VistaGen Therapeutics Inc., of South San Francisco, said it inked a drug rescue deal with Cato BioVentures and its CRO partner, Cato Research, to collaborate on identifying, evaluating, rescuing and developing small-molecule drug candidates that were discontinued in late-stage preclinical development due to heart or liver toxicity, despite positive efficacy data

Genentech Inc., of South San Francisco, a unit of the Roche Group, said the FDA accepted its biologics license application and granted priority review for pertuzumab in combination with Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy in HER2-positive metastatic or locally recurrent, unresectable breast cancer patients who have not received previous treatment or whose disease has relapsed after adjuvant therapy...Jennerex Inc., of San Francisco, published data in Molecular Therapy that validated

Veracyte Inc., of South San Francisco, signed a deal with Paris-based Sanofi SA's Genzyme unit for the global promotion of Veracyte's Afirma Thyroid FNA Analysis diagnostic for thyroid cancer

Immunomedics Inc., of San Francisco, said a blood test based on its humanized antibody, clivatuzumab, correctly identified nearly two-thirds of patients with early stage pancreatic cancer

Sanofi SA, of Paris, entered a $3.1 million collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco, to identify drug targets for Type I and Type II diabetes...On Jan. 4, Vernalis announced a drug discovery collaboration with South San Francisco-based Genentech Inc., a unit of Roche AG

Burrill and Co., of San Francisco, completed the first close of its Burrill Brazil Fund I for a total of $125 million

1 million collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco, to identify drug targets for Type I and Type II diabetes

Astellas Pharma Inc., of Tokyo, and Theravance Inc., of South San Francisco, reported that Astellas is terminating the global licensing agreement for Vibativ (telavancin) for injection, a bactericidal, once-daily lipoglycopeptide antibiotic discovered by Theravance

Astellas Pharma Inc., of Tokyo, and Theravance Inc., of South San Francisco, reported that Astellas is terminating the global licensing agreement for Vibativ (telavancin) for injection, a bactericidal, once-daily lipoglycopeptide antibiotic discovered by Theravance...II, of San Francisco, entered a collaborative development agreement with Pfizer Inc., of New York, to conduct a Phase III trial in Asia of Pfizer's investigational axitinib for the adjuvant treatment of patients at high risk of

Celtaxsys Inc., of San Francisco, acquired CTX-4430 (formerly EP-501) from Estrellita Pharmaceuticals Inc., also of San Francisco

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., said it signed a nonexclusive license and partial settlement agreement with South San Francisco-based Genentech Inc. (now part of the Roche Group) relating to U.S

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of Princeton, N.J., and the Gladstone Institutes, of San Francisco, formed a discovery-based research collaboration to identify and validate Alzheimer's disease targets...Poniard Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Francisco, and Allozyne Inc., of Seattle, will terminate a merger and reorganization agreement dated June 22, following a determination that the common stock of the combined company would not qualify for listing on Nasdaq

Acumen Pharmaceuticals Inc., of South San Francisco, Calif., said partner Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (formerly Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck & Co. Inc.) terminated the companies' agreement to develop amyloid-derived diffusible ligand targeted antibody therapeutics and diagnostics for Alzheimer's disease

AvidBiotics Inc., of South San Francisco, published new research results in PLoS Genetics regarding mutation of DNA sequences by diversity-generating elements for the purpose of directing changes in a protein molecule

Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of South San Francisco, started a multiyear collaboration with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in support of the MMRF's Personalized Medicine Initiative, which is designed to enable the molecular characterization of patients with multiple myeloma and advance the development of new targeted treatments

Azanta Danmark A/S, of Hellerup, Denmark, and Oxigene Inc., of South San Francisco, created an alliance to provide access to the vascular disrupting agent Zybrestat (fosbretabulin) to treat patients in Europe and Canada with anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) on a compassionate use basis...Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said that Genentech Inc., of South San Francisco, and Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., appealed the judgment in favor of GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, in a patent

Napo Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Francisco, said it terminated its 2005 collaboration with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Mumbai, India, which licensed rights to crofelemer to Glenmark for development and commercialization in more than 140 countries for both acute and chronic watery diarrhea...Oxigene Inc., of South San Francisco, and Azanta Danmark A/S, of Hellerup, Denmark, created an alliance to provide access to the vascular disrupting agent Zybrestat (fosbretabulin) to treat patients in

VistaGen Therapeutics Inc., of South San Francisco, is collaborating with Synterys Inc., of Union City, Calif., to further VistaGen's stem cell technology-based drug rescue initiatives

Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said that Genentech Inc., of South San Francisco, and Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., appealed the judgment in favor of GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, in a patent infringement case involving Arzerra, Genmab's anti-CD20 antibody, which is partnered with GSK and marketed in the U.S