Wound drug ‘could speed healing’
Early tests of the drug suggests it may more than halve the healing time in some cases.

Genentech Will Ride Out Drug Failure
Even Genentech gets bad news once in a while. But the failure of clinical trials of Tarceva, a pill being developed with tiny OSI Pharmaceuticals of Melville, N.Y, as a first-line treatment in non-small cell lung cancer was widely expected. The real test of the drug will come from other clinical trials already being conducted.

Genentech’s CEO on Big Pharma’s Issues
Arthur Levinson tackles drug pricing, patent disputes, consumer marketing, and stem-cell research

FDA’s McClellan Calls for More Sharing of Drug R&D Costs
The U.S. is bearing a disproportionate share of drug research and development costs for medicines used globally, FDA commissioner Mark McClellan said Thursday.

He called for more equitable cost sharing and price setting. ‘If we do not find better ways to share the burden of developing new drugs and biologics, all of us will suffer’

Drug Development, Genentech Style
“Its promising colon cancer fighter Avastin is a prime example of how the biotech ‘keeps following the science’”

BIOTECH THAWS OUT:
“Small drug discovery firms are capitalizing on the positive momentum that’s returned to the market for biotechnology stocks. A dozen have announced plans this quarter to launch initial public stock offerings (IPOs), while nearly as many more hope to raise money through follow-on bids. The upturn, if it persists, may help rescue a sector where limited cash flow has precipitated major cutbacks and consolidation.”

Suit targets 13 generic drug makers
“Jumping into the escalating legal battle against pharmaceutical manufacturers, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly planned to file a lawsuit today against 13 generic drug makers, claiming they overcharged the state Medicaid program $50 million for more than 150 medications.”

Judge Allows Antitrust Case Against Seed Producers
“A federal judge on Friday let proceed an antitrust case that accused the Monsanto Company and other big agricultural seed giants of conspiring to control the world’s market in genetically modified crops.”

Definitions Impede Stem-Cell Work
The medical promise of embryonic stem-cell research has been plagued by ethical controversy. Now, an apparent way to get stem cells without destroying human embryos is hung up by federal policy.

Bioterror Brain Drain
“Infectious-disease specialists are following the big bucks to Washington’s new multibillion-dollar program on bioterrorism research�but at what human cost? “