@FierceBiotech: ICYMI: Johnson & Johnson, Evotec bask in Harvard's breaking diabetes discovery. Story | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: Union wants AstraZeneca to rethink the big Cambridge move, but I don't see it. A reversal would look like schizophrenia. Article | Follow @JohnCFierce
@RyanMFierce: Shunned Gilead/Bristol-Myers hep C combo may be too good for docs to ignore. Story | Follow @RyanMFierce
> Dublin-based Opsona Therapeutics has raised $43 million to fund a midstage study of its lead drug OPN-305. The experimental therapy is an anti-inflammatory antibody that targets Toll-like-receptor-2. This upcoming study will test the efficacy and safety of the drug in renal transplant patients at high risk of delayed graft function. Existing investors Novartis Venture Fund, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Roche Venture Fund and Seroba Kernel Life Sciences stepped up, joining a consortium that has also added BB Biotech Ventures, Sunstone Capital, Baxter Ventures, Amgen Ventures, and EMBL Ventures. "The innate immune system represents a new frontier in targeting inflammatory diseases, and the quality of venture and corporate investors in this funding round is a demonstration of Opsona's expertise and capabilities in this highly promising field," says CEO Martin Welschof. Release
> Heptares Therapeutics says it gained a payment from Takeda after picking up all of its research milestones laid out in a pact covering a GPCR target. Release
> Oxford BioTherapeutics has forged a collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim on novel cancer antibodies. Story
> Cara Therapeutics and Maruishi Pharmaceutical Company have inked a licensing deal providing Maruishi "with exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize Cara's lead analgesic drug candidate, CR845, for acute pain and uremic pruritus in Japan." Release
@FierceMedDev: Touch-sensitive robot arm envisioned, in part, as patient care device. Item | Follow @FierceMedDev
@MarkHFierce: We had a fruitful week at BIO 2013 in Chicago. Check out the highlights. Slideshow | Follow @MarkHFierce
@DamianFierce: In case you missed it over the weekend, Quintiles finally priced its IPO, seeking $790M. News | Follow @DamianFierce
> Bayer to grab birth control device maker Conceptus for $1.1B. Story
> Judge tosses Smith & Nephew hip lawsuit. More
> RainDance draws Myriad Genetics into $20M Series E. Article
Pharma News
@FiercePharma: ICYMI yesterday: Shunned Gilead/Bristol-Myers hep C combo may be too good for docs to ignore. More | Follow @FiercePharma
> On verge of $13B merger, Valeant and Actavis stop talking. News
> Hooters or Nobu, Novartis doc-dinners are kickbacks, feds say. Story
> Jury hits Takeda with $6.5M judgment in first Actos liability case. Article
CRO News
> AMRI inks 5-year CDMO deal with Ono. Story
> Biocon's CRO now largest in India. Article
> Catalent quadruples biologics capacity with new plant. More
> Icon's revenue soars 26% in Q1. Report
Biotech IT News
> AZ helps NHS develop social media app for U.K. market. More
> Medidata's profit up 51% in Q1 compared to last year as customer base grows. Report
> 'Jeff Bezos of bioinformatics' finds capital and customers for startup. Story
> Treato scores $14.5M VC round, tackles social media analytics for pharma. Article
And Finally… The National Science Foundation reports that 22 of the nation's 39 federally funded R&D centers employed 3,011 postdocs in 2010. Release