@FierceBiotech: "Out of the box, Watson has the knowledge of a first-year medical resident." - IBM's Saxena, manager of Watson program. Article | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: Bloomberg piece makes spike in drug approvals a sign of underlying shift; Really? I'm not so sure. More | Follow @JohnCFierce
@RyanMFierce: BioDelivery Sciences ($BDSI) grabbed $30M upfront from Endo Pharma for license to pain drug. Release | Follow @RyanMFierce
@FierceMedDev: BBC News: Headache sufferer 'abandoned' after electrode treatment. Story | Follow @FierceMedDev
@MaureenFierce: J&J AIDS vaccine helps protect monkeys from virus in study. Item | Follow @MaureenFierce
> Canadian drug developer AEterna Zentaris ($AEZS) has inked a collaboration deal with Roche's Ventana Medical Systems to develop a companion diagnostic to be used with AEterna Zentaris' doxorubicin LHRH targeted conjugate compound, AEZS-108. Item
> Synta Pharmaceuticals ($SNTA) has priced 7 million shares of common stock at $4.40 per share in a public offering expected to bring in $28.6 million after expenses, the Lexington, MA-based drug developer announced Friday. Release
> Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) slammed the brakes on a trial for its approved antibiotic Doribax after the deaths of pneumonia patients who got the drug. Report
> Derek Lowe questions some of the common beliefs about clinical attrition rates in drug development on his In the Pipeline blog. Item
> Biotech startup Civitas has reported upbeat results of its Phase I trial of CVT-301, an inhaled version of L-Dopa for treating Parkinson's disease. Article
Pharma News
@FiercePharma: Watson CEO does about-face, says Pfizer won't keep 40% of Lipitor market. $PFE's share was 41% on Dec. 24--Bloomberg. | Follow @FiercePharma
> Bloomberg: J&J's Risperdal settlement to top $1B. More
> Docs demand Hospira action on execution drug. Story
> Novartis plant's quality control understaffed, inadequately trained, FDA says. Article
> Pfizer's Lipitor promos won't keep share up, Watson CEO says. Piece
> Analysts tap Amgen, Celgene as potential 2012 dealmakers. Report
And Finally... Spy games involving the U.S. and China have entered outer space, according to news reports. Item