Shire ($SHPG) has snatched up a pair of buildings in its home base of Lexington, MA, according to the Boston Business Journal, absorbing lab and office space once occupied by Cubist Pharmaceuticals. The two buildings add up to about 177,000 square feet and boost Shire's footprint in the area to more than 1 million square feet, the Journal reports. Shire has been on an expansion binge since AbbVie's ($ABBV) effort to buy it fell apart last year. The company is awaiting the close of a $32 billion merger with Baxalta ($BXLT) that management says will make it the world's largest maker of treatments for rare diseases. News
@FierceBiotech: Google backs Cambridge epigenetics spinoff in a $21M round. Article | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: NEJM correction acknowledges CAR developers Dario Campana and Chihaya Imai. More | Follow @JohnCFierce
> KaloBios, working through bankruptcy proceedings, has lined up loans that could help it stay in business, but with a catch: Would-be financier Black Horse Capital is only willing to hand over cash if the company guarantees that embattled former CEO Martin Shkreli holds less than 20% of its shares, the Wall Street Journal reports. More
> AstraZeneca ($AZN) investors are pushing to tie the company's executive compensation to how well it performs against revenue goals. Article
Medical Device News
@FierceMedDev: San Diego startup raises $25M+ for prostate cancer genomics just after launch of latest test. Article | Follow @FierceMedDev
@EmilyWFierce: $WOOF charges ahead with $344M deal for vet hospital chain CAPNA. FierceAnimalHealth story | Follow @EmilyWFierce
> GSK supercharges R&D for miniaturized bioelectronic nerve implant for chronic disease. Story
> GE-backed deep learning startup Arterys bumps up Series A to $12M+ as it nears cardio launch, goes into oncology. Article
Pharma News
@FiercePharma: ICYMI: VA to stop restricting hep C drugs, offering them to all infected veterans. More | Follow @FiercePharma
@EricPFierce: ICYMI from FiercePharmaManufacturing: Vertex, committed to continuous manufacturing, has Hovione build plant to complement the one it already has. Article | Follow @EricPFierce
@CarlyHFierce: Teva speeds toward Allergan deal close with EU thumbs up. Report | Follow @CarlyHFierce
> Pfizer wins stay from Indian court after regulator bans popular cough syrups. News
> Hospitals join drug price-fighting battalion with plans to crack down on spending. More
Animal Health News
> Figo brings home $4M to spur development of mobile tech for pet owners. Story
> Ceva makes strides toward animal health dominance with strong 2015 sales. Article
> VCA charges ahead with $344M deal for vet hospital chain CAPNA. Report
> Head of FDA's Veterinary Medicine program moves to greener pastures. Item
> Zoetis and Merial ink pact to market drugs and vaccines for dairy cattle in India. News
Biotech IT News
> Medidata stutters in attempt to recoup $4.8M in wire fraud losses. Item
> Ambry starts genetic data dump with release of 10,000 exome cancer repository. More
> Genstar flips eClinical player ERT to Nordic Capital for 8-times return. Report
> Boehringer signs up to use Genedata biologics R&D data platform. Story
> PatientsLikeMe taps AstraZeneca, Roche for cash to fuse outcomes, clinical and molecular data. Article
Pharma Marketing News
> Pfizer widens Xalkori's reach with another targeted lung cancer approval. Report
> Novo's combo med Xultophy set for blockbuster-plus sales, analyst figures. More
> India reclears Roche's Avastin for off-label eye sales. Item
> Merck's Keytruda held back by docs who don't want to wait for diagnostics. Story
> Sarilumab's new Humira-beating data poses another threat to AbbVie's megablockbuster sales. Article