SAN FRANCISCO - Industry leader and self-made man Roy Vagelos, former chairman and CEO of Merck & Co. Inc., offered words of wisdom about keeping talent in the coming half-century, which he told attendees of Allicense 2005 will be vastly more "productive and exciting" than the previous 50 years.
In a financing environment that's less than ideal for biotechnology firms, Reliant Pharmaceuticals Inc. is shooting to raise $300 million with its initial public offering, though the company did not specify the number of shares or the price per share. (BioWorld Today)
Late last year, when Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. and partner Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. disclosed their plan to hold off seeking approval of their kidney cancer drug sorafenib (previously BAY 43-9006) until they had Phase III data in hand, Wall Street blanched. (BioWorld Financial Watch)
Ischemic stroke - it's the category (the other is hemorrhagic) into which about 85 percent of all strokes fall. Blood suddenly stops going to a specific area of the brain because of a blood clot, thus "impairing neurologic function," as the physicians say. In plainer words, the patient might not be able to walk, talk or do much of anything else.
Favorable top-line data with its 28-day, Phase II trial of APD356, an oral drug for obesity, boosted Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s stock, and the company has plans in the works for a longer study. (BioWorld Today)
