> PDL BioPharma says it will pay four top executives nearly $1 million in bonuses through the end of next year to keep them on board as the company undergoes a transformation into an antibody development outfit. Story
> Radius Health has completed patient enrollment into its Phase II clinical trial of BA058 for osteoporosis. That milestone won the company a second-tranche financing of $28.3 million for a total second institutional investment of $67.5 million. Release
> Sirtris has won orphan drug status for its closely watched therapy resveratrol as a treatment for MELAS syndrome. Release
> Pfizer scooped up 87 percent of Encysive stock in a tender offer that closed on Monday. The $2.35 offer values Encysive at $195 million and a subsequent offering will now run through Friday for all remaining shares. Encysive has been developing new therapies for high blood pressure. Report
> Replidyne plans to pay its CFO and corporate development officer $250,000 bonuses to stay on with the company as it completes an unspecified deal. The biotech has been looking to partner up on its antibiotic drug faropenem medoxomil. Report
> Positive data for Cytokinetics' heart failure drug CK-452 helped spur the company's stock price. Mid-stage results demonstrate improved heart function in patients taking two doses of the drug. Final results from the Phase IIa are expected in the second half of the year. Report
> Shares of Kamada jumped 13 percent on the news that its late-stage trial in the U.S. for its Alpha-1 Antitrypsin treatment of congenital emphysema posted positive interim results. Release
> An experimental drug has demonstrated an ability to improve memory and slow the effects of aging in rats. Researchers believe the same drug--S18986--can interact with AMPA in human brains. Report
> Japanese scientists have found a way to deliver a payload of artificial molecules designed to prevent cells from secreting collagen, possibly pointing to a new approach to treating cirrhosis. Report
> The recent revelation in the New York Times that a tobacco company had quietly--some say secretly--funded a research program on lung cancer prompted the Boston Globe to go out in search of tobacco money behind local research groups. It didn't have to go very far. Report
> Intermune announced that an early-stage study of its experimental hepatitis C drug met safety endpoints and appears effective. The news sent its shares up 18 percent. Release
> A federal court struck down new patent rules that had several drugmakers up in arms, including GlaxoSmithKline. Report
And Finally... Should the feds fund studies to compare drugs' effectiveness? The idea appears to be gaining traction. Report