@FierceBiotech: Popular this weekend: Celgene's blockbuster dreams fade as apremilast PhIII fails to excite. Story | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: Doctors declare "functional cure" of an infant infected with HIV--A first for an infant. More | Follow @JohnCFierce
@RyanMFierce: J&J backs startup effort tackling Big Data-driven disease models. More from FierceBiotechIT.com | Follow @RyanMFierce
> In further buyout buzz news today, Bloomberg is also reporting that GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) may acquire its longtime partner Theravance ($THRX) in order to control the respiratory drugs they've developed together. Glaxo already owns 27% of Theravance. Any move by GSK to buy out its partner would look a lot like its acquisition of Human Genome Sciences, although that deal followed years of speculation and didn't arrive until HGS shares had been flattened. Story
> Daiichi Sankyo plans to lay off 300 in a company-wide restructuring. Story
> Shares of Clovis ($CLVS) took a beating last year after its partner Clavis reported the complete failure of their pancreatic cancer drug. But the biotech's shares surged on Friday after CEO Patrick Mahaffy laid out the company's R&D strategy for 2013. Release
> The FDA has accepted Biogen Idec's ($BIIB) BLA for for the recombinant factor IX Fc fusion protein for hemophilia B, granting the company a standard review timeline. Release
> Sarepta shares ($SRPT) were buoyed this morning after the biotech reported positive primate results for its experimental Marburg drug. Release
> Vernalis has received a final payment of $2.5 million from its collaboration with Genentech. Story
> Sanofi ($SNY) and its longtime partner Regeneron say they gathered positive efficacy data from a pair of Phase Ib studies of dupilumab, an IL-4 antibody in trials for atopic dermatitis. Story
Pharma News
@FiercePharma: Merck CEO's biggest accomplishment so far? Standing firm on R&D spending as $MRK got pounded, he tells AP: Report | Follow @FiercePharma
@EricPFierce: Happy anniversary, Bayer. A year after India granted first compulsory license for Nexavar, board rejects appeal. News | Follow @EricPFierce
> Novartis ($NVS) pay furor swayed vote on Swiss restrictions, official says. Article
> Pfizer ($PFE) settles 2,000-plus Chantix suits, takes $273M charge. News
> Bristol-Myers ($BMY) might just make a big deal, WSJ says. More
@FierceMedDev: Special Report: Devicemakers plot paths out of CRM funk. Feature | Follow @FierceMedDev
@MarkHFierce: Toshiba's medical equipment division is expanding in South Korea. Release | Follow @MarkHFierce
@DamianFierce: Parexel says it's got its M&A eye on the Middle East and some small tech companies this year. Report | Follow @DamianFierce
> Stryker ($SYK) closes $764M deal for Chinese ortho giant. Article
> Toshiba Medical rolls out South Korean subsidiary. Story
CRO News
> Trial sites say Biogen ($BIIB), Forest, Bayer are top sponsors. Item
> Covance allies with M2Gen for personalized medicine, cancer trials. News
> Particle Sciences teams with Chinese CRO on solubility. More
> Capsugel bets on drug delivery with Encap buy. Report
> Synteract goes global with Harrison buyout. Article
Biotech IT News
> Could playing mobile phone games help advance cancer cures? More
> GSK jumps new IT hurdles in 'real-world' test of blockbuster hopeful. Editor's Corner
> Accelrys marks Q4 growth as buyouts weigh on bottom line. Report
> Biocon chief prescribes new tech, analytics to treat R&D woes in pharma. Story
> What Facebook and Google billionaires could do for overlooked biotech brains. Item
And Finally… Physicians say that extremely early treatment of an infant infected with HIV provided a "functional cure," the first time that's been accomplished for a child. Story