The troubled development path of Alteon Inc.'s lead candidate alagebrium came to a temporary stop in two indications, after an interim look at Phase IIb data showed the drug failed to work against systolic hypertension, and the FDA put on clinical hold a Phase IIa trial with the same compound as a therapy for erectile dysfunction in diabetics. (BioWorld Today)

Less than a month after getting a special protocol assessment from the FDA for the second Phase III trial with its GVAX prostate-cancer vaccine, Cell Genesys Inc. is restructuring to beef up its efforts with the vaccine in several indications while dropping others. (BioWorld Today)

A month after pulling down $35 million from a briskly advancing cancer deal with GlaxoSmithKline plc, Exelixis Inc. has signed a collaboration with Genentech Inc. to target proteins and genes involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. (BioWorld Today)

The perhaps unreasonable power of preliminary data - especially when it's offered by an industry powerhouse - was proved once again late last month when mighty Genentech Inc. disclosed positive early figures from a Phase III trial with Lucentis against age-related macular degeneration (AMD).