Eisai Inc.'s sales force for the acid reflux therapy Aciphex in the U.S. gives Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. just the oomph needed to push the obesity drug lorcaserin, due for an FDA panel hearing in September. San Diego-based Arena's stock (NASDAQ:ARNA) closed at $3.56, up 49 cents, or 16 percent, on news of the marketing deal disclosed Thursday. (BioWorld Today)

Neurologix Inc.'s Phase II victory last week with NLX-P101 brought a much-needed credibility boost for gene therapy in Parkinson's disease and closely followed good news at the same clinical stage in advanced heart failure from Celladon Corp. with partner Targeted Genetics Corp.

Last week's twist in the patent fight between Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. brought renewed attention to the worth of the case advanced by the latter, but it's not clear how the outcome of the battle would affect the ultimate fate of Cubist, which some bankers say is all but assured a takeover, and the only question is price.

A year-long (at least) delay of taspoglutide, the Phase III diabetes candidate from Ipsen SA and Roche AG, provides a welcome lift for Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s would-be competitor Bydureon, though the hypersensitivity reactions holding up the former once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue could cast some doubt on the class to which Bydureon also belongs. (BioWorld Today)

Among the "Best of ASCO 2010" trials was the failed Phase III study with picoplatin, Poniard Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s new platinum chemotherapy against small cell lung cancer. South San Francisco-based Poniard trotted out details from the experiment to mixed reviews, and whatever else the news did, it may have put the low-valued firm - which has hired Leerink Swann to pursue options - in position for a big-pharma takeover.