March 2011- Volume 7, Issue 3
March 2011
In this Issue
Research & Development
Pfizer shines in Big Apple
Pfizer shines in Big Apple
Drugmaker announces that seven of New York City’s top research hospitals join Global Centers For Therapeutic Innovation
Eyes forward for AMD and more
Eyes forward for AMD and more
Alexion acquires Taligen Therapeutics and creates Translational Medicine Group to accelerate development of expanded portfolio
In the army now
In the army now
Concert Pharma and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research to evaluate neuroprotective drug compound derived from Concert’s deuterated chemical entity platform
A marriage of convenience and passion
A marriage of convenience and passion
Ligand's purchase of CyDex ensures new revenue streams, fully funded partnerships and expanding cash-flow positive drug reformulation business
Rolling the dice with anti-cancer virus
Rolling the dice with anti-cancer virus
Amgen to spend as much as $1 billion to acquire privately held biotech BioVex based on potential of oncology vaccine
Omics & Systems Biology
Genomics for the win against cancer?
Genomics for the win against cancer?
TGen and Genomic Health discover genes affecting cancer drug oxaliplatin, publishing paper calling for more research into mechanisms influencing the drug’s activity
Setting the standard
Setting the standard
European project sets goal of standardizing human genome sequencing
Putting SMA on the map
Putting SMA on the map
Rules-Based Medicine’s MAP platform helps Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation reach biomarkers milestone
Government Watch
Senators urge FDA action on biologics approval
Senators urge FDA action on biologics approval
FDA poised to announce decisions on biologic generics’ entrance into market
Score one for hESC research
Score one for hESC research
A second lawsuit challenging embryonic stem cell research is dismissed by federal appeals court
Drawing the web tighter
Drawing the web tighter
Q&A connects dots between FDA and social media
A new player in drug research?
A new player in drug research?
The proposed National Center for the Advancement of Translational Sciences would help develop medicines, but is it feasible?
Instruments & Informatics
NuGEN and Caliper partner to eliminate NGS sample prep bottlenecks
NuGEN and Caliper partner to eliminate NGS sample prep bottlenecks
Methods are being developed to enable high-throughput, automated extraction, amplification and preparation of difficult and compromised samples for next-generation sequencing
Catching something good with QTRAP
Catching something good with QTRAP
Collaboration with ARUP Laboratories will use AB SCIEX tech platform to develop new clinical research methods for hormone analysis
Busy month for IntegenX
Busy month for IntegenX
Microsample prep company closes $15.6M financing round, acquires GenVault and signs two deals to accelerate commercialization of DNA profiling platform
Precision—not personalized—medicine
Precision—not personalized—medicine
Avantra Biosciences teams with TD2 to speed drug development
Patent News
Stop me if you've heard this before: There’s a Patent Reform Act of 2011
Stop me if you've heard this before: There’s a Patent Reform Act of 2011
The new legislation is intended to accomplish three primary goals: transition to a first-to-file system; improve patent quality; and provide more certainty in litigation.
Editor's Focus
ddn readers explain the ‘brain drain’
ddn readers explain the ‘brain drain’
In response to our February column, readers explain why students in foreign countries choose to advance their education on American soil, only to take their expertise and training abroad later.
Diagnostics
Actient Pharmaceuticals acquires Timm Medical Technologies
Actient Pharmaceuticals acquires Timm Medical Technologies
Timm’s second-tier erectile dysfunction remedy seen as key to the purchase
In search of cures for ‘his and hers’ cancers
In search of cures for ‘his and hers’ cancers
Nuclea Biotech teams with Boston Medical Center on biomarker development
Probing cancer cells’ ‘ecosystem’
Probing cancer cells’ ‘ecosystem’
Pervasis Therapeutics, MIT sign patent license agreement to halt progression of cancer cells
Off the auction block
Off the auction block
Novartis tenders all-cash offer for challenged Genoptix at $25 per share
Dovetailing into diagnostics
Dovetailing into diagnostics
PerkinElmer acquires chemagen Biopolymer-Technologie, the company’s partner for nucleic acid analysis, in effort to better serve the MDx market
Danaher’s diagnostic deal
Danaher’s diagnostic deal
Acquisition-hungry company offers to acquire Beckman Coulter for about $6.8 billion
Global News
A Valeant effort
A Valeant effort
Seeking a stronger European presence, Canada’s Valeant Pharmaceuticals acquires Switzerland-based PharmaSwiss for more than $500 million
Teva reaches into Peru for a purchase
Teva reaches into Peru for a purchase
Acquisition of Corporacion Infarmasa will expand Teva's Latin America presence
Merck takes the Lead in cancer drug development
Merck takes the Lead in cancer drug development
Merck KgaA, Lead Discovery Centre sign cooperative agreement for anti- cancer compounds discovery
Taking some hits (in a good way)
Taking some hits (in a good way)
Evotec to collaborate with Takeda Cambridge for multitarget hit identification
Moving to multicenter
Moving to multicenter
Aushon BioSystems and Peking University Cancer Hospital collaborate on diagnostic biomarkers for liver metastases of colorectal cancer
Companies ink deals in India
Companies ink deals in India
QIAGEN, Daiichi Sankyo and Quintiles are latest companies to invest in this emerging market
Done deal for Genzyme
Done deal for Genzyme
sanofi- aventis finalizes agreement to acquire Genzyme for $20.1 billion, up from earlier $18.5 billion offer
Feature
Putting an extra “e” in cancer research
Putting an extra “e” in cancer research
American Association for Cancer Research puts Internet to work, with most sessions of AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 to be webcast
Orlando visitor highlights
Orlando visitor highlights
Our coverage of just a few things you can do while you’re in the Orlando area for the AACR annual meeting
Commentary
Using patient- relevant models to enhance cancer drug development
Using patient- relevant models to enhance cancer drug development
There is a growing need within the pharmaceutical and biotech industries for more “challenging” preclinical modeling for cancer drug development. It is essential to use patient-relevant models to evaluate the cancer medicines of the future in order to ensure that preclinical efficacy assessment is predictive of how the drug is likely to behave in clinical trials with cancer patients.
