@FierceBiotech: Dendreon, Acorda, Orexigen and Medivation CEOs talk up new deals for a new year at BIO CEO. Article | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: Acorda is hiring as it rolls out Ampyra. CEO Ron Cohen: "We're busting at the seams." Follow @JohnCFierce
> Sources tell Reuters that GlaxoSmithKline is considering spinning off some of its R&D work in Verona, Italy as it ponders deep cuts to the staff there. The sources report that Glaxo is considering bundling some of the neuroscience R&D work it does in Verona and making it into a separate business while retaining an equity stake. But they add that the talks are at a very early stage. Story
> The start-up, Indianapolis-based ImmuneWorks says it has received funding for work on new lung disease therapies. Story
> Micromet has settled a claim that was brought against it by Curis. Report
> ImmuneRegen BioSciences has inked a deal with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to commence studies utilizing ImmuneRegen's Homspera. Release
> An infusion of Gilead's AmbiSome cured virtually every case of visceral leishmaniasis in a recent trial. Story
Pharma News
@FiercePharma: Big Patent Expirations of 2010. Special Report | Follow @FiercePharma
> Is the iDrugstore next? Not exactly, but pharma companies are teaming up with tech to better market their drugs. Marketing article
> While much of Big Pharma is zigging toward generic drugs, AstraZeneca is zagging. CEO David Brennan told The Economist's Pharma Summit that he's plenty happy to be focused on branded drugs. That's where the profits will be for his company, he said. AstraZeneca report
> The WSJ notes that there were some holes in the earnings Sanofi presented yesterday. Sanofi report
> Is Pfizer still in the race for Ratiopharm? Report
Vaccine News
> An epidemic of obesity in American teens is forcing clinicians to reconsider how they vaccinate young people. Story
> Sanofi-Aventis saw its net profit surge in the fourth quarter of 2009 as sales of the H1N1 vaccine hit 465 million euros (roughly $638.3 million). Report
> Since The Lancet's recent decision to formally retract the controversial study connecting autism and childhood vaccines, there has been endless discussion about the enormous long-term fallout from the study. Article
Pharma Manufacturing News
> Risk evaluation and mitigation strategies--mandated measures to ensure the safe use of certain drugs--may be driving changes in drug distribution. Story
> ChemNutra, a pet food supplier, and principals Sally and Steve Miller are paying $35,000 in fines after pleading guilty to misdemeanor violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Report
> The Canadian government is holding out hope for construction of an HIV vaccine manufacturing facility with the Gates Foundation, but the Winnipeg-based International Centre for Infectious Diseases will not be part of the plan. Article
And Finally... Stuttering may be the result of a glitch in the day-to-day process by which cellular components in key regions of the brain are broken down and recycled, says a study in the Feb. 10 Online First issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Release