@FierceBiotech: Actavis eyes fast-growing biosimilar market. News | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: Biovail, Valeant plan to cut 25% of combined staffs. Get the impression from Reuters that R&D is getting downplayed. Article | Follow @JohnCFierce
> Vertex has added yet another solid block of late-stage data to support its application for the hepatitis C treatment telaprevir. Added to standard therapy, 65 percent of the treatment-resistant patients taking telaprevir were cured of hepatitis C compared to 17 percent of the standard therapy group. An NDA for the therapy is planned for the fourth quarter and analysts give it a high chance of success. Story
> The venture arms of GlaxoSmithKline and Biogen Idec have pumped up iPierian's Series B to $28 million. Google Ventures led the round in July. Report
> Gaithersburg, MD-based Zyngenia says that it raised $15 million in new venture funds from New Enterprise Associates. The money goes toward development of a pipeline of Zybodies, a group of next-gen antibodies. Release
> Forest Laboratories says an FDA panel has unanimously recommended their new antibiotic ceftaroline. A final decision is scheduled for the fourth quarter. Story
> Belgium's Galapagos has struck a deal to acquire Glaxo's Croatian R&D center, which employs 130 staffers. Report
> A federal judge has refused to lift his injunction barring federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Story
> Plexxikon is spelling out its development methods used for PLX4032, an experimental melanoma drug the recently delivered startling results from a small human study. Story
And Finally... The drug-resistant superbug carrying the dread NDM-1 gene has popped up in Japan. Health officials plan to find out if the bug is spreading. Story