@FierceBiotech: Analysts: AstraZeneca may need to change R&D strategy after setbacks with olaparib, TC-5214. News | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: Says a lot about Somaxon that its shouts of "help" are being largely ignored this a.m. as it struggles to stay afloat. | Follow@JohnCFierce
@RyanMFierce: Lilly is paying $20M upfront to ImmunoGen to use $IMGN's antibody-drug-conjugate tech in cancer. Release | Follow @RyanMFierce
@MaureenFierce: Diana Zuckerman talks to @Pharmalot about the Plan B decision. Short version: "It's a no-win situation." Article | Follow @MaureenFierce
@MarkHFierce: There's a way now to keep a cancer patient's healthy cells and tumor cells alive in the lab. Two ingredients help. Release | Follow @MarkHFierce
> Cambridge, MA-based Metamark Genetics will put its technology on cancer targets to work for J&J's ($JNJ) Janssen in a $365 million collaboration deal. Janssen paid an unspecified upfront in the deal, which is designed to shed new light on the ways that tumors progress. "This collaboration and license agreement reflects the value of Metamark's innovative approach to identifying genes and proteins that drive aggressive behavior of tumors--both in the development of prognostic assays as well as in supporting the discovery and development of novel targeted therapeutics," said Eric Devroe, Ph.D., vice president of business and strategy development at Metamark. Release
> Shares of Progenics ($PGNX) and Salix ($SLXP) surged this morning after the two developers said they had reaped positive data in their late-stage study of oral methylnaltrexone for opioid-induced constipation in subjects with chronic, non-cancer pain. Release
> Woburn, MA-based Excelimmune says that it has raised $12 million from a private investor to back its work on infectious diseases. Release
> The FDA has accepted Pfizer's ($PFE) application for the closely-watched rheumatoid arthritis drug tofacitinib. Report
Pharma News
@FiercePharma: FDA gets interim club to fight drug shortages. News | Follow @FiercePharma
> FDA knocks Sanofi's Multaq down a peg. Article
> Prestige buys rights to GSK OTC meds for $660M. Story
> Pharma fraud fills feds' coffers. News
Biotech Research News
> Scientists keep patient's tumor, healthy cells alive in lab. Item
> Discovery could lead to memory pill for Alzheimer's patients. Story
> Sirt1, in excess, could protect against Huntington's disease. Report
> NIH suspends grants for new biomedical chimp research. News
Manufacturing News
> FDA gets interim club to fight drug shortages. Item
> Eli Lilly bulks up in Ireland. Report
> Celltrion boasts worldwide tech lead in biosimilars. Article
> Sanofi's Shan5 vaccine to restart in 2013. Report
> Catalent rethinks stainless for new bio plant. News
And Finally... New studies confirm just how important vitamin D is to health, but experts are having a hard time defining an optimal dose. Story