Intercell pays $20 for Cytos tech platform; FDA sets Oct. 22 PDUFA date for Bydureon;

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> Austria's Intercell has struck a deal to buy a technology platform from Cytos for $20.1 million. And the developer says that it plans to put the technology to work to find new therapies for targets that include bacterial infections that occur in hospitals. Story

> The FDA says it set an October 22 deadline to make its decision on once-weekly exenatide (Bydureon) for Type 2 diabetes. Amylin, Eli Lilly and Alkermes hit a snag last March when regulators said they weren't prepared to issue a decision. Release

> Douglas Fambrough is stepping down as a general partner at Oxford Bioscience Partners and taking the CEO's post at Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, an RNAi company. The 41-year-old Fambrough was a founder of Dicerna. Former CEO and co-founder Jim Jensen will stay on as a member of Dicerna's board of directors and SAB. Release

> The FDA granted Aeterna Zentaris orphan drug status for its ovarian cancer therapy. Story

> SCOLR Pharma has struck a licensing deal with Israel's RedHill Biopharma granting RedHill the worldwide rights to market and sell ondansetron tablet formulations based on SCOLR's extended delivery technology. SCOLR gets up to $30 million based on aggregate net sales. Release

> San Diego-based Optimer named Pedro Lichtinger as its new president and CEO. Lichtinger replaces Michael N. Chang, Ph.D., co-founder of Optimer, who will serve as chairman of the board. Release

And Finally... Astronauts could one day tend their own crops on long space missions, and Purdue University researchers have found a healthy candidate to help satisfy a sweet tooth--a strawberry that requires little maintenance and energy. Report