Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, said its service division extended an integrated contract drug discovery agreement with South San Francisco-based Genentech Inc., a unit of the Roche Group, which covers a number of drug discovery programs...Genentech Inc., of South San Francisco, a unit of the Roche Group, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Basel, Switzerland-based Novartis AG, said Lucentis (ranibizumab) was approved by Health Canada in retinal vein occlusion (RVO

Medivation Inc., of San Francisco, expects to report interim analysis data this year from its Phase III AFFIRM trial, which is evaluating MDV3100 on overall survival in 1,199 men with advanced prostate cancer who have previously been treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy

Astellas Pharma Inc., of Tokyo, and Medivation Inc., of San Francisco, reported results from a preclinical study that the companies said provided evidence that MDV3100, an oral androgen receptor antagonist in clinical development to treat advanced prostate cancer patients, inhibits proliferation of breast cancer cells

Medivation Inc., of San Francisco, and Astellas Pharma Inc., of Tokyo, reported results from a preclinical study that the companies said provided evidence that MDV3100, an oral androgen receptor antagonist in clinical development to treat advanced prostate cancer patients, inhibits proliferation of breast cancer cells

ACT Biotech Inc., of San Francisco, published a new study showing telatinib has biological activity

Nektar Therapeutics Inc., of San Francisco, received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products for its ovarian cancer candidate, NKTR-102

Exelixis Inc., of South San Francisco, said partner Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, handed back rights to XL281, a RAF kinase inhibitor against solid tumors that had been included in the companies' 2008 collaboration

Genentech Inc., of South San Francisco, plans to begin distributing a new 6 mg/mL Tamiflu for oral suspension this month following labeling changes...Poniard Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Francisco, adjourned its annual meeting until July 22 to get additional proxies to approve a reverse stock split in the range of 1-for-15 to 1-for-25 to regain compliance with Nasdaq's minimum $1 bid requirement

Data were presented at the RNAi Research & Therapeutics conference in San Francisco

CMEA Capital, of San Francisco, launched Velocity Pharmaceutical Development (VPD), a virtual drug development company that will acquire early stage drug candidates, advance them through proof of concept and sell them to drug companies

Five Prime Therapeutics Inc., of South San Francisco, completed a three-year research program with New York-based Pfizer Inc., centered on discovering antibody targets and protein therapeutics for cancer and diabetes

It will retain a small discovery research organization to continue support for partnered programs with Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., Celgene Corp., of Summit, N.J., and Genentech Inc., of South San Francisco, in addition to its wholly owned late-stage development programs

Novozymes Biopharma, of Nottingham, UK, part of Novozymes A/S, said it will present the company's latest research into the development of proteins with extended circulatory half-life later this month at the Next Generation Protein Therapeutics Summit 2011 in San Francisco

Novozymes Biopharma, of Nottingham, UK, part of Novozymes A/S, said it will present the company's latest research into the development of proteins with extended circulatory half-life later this month at the Next Generation Protein Therapeutics Summit 2011 in San Francisco

In other news, Evotec acquired South San Francisco-based Compound Focus Inc., a division of BioFocus, part of Galapagos NV

Oxigene Inc., of South San Francisco, regained compliance with the minimum market value of listed securities requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq

Evotec AG, of Hamburg, Germany, acquired South San Francisco-based Compound Focus Inc., a division of BioFocus, part of Galapagos NV

In other news, Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., of Staines, UK, and Theravance Inc., of South San Francisco, announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency recommended the granting of marketing authorization for Vibativ (telavancin hydrochloride) for the treatment of adults with nosocomial pneumonia including ventilator-associated pneumonia, known or suspected to be caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., of Staines, UK, and Theravance Inc., of South San Francisco, announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency recommended the granting of marketing authorization for Vibativ (telavancin hydrochloride) for the treatment of adults with nosocomial pneumonia including ventilator-associated pneumonia, known or suspected to be caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus