@FierceBiotech: More on CRO shutdown from FierceCRO.com: Former Cetero shutters ops, leaving sponsors, patients locked out. Story | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: Third Rock Ventures adds $516M fund to back new portfolio of biotechs. News | Follow @JohnCFierce
@RyanMFierce: Astellas Pharma taps supercomputer for IT-driven drug discovery. More | Follow @RyanMFierce
> Shares of Idenix ($IDIX) slid 10% this morning after the patent office ruled the biotech was the "junior party" to Gilead's ($GILD) senior party rights related to hep C drugs. Story
> Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly ($LLY) have submitted an NDA for their experimental SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin, a new treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Release
> GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) announced this morning that the FDA is delaying its review of its application for a new bird flu vaccine. According to GSK, the agency notified the company that the delay was "due to an administrative matter that has recently been rectified." Story
> Sanofi ($SNY) and Transgene have agreed to invest €10 million ($12.94 million) in the development of a new platform for immunotherapy drugs. "Transgene is extremely pleased to announce this agreement with the Sanofi Group, as it combines the strong expertise of recognized experts and pioneers in the fields of gene therapy and vaccines," said Philippe Archinard, the CEO of Transgene. Report
> Sanofi CEO Chris Viehbacher tells Bloomberg he'd like to strike more creative deals like the one with Warp Drive Bio. "The Warp Drive model where we are doing in-kind contributions for equity, where our researchers are directly involved in the project, that's to me more where we want to go," Viehbacher said in an interview. "I don't want to have a portfolio of assets over here and then research and development projects over there." Report
@FierceMedDev: Cornell: Metal stents work well as blocked bile duct treatment. Item | Follow @FierceMedDev
@MarkHFierce: Third Rock is rolling out a new $516M VC fund, for device, Dx and biotech companies. Target: early-stage companies. Release | Follow @MarkHFierce
@DamianFierce: Abbott is warning overseas surgeons about a safety issue with MitraClip, all as it seeks FDA approval. Report | Follow @DamianFierce
> Ohio company pulls in $9M Series B for laparoscopic visual shield. Story
Pharma News
@FiercePharma: Interesting look at Big Pharma's new-drug sales, a.k.a Freshness Index, from Forbes columnist Bernard Munos. Report | Follow @FiercePharma
@EricPFierce: Actavis getting nearly $3 million from taxpayers to expand a plant in Florida. Story | Follow @EricPFierce
> Drugmakers on edge as pay-for-delay case hits Supreme Court. Item
> Early copies of Sanofi's Aubagio could roil European MS market. Article
> AstraZeneca zaps another Crestor generic threat with Actavis settlement. News
CRO News
> Bayer deepens Cambodian presence with DKSH partnership. More
> Sanofi beefs up CMO game with Transgene deal. Item
> Dr. Reddy's wins $22.5M from CRO Nordion. News
> Duke's in-house CRO snags trial deal for RNAi drug. Article
> ShangPharma wins investor vote for go-private plan. Story
Biotech IT News
> BlackBerry founder bets on quantum tech in life sciences. Item
> NextDocs and Microsoft pushing clinical trials to the cloud. Story
> AstraZeneca IT chief talks up Big Data amid R&D turmoil. Report
> Biotech data merges onto UC San Diego's Big Data 'freeway.' Article
> Merck slashes data-management costs with China site. More
And Finally… Sanford-Burnham investigators say they have found out how the extra chromosome found in Down syndrome patients leads to an impairment in memory and learning. Release