If the genomics revolution moved biotechnology out of test tubes and into computers, companies with their eyes on reasonably timed profits have been trying to move it back. But the best way to do that, say the organizers of the Interoperable Informatics Infrastructure Consortium (I3C), is to make computers work better together. (BioWorld Financial Watch)

The regulatory battle between two biotechnology heavyweights over multiple sclerosis treatments has ended, but the marketing war has just begun, with Serono SA gaining FDA approval of Rebif (interferon beta 1-a), which allows the firm to make an end run around competitor Biogen Inc.’s orphan drug status for Avonex (another form of interferon beta 1-a). (BioWorld Today)