Amgen Inc. will declare its first-ever quarterly dividend on common stock following the second quarter and anticipates an annual payout ratio of 20 percent on adjusted net income – about 27 cents per share if it had been applied to first quarter net income. It's a notable milestone not only for this mature big biotech, but a sign of the times for the sector as a whole. Read More
Biogen Idec Inc. was up 15.2 percent Thursday on strong quarterly earnings and stout Phase III data for its multiple sclerosis (MS) drug BG-12. Read More
Weak sales of its HIV drugs in the U.S. pushed Gilead Sciences Inc.'s earnings down in the first quarter. Revenues of $1.93 billion were below consensus estimates and down 8 percent from the first quarter of 2010. Read More
Virtual start-up BioTheryX Inc. isn't trying to re-invent the wheel, but instead is taking the wheel off the old family car and installing it on a zippy new fuel-efficient model. Read More
Marinus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Branford, Conn., announced the start of a proof-of-concept clinical trial of its lead candidate ganaxolone for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The company said that ganaxolone modulates inhibitory GABA-A receptors, possibly at a specific neurosteroid recognition site. Neurosteroid levels have been implicated in both the severity and treatment outcome in PTSD patients. The trial will take place in the U.S. and is expected to enroll about 120 PTSD patients. Read More
Nektar Therapeutics Inc., of San Francisco, said its oncology candidate, NKTR-102, received orphan drug status for ovarian cancer from the FDA. It is involved in an ongoing Phase II study enrolling approximately 125 patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer with progression following pegylated liposomal doxorubicin. Read More
