Pfizer's ($PFE) planned $160 billion merger with Allergan ($AGN) has some researchers worried the company will embrace its counterpart's austere approach to R&D and mount major layoffs. As the Financial Times reports, Pfizer top scientist Mikael Dolsten is working to assuage those fears in his department, saying the combined company will find a "sweet spot" in R&D that will preserve Pfizer's long-held commitment to research. Allergan executives, long averse to costly R&D, have "opened their eyes" to the benefits of spending big on early-stage research, Dolsten told FT. But some Pfizer scientists, mindful of pharma M&A history, remain concerned that the company will substantially cut back its R&D budget once the merger closes this summer, according to FT. Story
@FierceBiotech: Oxford team fingers an inflammatory protein as a trigger for cancer. FierceBiotechResearch story | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: AbbVie taps Synlogic to take a microbiomic approach to IBD. News | Follow @JohnCFierce
@DamianFierce: oh to be a fly on the wall as WSJ editors discussed how best to word this paragraph. More/Article (sub. req.) | Follow @DamianFierce
> Biogen ($BIIB) has donated $5 million to the Target ALS Foundation to help launch a program seeking $20 million from other industry contributors to support research into treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. More
> Vice President Joe Biden has appointed policy adviser Don Graves to head up his "moonshot" initiative, designed to accelerate the development of new cancer therapies. News
> Roche's ($RHHBY) lung cancer drug Alecensa, approved in the U.S. last year, succeeded in a Japanese study comparing it with Pfizer's ($PFE) Xalkori, leading investigators to stop the study early. Item
Medical Device News
@FierceMedDev: ICYMI yesterday: BTG, Philips roll out first cancer embolic bead visible via real-time imaging. Article | Follow @FierceMedDev
@EmilyWFierce: Hikma slashes $535M from offer price for Boehringer's U.S. generics biz. FiercePharma story | Follow @EmilyWFierce
> Smith & Nephew to sell OrthAlign precision alignment tech alongside its artificial knees. Story
> As Zika fears spread, Cerus nabs American Red Cross partnership for blood pathogen reduction. Article
Pharma News
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@CarlyHFierce: ICYMI: Actelion exceeds profit estimates as Opsumit, Uptravi make up for aged Tracleer. Report | Follow @CarlyHFierce
> Novartis defies naysayers with newfangled pay-for-performance deals on Entresto. Story
> Hikma slashes $535M from offer price for Boehringer's U.S. generics biz. Article
Pharma Marketing News
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> PhRMA hopes to polish pharma's tarnished rep with patient-focused ad campaign. Article
Biotech Research News
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> NIH researchers find genomic signature common in 5 types of cancer. Article
Vaccines News
> As corporate restructuring looms, Sanofi's vaccines deliver in 2015. More
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> GlaxoSmithKline signs two new vaccine R&D partnerships. Story
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> GSK's vax revenues jump in 2015 while profit, margin slip. Article