TOP 100 MEDICAL SITES
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| 4 Small Cap Biotechs To Keep an Eye On The Inflection Point submits: Biotech stocks are a long-time favorite of investors, especially during bear markets, due to their catalytic nature which tends to be resistant to the vagaries of the macro-economic climate. With this in mind, we have been tracking a number of biotech companies with the potential for positive FDA decisions in the coming weeks and months. Should any of these companies receive FDA approval, their stocks should see substantial moves to the upside. Here are a few of our most compelling ideas in the biotech space: Affymax Inc. (AFFY)Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Pfizer Forms New Unit to Capitalize on Niche Diseases The Burrill Report submits: By Michael FitzhughPfizer (PFE) has formed a new rare disease unit to “significantly expand” its roster of medicines for uncommon but lucrative-to-treat diseases. The division will serve as an umbrella for rare disease programs the company is already pursuing, such as treatments for the rare genetic disorder Gaucher disease, hemophilia and Ewing's sarcoma, an unusual bone and tissue cancer. “We are coupling Pfizer's existing experience in rare diseases, such as hemophilia, with our advanced protein technologies, resources, and world-class scientific team to focus on becoming a driving force in rare disease research,” says Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos, senior vice president of Pfizer’s biotherapeutics research and development group. Pfizer did not disclose how much of its nearly $8 billion annual research budget it intends to devote to the new unit, but Anne Wilson, a company spokesperson, says it would be “proportional to the medical need” in each rare indication addressed, with a focus on what Pfizer does best, protein design and manufacture and clinical development. [[GSK]], Novartis (NVS), and a growing number of venture firms, such as Third Rock Ventures, are beginning to see the potential for profit in niche diseases, a segment in which Genzyme (GENZ) and Shire (SHPGY) have found proven riches. The high price tag generally attached to specialty treatments, made in small batches for patient populations of fewer than 200,000, is also drawing Big Pharma interest as it becomes clear that fewer blockbusters are going to be padding their bottom lines. Of course, that very same attribute is beginning to generate “significant payer interest in developing cost containment strategies targeted to this sector” too, notes Pfizer in its most recent annual report. “While the impact on Pfizer of payers’ efforts to control access and pricing of specialty pharmaceuticals has been limited to date, our growing portfolio of specialty products, combined with the increasing use of health technology assessment in markets around the world and the deteriorating finances of governments, may lead to a more significant adverse business impact in the future," it says. The company's new rare diseases research unit will be lead by Edward Mascioli. Mascioli was most recently the founder and CEO of Dapis Capital, a private equity firm focused on healthcare and the life sciences. Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Genzyme Repairs at Allston Plant to Take Longer Genzyme expects its plan to fix a troubled Allston, Mass., production facility to take up to four years, longer than the drug maker previously projected. online.wsj.com |
PPD Establishes Network of Sites for Conducting Phase I Trials in Patients [Business Wire] - WILMINGTON, N.C.----PPD, Inc. today announced it has established preferred provider relationships with a network of sites across North America for conducting Phase I trials in patients to meet growing client demand for these services. us.rd.yahoo.com |
New York City Audience Applauds Speech By Cannabis Science CEO Dr. Robert Melamede at 'The Marijuana Conference;' CFO Richard Cowan on Panel Moderated by CNBC Anchor Trish Regan for New Program to Air In Early December Also Covered By Disco [PR Newswire] - Cannabis Science, Inc. , a pioneering US biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis products, is pleased to report that the audience at "the first non-biased event in the industry" loudly cheered the speech by Cannabis Science CEO Dr. us.rd.yahoo.com |