> Shares of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals took off this morning after the FDA approved its Option Inferior Vena Cava Filter, which is designed to prevent recurrent pulmonary embolism. Report
> Alnylam and Cubist announced this morning that their experimental drug for respiratory infections in lung transplant patients met safety and tolerability goals in a mid-stage study. ALN-RSV01 was developed with gene-silencing technology. Story
> The Obama administration's effort to cobble together a $9 billion budget to fund the production of a new swine flu vaccine is running into some opposition in Congress. The administration's plan includes $3 billion from the Project BioShield Special Reserve Fund, and a bipartisan commission on WMDs says that raiding its coffers would weaken efforts to guard the country from a bioterror attack. Report
> Dyax says that the FDA has accepted its response to a request for more information on DX-88. The agency had primarily been seeking more information on risk evaluation and mitigation. Dyax release
> Researchers at Michigan's universities dominate life sciences discovery work, but a growing number of biotech services companies are also expanding the industry. Report
> Germany's Micromet says that its lead cancer drug met its primary endpoint in a mid-stage trial. Micromet release
> Just weeks after cutting 10 percent of its staff in a restructuring, Progenics Pharmaceuticals has discontinued development for PRO 206, a pre-clinical compound for hepatitis C virus infection. The decision was made as part of a portfolio review, and is in line with the company's plans to allocate resources to its most important programs. Release
> Trius Therapeutics announced results from its Phase II clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of oral torezolid (TR-701), its investigational antibiotic for the treatment of severe complicated skin and skin structure infections caused by gram-positive bacteria. Release
> Alder Biopharmaceuticals has expanded its collaborative alliance with Schering-Plough in identifying therapeutic monoclonal antibody lead candidates. Release
Pharma News
> When an FDA advisory panel meets tomorrow to talk antipsychotics, members will have a lot of data to sift through in determining whether to recommend their use in children and adolescents. The agency's own analysis shows just how the debate is likely to stack up: six-of-one, half-dozen-of-another. Yes, the three antipsychotics under consideration do effectively treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in kids. But the drugs carry significant risks as well. Report
> Avandia, vindicated? A major company-funded study says yes--at least to a point. According to data presented at the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting over the weekend, the GlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug doesn't increase the overall risk of cardiovascular problems. It does, however, double the risk of heart failure. Avandia report
> Avandia wasn't the only headline-maker at the American Diabetes Association's confab over the weekend. Docs at the meeting were virtually rolling in new diabetes-drug data. Some of the news was sure to cheer certain drugmakers; other studies weren't so sales-boosting. Here's a roundup. Report
Biotech IT News
> How would you spend a $364-million IT budget, up from $232 million a year earlier? That's what the FDA needs to figure out between now and October, when it's on the hook to deliver a draft plan. Report
> The University of North Carolina Health Care will expand its use of IBM's InfoSphere data warehousing, integration and management software; WebSphere integration and application infrastructure software; and Health Integration Framework architecture technologies to build a data warehouse for treatment research and personalized treatment. Report
> Not feeling well? There's an app for that. Report
And Finally... Bravo, Big Pharma. The drugs sector outpaced other industries in sustainability, largely for its measurement and disclosure of carbon emissions, according to a new environmental scorecard. Next, drugmakers need to focus on cutting its emissions and fighting for climate legislation, says Climate Counts. Report