The Life Sciences in New York State

First biogeneric approved

More on this later...

Novartis receives US approval for recombinant human growth hormone Omnitrope

Sandoz has been granted FDA approval for its recombinant human growth hormone Omnitorpe, the first bio-similar version or copy of a previously approved drug.

NDAs...strands in the web

Most VCs won't sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), and for good reason. VCs review so many potential companies and technologies that if everyone required an NDA, the VC will eventually be prohibited from saying anything. How can anyone remember what s/he can/cannot say based on NDAs signed over the course of a number of years? How can anyone keep track?

Each NDA is like a strand in an enormous spider web. Sign one or two, and you can still cut through it. Sign dozens of them, and you're stuck, just like Frodo in Shelob's lair...

I don't have a good method for solving this problem. I'm all for respecting the spirit of an NDA, and I will generally sign one if asked, but am I serving my clients fully by holding back information that may/may not be covered in an NDA I signed a year ago? Two years ago?

Do they really want to be MSFT?

GSK wants to be Microsoft, the company known for products that work...sometimes...for only certain computers...when they are not busy restarting or otherwise misbehaving...

I see where he's coming from, but I'm not so sure Microsoft was the right analogy.

Independent Online Edition > Business News

Glaxo's chief executive Sir Richard Sykes, spoke of creating the "Microsoft of the pharmaceuticals industry".

NY...A Minnesotan's perspective

Stadium mania is producing illusion of forward movement

The reality is this: States like New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina and California are literally "pulling away from the gate" and investing aggressively in emerging fields such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, alternative energies, the life sciences and, most importantly, science and technology education. The question we in Minnesota must ask ourselves is whether we are content to wait at the gate for the privilege of giving a free ride to few wealthy first-class passengers who will take us nowhere, or whether we want to get serious about catching a flight to the future.

First Albany experiences ups and downs

Venture practice appears to be doing well, though.

First Albany focuses on silver lining

Offices have closed and jobs have been eliminated, but First Albany Cos. should begin to make money again this year, Chief Executive Officer Alan Goldberg told shareholders at the annual meeting Tuesday.

TNFalpha blockade and cancer...more confusion...

For years, there has been speculation that TNF-alpha blockade, over time, can cause cancer, specifically, lymphoma. Centocor's Remicade has been front and center in this debate.

Now comes this study from the Mayo Clinic which tends to support this contention, but the study appears to be so full of holes that it's impossible to draw any definitive conclusions.

1. Why wasn't Enbrel included? Becuase it's not an antibody? True, but that's not a good enough reason. Is there not enough retrospective data? The author of this article does not say.

2. It's unclear which authors are getting paid by what companies. Is this study without bias? The Mayo Clinic is being asked to investigate the disclosures. I'm not sure.

Taking Humira or Remicade triples risk of getting cancer, study says

Enbrel was not included in the study because it differs at the molecular level, Matteson said. He said he is getting paid by Enbrel marketers Wyeth and Amgen to do an analysis on Enbrel. Matteson's ties to Centocor and his work on Enbrel were among several omissions and errors included in disclosure statements that accompanied the study in the journal. He said the omissions were an office mistake. But in an unusual move, journal editors posted a correction yesterday on its website disclosing that they have asked the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine to investigate.

My Squidoo page

I set up a page on Squidoo. I'm not sure how this will overlap with the blog, but I like to experiment.

Business Planning and Consulting for Pharmaceuticals and Biotech on Squidoo

Tough to compete against free...

Skype continues to pressure the telcos, this time with free calling. All you need is the software.

Unreal...

How to get calling

Calling any phone within the US and Canada is free until the end of the year.

Well, this answers my question...

I would think there might be some life science applications for this.

Collaboration to bring $100 million supercomputing center to RPI

Thanks to a $100 million partnership involving Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York state and IBM, the Troy, N.Y., college is soon to be home to the world's most powerful university-based supercomputing center.

Polaris scores >10x on GlycoFi deal

Nicely done...

Merck to buy N.H. biotech in record bid

The deal will result in a major payday for the New Hampshire firm's venture backers, including Polaris, which sank $10 million into GlycoFi and will cash out for more than $100 million when the deal goes through. ''You definitely play the game for days like today," said McGuire of Polaris.