new ways to identify and treat patients with the disease. Report
> An international research consortium is launching the 1,000 Genomes Project, mapping the genomes of a thousand different people in an effort to shine a bright research light on the influence of genetic variations on disease. Report
> Researchers have delivered proof of principle in a mouse study demonstrating that embryonic stem cells can be used to spur the development of dystrophin-producing cells, offering a potential cure to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Report
> A new study from Harvard Medical School that identified antibodies that could be used to slow melanoma, the most lethal form of cancer. Report
> Generex Biotechnology says the Ministry of Health of the Ukraine issued an approval letter for the conduct of a Phase III clinical trial protocol for Generex Oral-lyn. Release
> according to Verispan, U.S. prescriptions written for Vytorin last week fell by 9.5 percent to 359,659 compared with the week before. Zetia scrips dropped even more, to 258,619 from 294,405--a 12 percent decrease. Report
> The Roche-Ventana merger isn't as wrapped up as it might appear. Report
> Can pharma fend off circling critics? Report
And Finally... In a move that could have far reaching influence over the scale of pay for young researchers, the prestigious Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research has significantly increased the wages earned by postdocs. Report