In its largest deal to date, RNAi firm Silence Therapeutics plc is partnering with AstraZeneca plc in a potential £200 million (US$400 million) to develop drugs against respiratory disease targets. (BioWorld Today)

Casting a wide clinical net has its drawbacks - cost, mainly - and its advantages, such as better chances of finding efficacy. But even the positive point isn't always entirely so, as Cytokinetics Inc. found out late last month, when its good/bad news regarding ispinesib, its kinesin spindle protein (KSP) inhibitor for cancer. (BioWorld Financial Watch)