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Educating a New Generation of Women Leaders in the Biosciences
A unique
group of life science professionals is gearing up for conference in
Southern California like none other in the nation. The second annual
Next Generation Bioscience Leader's forum will take place from January
19-23 in Claremont, California. The gathering will feature 22 guest
speakers, including eight female CEOs from across the life science
industry. Its entire focus is educating a new generation of women
leaders in the biosciences.
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AAAS elects 486 members as fellows
In
November, the AAAS Council elected 486 members as Fellows of AAAS.
These individuals will be recognized for their contributions to science
and technology at the Fellows Forum to be held on 14 February 2009
during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago. The new Fellows will receive
a certificate and a blue and gold rosette as a symbol of their
distinguished accomplishments.
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FDA education program wins award
"FDA
Patient Safety News," the FDA's monthly video series for health care
professionals, has won the Cheers Award from the Institute for Safe
Medication Practices (ISMP) for efforts to improve the safe use of
medical products and prevent medical errors.
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First 'Placebo Gene' discovered by University of Gothenburg and Uppsala Universitet researchers
It
is a well-known fact in drug trials that individuals can respond just
as well to placebos, sugar pills, as to the active drug. On the other
hand, it is difficult to explain why only certain people get better
from placebos. A team of researchers from Uppsala University and
Gothenburg University have now found gene variants that can impact the
placebo effect and a mechanism in the brain that characterizes those
who respond to placebos.
Read >> |
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Rule change for human grants sparks spat at NIH
The US
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is thinking of giving researchers
who work with human subjects some space: 18 pages instead of 12 to set
out their grant proposals.
The proposed change, presented on 5 December at a meeting of the NIH
director's advisory committee, goes back on a suggestion made this
spring by a panel overhauling the agency's peer-review system .
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Entelos’ bold initiative
Imagine
having the ability to take your health information and your lifestyle
– turn them into a picture of your health now and your predicted
health in the future. Imagine the ability to see how that picture
changes based on changes in your lifestyle. And to use that information
to create a health plan tailored to your lifestyle and health choices.
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Grappling with next generation data-glut
Vendors
continue to release significant upgrades in their next-generation
sequencing platforms, and the challenges of handling and analyzing all
that data continues to frustrate users. CHI’s Exploring
Next-Generation Sequencing meeting was complemented with a new track on
data analysis to explore this issue.
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Systems Biology Becomes Predictive Biomedicine
In
September, Bio-IT World™'s monthly Systems Biology newsletter
will become Predictive Biomedicine, a somewhat broadened newsletter
with an increased, biweekly frequency, and a continued focus on the
leading edge of computational biology.
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NIH Molecular libraries program
With the
ending of the MLI pilot phase, the MLI has become the Molecular
Libraries Program (MLP) with a focus on probe discovery and
development. The MLP is a full-scale production phase where the program
emphasis will be on the generation of high quality probes and
biological-chemical data for high-value targets.
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Tripos International Completes Acquisition of Pharsight Corporation
Tripos
International, the leading provider of drug discovery informatics
products and services, today announced that it has completed the
acquisition of Pharsight Corporation, a leader in software, strategic
and regulatory services designed to optimize clinical drug development.
The transaction, valued at
approximately $57 million, moves Pharsight into the Tripos portfolio.
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FDA Approves New Drug to Alleviate Moderate to Severe Pain
The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration has approved Tapentadol hydrochloride, an
immediate-release oral tablet for the relief of moderate to severe
acute pain. Tapentadol is a centrally-acting synthetic analgesic that
is available in doses of 50 mg, 75 mg, or 100 mg.
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| 12 |
FDA
approves Promacta® (eltrombopag), the first oral medication to
increase platelet production for people with serious blood disorder
GlaxoSmithKline
today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) granted accelerated approval for Promacta® (eltrombopag) for
the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic immune
(idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) who have had an
insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins or
splenectomy.
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Meet the new Nobel Laureates
Twelve new
people join the distinguished ranks of Nobel Laureates now numbering
809. Once again the scope of awarded discoveries takes us on a journey,
from international trade and the source of global epidemics at one
extreme, to glowing jellyfish proteins and particle physics at the
other.
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Grand Challenges for Global Health (GCGH) invites applications for Grand Challenges Explorations Round 2.
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Bio-IT World 2009 Best Practices Awards
Bio-IT World
is seeking submissions to its 2009 Best Practices Awards. This
prestigious awards program is designed to recognize outstanding
examples of technology and strategic innovation—initiatives and
collaborations that manifestly improve some facet of the R&D/drug
development/clinical trial process.
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Microsoft’s growing push into life sciences
Many folks
wonder what Microsoft’s eventual play in the life sciences will
be. Clearly biomedical research looks more and more like an exercise in
digital content integration, management, and mining. Within the last
few years, Microsoft – and others – awakened to
opportunities in healthcare writ large, and to biomedical research as a
key piece of that enterprise.
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Pfizer and UCB announce formation of new company ‘Cyclofluidic’ to accelerate drug discovery process
Pfizer Ltd
(NYSE:PFE) (LSE:PFZ) and UCB today announced the formation of
Cyclofluidic, a breakthrough technology company established with the
aim of significantly accelerating the drug discovery process by
allowing researchers to test a greater range of potential new medicines
in a shorter time. The UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board
has helped facilitate this innovative arrangement between Pfizer and
UCB and will continue to support Cyclofluidic by co-funding its
R&D.
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Ranbaxy and Daiichi Sankyo move forward toward the completion of the Landmark Deal
Ranbaxy
Laboratories Limited (NSE/BSE: Ranbaxy/500359) (“Ranbaxy”)
and Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited (TSE: 4568.JP) (“Daiichi
Sankyo”) today announced that t he Committee of the Board
of Directors of Ranbaxy at its meeting held today, approved the
allotment of Equity Shares and Warrants on a preferential basis
to Daiichi Sankyo.
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GeneSpring GX 10.0 released
Agilent
Technologies Inc., (NYSE: A) and Strand Life Sciences today introduced
Agilent GeneSpring GX 10.0, the next generation of Agilent’s
flagship microarray bioinformatics platform. GeneSpring GX now offers
tools for systems-level data interpretation and pathway analysis,
enabling scientists to attain a new level of insight into the
underlying mechanism of disease or biological process.
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Enlight Biosciences Launched in Collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer, and Eli Lilly
Enlight Biosciences, a new Boston-based company conceived by PureTech Ventures
together with several major pharmaceutical companies, announced today that it
will direct up to $39M to advance breakthrough technologies
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Tripos to acquire Pharsight Corporation
Tripos, a
leading provider of drug discovery informatics products and services,
and Pharsight Corporation (NASDAQ: PHST), a leading provider of
software, strategic, and regulatory services designed tooptimize
clinical drug development, today announced they have entered into a
definitive
agreement for Pharsight to be acquired by Tripos for approximately $57 million in cash.
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Valeant Pharmaceuticals buys Coria Laboratories for $95 mn
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has signed an agreement to acquire Coria
Laboratories, a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company focused on
dermatology products in the US.
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| 23 |
Australia issues first license to clone human embryo
Australian medical regulator National Health and Medical Research Council
(NHMRC) has issued license to a Sydney firm to create cloned human embryo to
obtain embryonic stem cells.
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Biovail buys Prestwick Pharmaceuticals
Canada’s Biovail Corp has acquired Prestwick Pharmaceuticals, a privately held,
US-based pharmaceutical company for $100 million.
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Shionogi & Co., Ltd to acquire Sciele Pharma, Inc.
Shionogi
& Co., Ltd. and Sciele Pharma, Inc. announced that they have
entered into a definitive agreement under which Shionogi & Co.,
Ltd. will acquire Sciele Pharma, Inc. Anzeige. Under the terms of
agreement and pursuant to a tender offer, Shionogi will acquire all the
outstanding shares of Sciele’s common stock at a price of $31 per
share, for a total equity purchase price of approximately $1.1
billion.
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Strand
gets Innovation grant from IAVI
The International AIDS Vaccine
Initiative (IAVI) has named Lipoxen, PLC, a leading UK-based
biopharmaceutical company, and Strand Life Sciences, as the latest
award recipients of the organization’s Innovation
Fund—a
new seed capital fund designed to bring novel, early-stage technologies
to the field of AIDS vaccine research.
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| 27 |
Daiichi-Sankyo
acquires majority interest in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited
Daiichi acquires majority
interest in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited.
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| 28 |
BRAIN
Expands Its BioArchive By the Acquisition of Genetic Resources for
White Biotech Screening From MerLion Pharmaceuticals GmbH
The White Biotech company BRAIN
AG has
acquired specific gene based industrial biotech assets of MerLion
Pharmaceuticals GmbH. The assets include selected microbial strains, a
substantial gene collection (Tool-Box) encoding modifying enzymes and a
huge collection of cosmid libraries.
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| 29 |
Sano
Pasteur to donate vaccine to WHO
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines
division
of Sanofi-Aventis Group, will donate 60 million doses of H5N1 vaccine
to the World Health Organization (WHO) over three years for the
establishment of an H5N1 vaccine global stockpile.
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| 30 |
Dr.
Reddy's distribution agreement for Ibuprufen
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, a global pharmaceutical company
with headquarters in Hyderabad, India has signed a global distribution
agreement for Ibuprofen API with Albemarle Corporation, a US-based
specialty chemicals company.
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| 31 |
Biocon
and Abraxis BioScience Launch ABRAXANE in India for Treatment of Breast
Cancer
Biocon Limited, India's
pioneering
biotechnology company, and Abraxis BioScience, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABII), a
fully integrated biotechnology company, today announced the launch of
ABRAXANE® (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable
suspension) (albumin-bound) in India for the treatment of breast cancer
after failure of combination therapy for metastatic disease or relapse
within six months of adjuvant chemotherapy.
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| 32 |
Cancer
Molecular Diagnostics
Roche Diagnostics Ltd. today
announced
that they will support the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (OxBRC) -
a partnership between the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust and
University of Oxford - in the development of solutions enabling
improved genetic and cytogenetic testing.
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| 33 |
Lilly
sells its Greenfield operations to Covance
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced that Covance Inc. (NYSE: CVD),
one of the world's leading drug development services companies, will buy and
operate Lilly's Greenfield Laboratories located in Greenfield, Indiana.
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| 34 |
Gilead
and Merc enter into an agreement
Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Merck
& Co., Inc. announced that the companies have entered into an
agreement through which Gilead will assume the lead role for the
distribution of Atripla(R) (efavirenz 600 mg/ emtricitabine 200 mg/
tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg) in 12 countries located primarily
in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.
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| 35 |
Cadila
Pharma to launch world's first Rabeprazole Intravenous dosage in India
The Ahmedabad-based Cadila
Pharmaceuticals (CPL) would be launching the first intravenous (IV)
dosage form of the anti-ulcerant drug rabeprazole sodium in the world.
The company, which introduced the solid dosage of the drug, Rabeloc,
for the first time in the country in 2002, has received the DCGI
approval to manufacture and market the IV formulation recently.
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