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Novavax and VaxInnate have received the US Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) contract to develop new types of vaccine and new ways to make flu vaccine.

NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals announced that it has secured $12.4 million in Series B financing, which will be mostly directed to the development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

German drugmaker Bayer has reported a set of on-target results for 2010 and its sales figure marks the highest ever recorded in the company's history.

Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the Company's lead drug candidate has been granted fast- track designation by the U.S. FDA for the potential treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia in combination with cytarabine.

Trevena Inc., the leader in G-protein coupled receptor biased ligand drug discovery, announced the initiation of a Phase IIa clinical trial with its lead program TRV120027.

Genzyme Corporation has launched a new program to recognize International Rare Disease Day.

Sanofi Pasteurhas entered into a partnership with the International Vaccine Institute to remove dengue threat.

JHP Pharmaceuticals announced recently that it has entered into a multi-year contract manufacturing agreement with an undisclosed biotechnology company.

Ipsen and BioMérieux announced a collaboration using a theranostics approach to focus on hormone-dependent cancers.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in UK said it did not recommend Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of advanced breast cancer.

Started in 2008, Rare Disease Day seeks to raise awareness of rare diseases, and to improve access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases and their families.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced yesterday that it agreed to sell its Lancaster Laboratories and Athena Diagnostics businesses with a total of $940 million.

The Cincinnati-based pharmaceutical company Prasco announced its distribution and supply agreement with Shire US Manufacturing for mesalamine controlled-release capsules.

Elan has announced an agreement with contract research company PPD to drive clinical programs globally.

The CHMP has reviewed further data from Finland on the suspected link between narcolepsy in children and adolescents and Pandemrix, and concluded the data were still insufficient to establish a causal relationship between Pandemrix and narcolepsy.

Alphora recently secured new research facilities, allowing a 50% increase in its process chemistry R&D capacity.

GlaxoSmithKline, the UK-based pharmaceuticals company, confirmed its layoffs last Wednesday and specified later that the layoffs are in the Neurosciences Medicine Center in R&D.

German drugmaker Bayer aims to invest around $4.07 billion into R&D in the current year; and for 2012, investments of a comparable level are planned, as newspaper reports.

Almac's Diagnostics business unit has announced the launch of its bioinformatics consultancy service to support the discovery and development of biomarkers.

In 2008, the FDA recommended OTC cough and cold products not be given to children under age 2. But a toll shows that many parents still gave their children OTC cough and cold medicine within the last 12 months.

Sanofi-Aventis and Genzyme Corp. announced a definitive agreement for acquisition of $20.1 billion.

A Phase III study has shown a near 80% efficacy of Baxter's vaccine in protecting against influenza strains.

In order to further increase its presence in the urology market, Astellas has announced it will no longer co-promote Vesicare in the US with GlaxoSmithKline.

Bacteria thrive in many different types of environments and can live outside the human body. There are a range of new treatments available that are very effective.

San Diego drugmaker Vical said Tuesday that it received a US patent for DNA-based vaccines.

Covance and Quintiles will work in close partnership with Takeda for new compounds in therapeutic areas, according to their new strategic agreement.

Catalent has expanded its oral dose capabilities by signing an agreement with Pantec for the Swiss development company’s Lyopan fast-dissolve technology.

Eli Lilly has announced that its Mirror Portfolio, a concept created for innovation being developed outside the company, has acquired two molecules.

The dealmakers in the biopharma industry are gearing up for a surge of new licensing pacts and acquisitions in the first half of 2011.

Eli Lilly plans to raise up to $750 million through three funds which could help share some of the financial burden for R&D costs.

It is said that the deal between Sanofi and Genzyme is going to be announced as soon as today.

Axcan Intermediate Holdings Inc. said it completed its buyout of Dutch drug developer Eurand NV.

A pneumococcal vaccine has been introduced into the Kenyan national immunization program. It is regarded as an historic step towards improved health for children in Africa.

PCMA President agrees that biotech medications face generic competition in seven years instead of twelve.

The overall success rate for drugs moving through clinical trials to FDA approval from late 2003 to the end of 2010 is near one in 10.

AcelRx expected $40 million in gross proceeds from its IPO. But the company managed the garner just $5 per share.

Novo gave up the diabetes-pill business to focus on injectable insulins and now Novo insulin analogs have more competition.

FDA has cleared a test to help manage potential organ rejection in kidney transplant patients.

A study counts 153 new drugs and vaccines from public sector research institutes over the past 40 years.

Pennsylvania is introducing a campaign called as “Quit for Love” offering free nicotine replacement therapy kits to support the tobacco quitting in the name of love.

A possible connection between cases of narcolepsy and GlaxoSmithKline’s Pandemrix has led to a call from WHO for further investigation.

The 21 performers who danced the One Thousand Hands Buddha are admired because they succeeded in spite of being deaf. Unknown to most who watched, 18 of the dancers became deaf because of inappropriate use of antibiotics.

Crucell NV can resume selling its top vaccine Quinvaxem to United Nations agencies, after the WHO said Thursday that the company has resolved manufacturing problems at its plant in South Korea.

FDA aims to increase its reliance on third-party inspectors for overseas pharmaceutical plant inspections.

A PR specialist who died of breast cancer called to support the commercialization of personalized cancer drugs.

Capsugel, an innovator in drug delivery systems, announced its acquisition of a novel dosage form developed by GSK.

AndersonBrecon Clinical Services has established a new clinical services facility with packaging operations for each stage of the drug development process in both the Americas and Europe.

Eli Lilly CEO John Lechleiter made a speech in London, calling for changing the operation manners in the R&D field.

Patients shall be aware that if their Pradaxa comes in a bottle, it should be used within 30 days of opening.

The British pharmaceutical company is blamed by drug users for its Parkingson's drug causing severely altered mental states.

Elan has signed a deal with Boehringer Ingelheim, a leader in biological technical development and manufacturing, for antibody-based therapeutics.

Swiss-Italian biotech group Philogen plans to debut on the Milan stock exchange later this month.

WHO is widening its investigation of a possible connection between GlaxoSmithKline's Pandemrix vaccine and narcolepsy.

More than 50 drugs are in short supply for NHS patients as weak pound drives the country's drug exports for better profit.

Pfizer has signed a deal to acquire the consumer health business of Ferrosan, a European healthcare company.

The Global Hygiene Council convened in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss how proper hygiene plays a critical role in preventing the spread of illness.

The leading process R&D and API manufacturing service provider ScinoPharm will provide commercial manufacturing service of vilazodone hydrochloride active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for Clinical Data, Inc.

DSM Biologics today announced it has signed a contract with NKT Therapeutics, Inc. The deal covers the process development and cGMP manufacturing by DSM of their lead product iNKT mAb.

Merck and Galapagos have agreed to end strategic alliances signed in 2008 and 2009, covering metabolic, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals bought privately held biotechnology firm Taligen Therapeutics for $111 million, to expand its product portfolio.

Genzyme announced Monday the new progress of the merge with Sanofi-Aventis.

Genzyme repaid $6 million in tax incentives to Massachusetts because it failed to create the number of jobs in exchange for the state aid.

It would be instructive to see which drugs are most successful at riding the diabetes wave these days in the U.S. market.

Roche, the world's largest maker of cancer drugs, said its study results gave the company a boost as Tarceva allows patients to live longer without their disease getting worse.

Viral Genetics said Friday that the company reached a Release and Settlement Agreement to end the distribution management agreement with Timothy and Thomas LLC.

The Canada-based specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company Angiotech will file for voluntary bankruptcy protection.

Novartis will merge Alcon into its fold and become the premiere player in the worldwide eye-health arena.

Bayer signed a deal to form a joint venture in India to distribute pharmaceuticals with India-based Cadila’s Zydus.

Cetero's position as the leader in early-phase clinical development is solidified with the completion of 20,000 studies.

Weikang Bio-Technology announced the inclusion of its ranitidine hydrochloride capsule on the National Drug Reimbursement List.

China's Ministry of Commerce granted clearance for the merger of BMP Sunstone and Sanofi-aventis subsidiary.

Takeda Pharmaceutical has completed construction of its new API manufacturing facility for investigational antibody within the premises of Hikari Plant.

QPS, LLC, a global CRO supporting drug discovery and development announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Bioserve Clinical Research, a full service phase 1 CRO in India.

The biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences has received a refuse from the FDA for its new drug application.

Efforts from researchers try to include more people of color in genetic research that is taking place around the globe.

It is estimated that there will be two billion people over the age of 60 by mid-century. The emergence of the Coalition will promote solutions and strategies for the aging's impact.

Merck Canada invests $5 million in CQDM to support biopharmaceutical research.

Revenue growth in India is expected to follow a similar trajectory to QIAGEN's growth in China.

It is expected that 10 million U.S. baby boomers will either die with or from Alzheimer's.

Sanofi-Aventis has acquired an exclusive worldwide license to one of OBT’s antibody programs.

Amgen plans to acquire BioVex, a biotech company with an experimental cancer vaccine in development to treat cancer and melanoma, for up to $1 billion.

FDA has approved PGxHealth's depressive disorder drug. The tablets will be available in three specifications.

Johnson & Johnson expects 'significant costs' in 2011 related to product recall and quality issues.

An HHS report cites fraud by drug and device makers.

The Indian pharma industry saw a 16.5 percent upswing in 2010 sales. The growth was fueled by Big Pharma as much as by domestic drugmakers.

Furiex Pharmaceuticals' MuDelta program has been granted Fast Track designation by the FDA.

Israel's drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a lawsuit in London to revoke the European patent for Seroquel, paper reports.

The future cost to cure heart disease in the U.S. will triple by 2030, according to the American Heart Association.

In the past five years, several contaminated pharmaceutical products have led to patient injuries and deaths globally. The emphasis on the linkage between supplier control and risk management will continue to increase.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced it has obtained a court order freezing the bank and brokerage accounts controlled by an individual who made more than $800,000 in illegal profits by trading on inside information tipped to him by an empl...

AstraZeneca says it remains confident in the NDA submission for ticagrelor and will continue to work with the FDA to progress towards the completion of the review.

CHMP recommended that Gilenya 0.5 mg daily could be used as a therapy for patients with highly active relapsing-remitting MS.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Perrigo hopes the transaction will add more than $200 million to its annual sales during its first fiscal year.

Branded drugs are expected to slow their sales growth to a very low stage due to patent losses.

The European Commission has requested the Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use assess all available data concerning the possible risks of liver injury.

Companies in the U.S. are reviewing their options and considering reductions for the employee health care benefits due to the health care reform.

Our body needs to be in balance with its systems under normal functions. One of those major regulatory systems in the body is the Endocrine System.

A new pharmaceutical plant will be built by Genzyme for larger production capacity to satisfy the growing need for Myozyme and Lumizyme.

Sanofi-Aventis’ offer for biotech firm Genzyme ends this Friday. The deadline is likely to be extended once again and the offer may see an increase towards USD80 per share.

Two trade associations representing innovative bioscience companies in the UK and New Zealand have established their alliance to dedicate more to bioscience companies.

Looking over the top 10 biotech IPOs of 2010, the best performer doesn't actually have a pipeline of therapeutics. But for the year of 2011, investors will have their biotech dreams set on best products.

A programme launched in India by WHO aims to promote students' reasonable adoption of medicines.

Sanofi-Aventis and Famar expands their cooperation as a new agreement has been set for a manufacturing plant in Madrid.

The establishment of the Alzheimer's Foundation of Israel highlights the worldwide attention to Alzheimer's crisis and is an international commitment to deliver better care and treatment for Alzheimer's population in Israel.

Due to concerns about potential contamination of the Triad Group’s products, Genentech recalls alcohol prep pads.

Sanofi-Aventis and Genzyme are debating their terms for a transaction which analyst believes has a chance of being reached before before Jan. 21 when Sanofi's current offer expires.

A new public health initiative for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus called The Type 2 Talk will be launched in America to help people actively manage their disease.

GlaxoSmithKline has a partnership deal with Epizyme who will help GSK discover small molecule drugs for enzymes called histone methyltransferases.

Merck KGaA has acquired 100% of the share capital of Beijing Skywing Technology Co., Ltd., a leading supplier of cell-culture media products, related technical services and bioreactors in China.

2010 was a big year for pharma layoffs, plant closures and other sorts of cutbacks. But some new stats suggest that it wasn't quite as bad as 2009.

Santaris Pharma and Pfizer have expanded their collaboration for the development and commercialization of RNA-targeted medicines using Santaris Pharma’s Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) drug platform.

Patients with cirrhosis are at a significantly higher risk of cancer and a new study by U.S. researchers adds to what's already known about those risks.

2010 will not go down in biotech history as a particularly fruitful year for new drug approvals.

Spooked by recent buyouts, Indian officials are weighing a new cap on foreign investment in domestic companies.

The US FDA has approved a clear, odorless testosterone gel that is applied directly to the front and inner thigh.

If 2009 was the year of the mega-merger, 2010 was the year of continuing R&D reorganization, downsizing and evolution.

Chris Viehbacher wasn't playing around when he said that Sanofi-Aventis ($SNY) was going to turn to outside partners for more of its innovative thinking.

Every year everybody who's anybody in biotech--and a lot who aren't--goes to the JP Morgan conference in San Francisco in January.

Every year brings a new discussion of whether the FDA is getting tougher. This year the question was just how much tougher regulators have become under the Obama administration.

The emerging-markets gold rush continues. Drugmakers continued their race into those fast-growing, tantalizing new markets. India, China, Brazil, Russia, Mexico.