| Today's Top Story |  |  | | - Financial crisis brings more biotech partnerships
Amid the financial crisis that began in 2008, large pharmaceutical companies have stepped in and struck more partnerships with small biotech companies. "We are doing around 50 to 60 partnership deals a year now, compared to around 30 deals per year before the crisis," Roche Holding's Dan Zabrowski said. Consultancy firm McKinsey said an increasing number of drug companies are entering deals to add to their pipelines and raise the chances of getting drugs to the market. The Wall Street Journal (12/8)        | Maximize Your Business's Potential.
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  - Pfizer's kidney cancer drug Inlyta gains FDA panel's support
An FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended that Pfizer's Inlyta, or axitinib, be approved to treat metastatic kidney cancer in patients for whom initial therapy failed. The oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor appears as effective as approved therapies, such as Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Bayer's Nexavar, advisers said. Inlyta also has a distinct toxicity profile that could be useful for those who cannot tolerate older drugs, said Dr. Wyndham Wilson, the panel's chairman. The FDA is expected to decide on approval during the first half of 2012. Reuters (12/7) - Vaccine by nasal spray shows promise against norovirus
Patients given a nasal-spray vaccine by LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals were less likely to develop gastrointestinal symptoms caused by norovirus compared with those who received placebo, a company-sponsored study found. The finding appears in The New England Journal of Medicine. It will take a few more years of testing before the vaccine can reach the market, a researcher said. WebMD (12/7) - Experts ID gene mutation that boosts triglyceride breakdown
A study of two families found that those with mutations in the GALNT2 gene fared better than those who do not have the mutation in clearing triglycerides in the blood. Researchers said the mutated GALNT2 gene does not modify the apolipoprotein C-III, decreasing the latter's ability to inhibit an enzyme that breaks down triglycerides. The findings appear in Cell Metabolism. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (12/6) - Study: Gene mutation causes stuttering
Stuttering is caused by three mutations in the NAGPA gene, which controls the recycling process in individual cells but is not involved in vocal functions, U.S. researchers reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Findings suggest that stuttering can be stopped if the NAGPA gene will work properly and send the proteins to where they should be. Study leader Stuart A. Kornfeld said "this is biochemical evidence that these mutations are meaningful and not just markers of some other genetic change that is the real cause." The Riverfront Times (St. Louis)/Science & Technology blog (12/6) - Lysosomal storage disorder cases are higher than expected in study
Researchers who analyzed dried blood spots collected from 34,736 newborns in an Austrian newborn screening program found that 1 per 2,315 babies had lysosomal storage disorder, much higher than the previous estimated incidence of 1 per 7,700 births. The most frequent mutations found were for Fabry's disease and then for Pompe's disease and Gaucher's disease. The "frequency, positive predictive value, and technical practicability make nationwide neonatal screening for lysosomal storage disorders technically feasible," researchers said. Medscape (free registration) (12/2)  | The Changing Role of Chemistry in Drug Discovery
This Thomson Reuters report delivers an in-depth review of the changing role of Chemistry and of Chemists in today's drug discovery research programs. With input from many key pharmaceutical industry players, supported with data from Thomson Reuters IntegritySM, it examines how life in drug discovery has changed and how it will continue to adapt in the future. Access the report here! |
 - AstraZeneca to restructure in U.S.
AstraZeneca will reduce its sales force by 1,150 workers in the U.S. as part of a restructuring intended to save the British drugmaker about $1.9 billion annually. Spokesman Tony Jewell said the move is "driven by the need to effectively compete in a challenging environment." USA TODAY/The Associated Press (12/7)  - British Sinclair IS Pharma to buy Advanced Bio-Technologies
U.K.-based dermatological and wound care products maker Sinclair IS Pharma has announced plans to acquire Advanced Bio-Technologies. The move will give Sinclair ownership of Kelo-cote, ABT's product for scar prevention and treatment, in more markets outside the U.S., including Brazil, China and Korea. Reuters (12/8)  | Beyond Turbidity: In Situ Monitoring and Control of Complex Particle and Droplet Systems — This whitepaper explains the options available for real-time in-process monitoring and control of suspensions and emulsions and provides guidelines for selecting the right technology for the work being performed. Download the whitepaper. |
| Food & Agriculture | | | | - Mahyco to introduce biotech rice and okra in India
Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds is planning to launch its new biotech rice and okra in the Indian market within a year. Field trials showed that the products could boost rice production by at least 20% and okra yield by 30%. "We are very close to regulatory approval," Mahyco managing director Raju Barwale said. Business Standard (India) (12/8) | Industrial & Environmental | | | | | News from BIO | | | | - BIOtechNOW
BIOtechNOW is the first in a number of new products from BIO intended to enhance our communications with the biotech community -- not only with our members, but with other stakeholders as well. This monthly e-newsletter, combined with its website, serves as our flagship in that effort. BIOtechNOW will offer original content that emphasizes the business needs of the industry; highlight BIO's advocacy efforts; and provide a portal to all BIO activities and events. Most importantly, it will spotlight for those outside the industry the value of biotechnology. Sign up for the monthly BIOtechNOW e-newsletter.
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