Epic Sciences Inc., of San Diego, received a Phase II SBIR award from the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health to identify and characterize circulating tumor cells in lung cancer patients

The proceeds from the facility, which follows the receipt in November of a $10 million milestone payment from Santarus Inc., of San Diego, related to the positive readout of the pivotal U.S. Phase III study of Ruconest (conestat alfa), will further strengthen the balance sheet and is foreseen to secure Pharming's cash runway throughout the upcoming regulatory approval process in the U.S

Cardium Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, said the NYSE Amex LLC accepted an exchange listing compliance plan from the company after it was notified that it was not in compliance with one of the exchange's listing requirements based on its third-quarter 2012 report...Genoa Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said it is collaborating with researchers at McMaster University to characterize the in vivo advantages and potential clinical impact of Genoa's lead program, inhaled GP-101 (aerosol pirfenidone

Velocity Pharmaceutical Development LLC, of South San Francisco, entered a licensing agreement with EuMederis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, to pursue a drug development program using EuMederis' EuPort technology, which optimizes the pharmaceutical properties of peptide drugs

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said it received a milestone payment of 620,000 shares of common stock in newly public partner Retrophin Inc., of New York, stemming from a license agreement to develop and commercialize Retrophin's lead candidate, RE-021 , formerly known as DARA (a dual-acting receptor antagonist of angiotension and endothelin receptors

Sorrento Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, said it acquired worldwide rights to allow for the application of its antibody library technology for the production of recombinant intravenous immunoglobulins

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., of San Rafael, Calif., acquired Zacharon Pharmaceuticals, a private biotech based in San Diego, for $10 million up front with potential milestones

Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said that the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, granted summary adjudication in Aragon's favor on its Complaint in Intervention against Medivation Inc

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Malvern, Pa., and Xstelos Holdings Inc., of New York, said they received notice that Upsher-Smith Laboratories Inc., of San Diego, filed a 505(b)(2) new drug application containing a Paragraph IV certification for testosterone gel, referring to 10 U.S

Victory Pharma Inc., of San Diego, will pay $11,420,743 to resolve liabilities resulting from marking of Naprelan, Xodol, Fexmid and Dolgic, according to the Justice Department

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said it will receive funding from Fast Forward LLC, a not-for-profit organization established by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and EMD Serono, a subsidiary of Darmstadt, Germany-based Merck KGaA...Trovagene Inc., of San Diego, said it granted Genoptix Inc., a unit of Basel, Switzerland-based Novartis AG, a worldwide, nonexclusive license to incorporate nucleophosmin protein, or NPM1, into research and clinical testing services for acute

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) proposed a rule making San Diego-based Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Belviq (lorcaserin) a Schedule IV drug, based on a recommendation from the assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services and "an evaluation of all other relevant data" by the DEA, including the potential for abuse, scientific evidence of the drug's pharmacological effects, public health risks and potential physiological dependence...MabVax Therapeutics Inc., of San

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, and Pfizer Inc., of New York, said the FDA accepted for review a new drug application for bazedoxifene/conjugated estrogens (BZA/CE), a potential new medicine for non-hysterectomized women for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms and vulvar and vaginal atrophy associated with menopause, as well as the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, is facing an investigation on behalf of shareholders by former SEC attorney Willie Briscoe and securities litigation firm Powers Taylor LLC into the company's sale to Pernix Therapeutics Inc., of The Woodlands, Texas

Pernix Therapeutics Holdings Inc., of The Woodlands, Texas, agreed to acquire Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, in an all-stock transaction

Distribution of Prothena ordinary shares in the demerger is conditioned upon, among other conditions to the demerger, a registration statement filed with the SEC, having been declared effective by the SEC and the affirmative vote of the Elan shareholders...Galderma will continue to supply Restylane and Perlane to Valeant under the same terms and conditions that the products are supplied to Medicis, while Valeant will make undisclosed up-front and royalty payments to Galderma on sales of Sculptra...To

Halozyme Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, said partner Roche AG, of Basel, Switzerland, submitted a line extension application to the European Medicines Agency for a subcutaneous formulation of MabThera (rituximab) for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Cardium Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, said that its current listing is noncompliant based on its quarterly report for the period ended Sept

Immunomedics Inc., of San Diego, reported the development of two bi-specific, hexavalent antibodies created using the company's patented Dock-and-Lock conjugation technology for targeted therapies of various epithelial cancers...Vical Inc., of San Diego, said it inked a worldwide, nonexclusive license for rights to its Vaxfectin adjuvant to Cyvax Inc., a privately held vaccine firm, for use in malaria vaccines