> BioMarin's Kuvan has won European regulatory approval for treatment of a rare genetic condition. The approval triggers a $30 million milestone payment by Merck Serono. Report
> Shares of Cerep soared when the developer announced that it had inked a licensing pact with Sanofi Aventis for a jointly discovered diabetes treatment. Cerep gets an undisclosed milestone payment. Story
> Steve Nissen (photo) knows how to attract attention. Most recently, he criticized the FDA regarding the Pharmaceutical Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), which he isn't too fond of in the first place. Report
> Targanta Therapeutics' shares fell 43.6 percent yesterday afternoon and hit a 52-week low earlier in the day, following the FDA's statement that it agrees with an advisory panel's recommendation for more testing of its antibiotic, oritavancin. Report
> Last week, we heard a top Roche executive slam the industry's decision to enter the world of direct-to-consumer (DTC). This week, we hear that big pharma ads are, in fact, down. Report
> Shares of Alexza Pharmaceuticals got a boost after the developer announced that a Phase III trial of its inhalation drug candidate, AZ-004, delivered promising results. Story
> Acusphere announced that NASDAQ has halted trading in the company's common stock today. The FDA's Cardio Renal Advisory Committee is meeting to review Acusphere's lead candidate, Imagify for Injectable Suspension, a cardiovascular drug for the detection of coronary artery disease. Release
> Shares of Lombard Medical Technologies plunged 14 percent after the company reported that cash woes forced it to a halt a U.S. trial. Report
> Durham, NC-based Trimeris, which has been winding down operations, will return shareholders' cash with a special $1 dividend payment. Report
> Thanks to some outside-the-box thinking, REGiMMUNE, which has one foot in the U.S. and another in Japan, has won two grants totaling a hefty $12 million to back two preclinical research programs. Report
> HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals has completed Phase I clinical trials of HQK-1001, an orally-administered therapeutic which the company is developing to treat hemoglobin disorders, including sickle cell anemia and beta thalassemia. Release
> A new study finds that stem cells taken from a region of the brain could be transplanted into the ear and used to repair a common form of damage that leads to hearing loss in the elderly. Report
> Pfizer's head of worldwide discovery research, Rod MacKenzie, communicated to employees that more research jobs will be on the chopping block, just as analysts predicted, but he said he wouldn't be able to be specific about it by the end of the year. Report
And Finally... A University of Nottingham professor has developed a toothpaste-like material that can be squirted into a damaged bone and hardens in minutes. And he has launched a new biotech company to commercialize the technology. Report