> Shares of GW Pharmaceuticals shot up 32 percent this morning on positive late-stage data for its drug Sativex. Data demonstrated that the drug reduced spasticity related to multiple sclerosis and the UK developer says it plans to file for an approval in the second quarter. Report
> In the annals of fakery, it's quite an accomplishment: Massachusetts anesthesiologist Scott S. Reuben allegedly pulled data for 21 drug studies out of thin air. Published between 1996 and 2008, the studies backed the now-withdrawn painkillers Bextra (Pfizer) and Vioxx (Merck), as well as antidepressants such as Pfizer's Celebrex and Wyeth's Effexor XR. And no one questioned them--until now. Report
> The FDA says it will work with the Alliance for NanoHealth to advance new nanotech health products. Story
> Dynavax Technologies has extended its R&D pact with AstraZeneca until the summer of 2010. The pact covers new drug development for asthma and COPD. Report
> Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, MA has secured a $5 million credit facility. Release
> Breaking up could be hard to do for Merck and Schering-Plough. Walking away would cost Schering $1.25 billion under the two companies' merger agreement. And if Merck backs out because it can't get the money together, it will have to pony up $2.5 billion. Report
> Hear that? It's the sound of silence coming from Genentech headquarters. Five days after Roche raised its bid for the company to $93 per share--and two days after reports that they'd agreed on a price--there's still no press release and no advice for DNA shareholders. Report
> The word on leadership at FDA is solidifying: The Wall Street Journal confirms with its own sources that former New York health commissioner Margaret "Peggy" Hamburg will be tapped to top the agency, while Baltimore's point man on health, Joshua Sharfstein, will be named deputy. The two-pronged appointment is designed to paint the Obama FDA as a public health agency, the sources said. Report
> In its annual report Transgene says it has three years of operating capital in the bank. Release
> The FDA has issued Genzyme a warning letter due to "significant objectionable conditions" inspectors found at a company plant. The Boston site is where Genzyme produces many of it's expensive drugs, including Myozyme, Cerezyme and Fabrazyme. Report
And Finally... ACT was one of several publicly-traded stem cell companies to see their share price soar on the news that President Obama had lifted federal restrictions on financing research in the field. Story