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Archive for May, 2009

‘Congress’ explores state of personalized medicine

Friday, May 29th, 2009

So whatâ€™s really holding up the transformation of personalized medicine from dream to reality? After all, most agree the idea of targeting new drugs to specific patients is an appealing concept both medically and commercially. Well, there are several factors to blame for the slow journey, but the biggest culprits ...

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Swine flu battle rages on

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

With the number of swine flu deaths over 100, scientists are getting closer to developing a vaccine. Companies like Sanofi Pasteur, Vical, and CSL are a few that have made headlines. Sanofi Pasteur received the new seed virus to begin production of a H1N1 vaccine. The company expects the development process ...

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U.S. sets aside $1 billion for swine flu vaccine

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

The money will be used for clinical trials this summer and for the production of two bulk ingredients that will be placed in a federal stockpile to be used if officials decide to go ahead with a large-scale H1N1 vaccination program, according to published reports. The Wall Street Journal notes that ...

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New J&J deal has teeth

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

M&A fever has cooled off some in recent weeks, but just in time to wet your Memorial Day weekend appetite, a juicy little deal was served up yesterday. Johnson & Johnson has agreed with Cougar Biotechnology Inc. to acquire the California-based company for about $1 billion in cash, or $43 ...

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With Dr. Alan Sachs of Merck and Dr. Sean Harper of Amgen

Monday, May 18th, 2009

I had two interviews this afternoon at BIO 2009; one with Dr. Alan Sachs, VP, RNA Therapeutics, Merck Research Laboratories, and Dr. Sean Harper, chief medical officer and senior VP of global development, Amgen. Both do have something in common other than being at BIO 2009. "Oh, I know Alan!" Dr. ...

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A talk with Yeoh Keat Chuan

Monday, May 18th, 2009

I had an opportunity to sit down with Mr. Yeoh, executive director, biomedical sciences, for the Singapore Economic Development Board. Singapore's Biopolis, established in 2000 and continuing to expand (the third phase expansion of 400,000 square feet will be ready in 2010), serves as model of success for biotech hubs. ...

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Live from BIO 2009

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Thousands of biotech and pharma executives from all over the world have converged on Atlanta for this convention, which showcases the R&D and manufacturing activities of hundreds of companies active in the biotech sector. Even at the hotel I am staying at, a budget one not on the official BIO ...

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Cheerio crackdown

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

It's a rare thing when amusing news comes out of FDA, but, in my opinion, the Great Cheerios Caper of 2009 qualifies as an exception. As you may have heard by now, FDA recently sent an official warning letter to General Mills claiming that the labeling on Cheerios boxes is in ...

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‘Most of’ biotech industry will outlast recession

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Thatâ€™s the opinion of BIO president and CEO James Greenwood, who recently chatted with a Boston Globe reporter about several issues facing the embattled biotech industry. Echoing numbers cited in last weekâ€™s Ernst and Young report, he says 50% of publicly traded biotech companies are down to their last 12 months ...

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E&Y: Emerging trends could save biotech

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Ernst and Young today released the 2009 installment in its long-running â€œBeyond bordersâ€ series, the firmâ€™s annual assessment of the global biotechnology industry (you can request a copy of the report here). As you can imagine, E&Y experts have concluded what many other analysts are saying â€“ the global financial ...

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