| Today's Top Stories 1. Russian billionaire bankrolls early-stage biotech VC group 2. Trius shares surge as antibiotic matches Zyvox in pivotal PhIII 3. Alexza readies "significant" layoffs, brings in Lazard to review asset sale 4. Burrill raises $313M for new life sciences venture fund 5. Somaxon to axe HQ staffers as adviser explores possible sale Editor's Corner: The top 10 biotech deal terminations of 2011 Also Noted: Spotlight On... Sharer gets mediocre grade for Amgen tenure GSK plans new hires; NIH helps bankroll Raptor trial; Alkermes launches Phase III; and much more... More Fierce Life Sciences News: 1. Harvard plays money ball with biotech--and baseball--data 2. Blood cancer group lights way to 28% faster trial starts 3. Video gamers shed new light on 521 disease genes |  The top 10 biotech deal terminations of 2011 In biotech, the right partnering deal can make a company, bringing in cash, expert help and a major league endorsement for the science involved. If deals go bad, as they often do, the subsequent turmoil can break a company. Anyone with any doubts about the stakes involved should take a close look at the top partnering deals that went bad in 2011. A number of the companies that had to watch their pharma mates walk away from the development marriage have openly struggled to survive the fallout. At least one won't survive the breakup, and more could follow. This year's list, which we asked Deloitte Recap to crunch for us, includes a number of top deals from '07 and '08. So it's no wonder that some high profile partnerships went astray in the meantime. As Big Pharma retools its pipeline, shifts disease focuses and starts to demand a better return on the billions invested in drug development, it's not surprising to see more licensing deals breaking up under the pressure. 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Visit FierceBiotech Jobs * Post a classified ad: Click here. * General ad info: Click here | Today's Top News 1. Russian billionaire bankrolls early-stage biotech VC group Russian billionaire Len Blavatnik is bankrolling a new venture capital company which will troll the academic labs in Cambridge, MA for promising early-stage therapeutics that can be used to launch new biotech companies. Daniel Behr, the former outlicensing chief at Harvard, will head up the new venture, with $75 million in Blavatnik chips to gamble. Access BridgeGap Ventures will also be led by Ben Bronstein, who was a co-founder of Peptimmune (acquired by Genzyme and then spun out, filing for bankruptcy liquidation earlier this year) and a managing director of Zero Stage Capital. "Our focus is on early-stage therapeutics--treating or preventing disease--not devices or diagnostics or imaging,'' Behr told The Boston Globe's Scott Kirsner. The fund plans to back three to 5 companies a year. The two VC execs also plan to spread a wide net for new therapeutics. They will look in academic labs as well as early-stage developers and some pharma companies which are spinning off programs as they restructure their pipelines. The money, not a huge sum by VC standards, is expected to last a few years and Blavatnik has the option of adding money along the way. Behr told the Globe that he's close to announcing their first investment. "Commercially promising innovations being developed in research institutions and in young startups are often deemed too early for partnering by industry or for investment by traditional venture capital," says Bronstein in a prepared statement. "Our focus is to translate early-stage science into commercially relevant products and companies." According to their web site, the new venture group also has a few high-profile advisers to call on. They include William Koster, the former early stage R&D chief at Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) and Isaac Kohlberg, the chief technology development officer of Harvard's Office of Technology Development. - here's the release - read the story from The Boston Globe - here's the link to the group's web site Read more about: Biotech Venture Capital, Len Blavatnik back to top | 2. Trius shares surge as antibiotic matches Zyvox in pivotal PhIII Shares of Trius Therapeutics ($TSRX) surged on the news that its late-stage antibiotic tedizolid closely matched Zyvox (linezolid) in one of a series of pivotal studies, helping nail down support for its case that the experimental antibiotic is just as good as the blockbuster with a once-daily dosing schedule over a shorter period. The antibiotic hit its primary endpoint for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections as well as all secondary goals. The news helped push up Trius shares a little more than 10% this morning in early trading. Trius also bolstered its case that its antibiotic is safer than the mainstay product, which had worldwide sales of $1.2 billion in 2010. Investigators reported that about one in four of the tedizolid patients experienced "drug-related treatment emergent adverse events" compared to 31% of linezolid treated patients. Gastrointestinal adverse events were the most commonly reported events and were statistically significantly lower in tedizolid patients than in linezolid patients. "We are very pleased the trial demonstrated that a 6-day course of once daily oral tedizolid is as efficacious as a 10-day course of twice daily oral linezolid while showing an improved tolerability profile," said Jeffrey Stein, Ph.D., the CEO of Trius. "We look forward to presenting the detailed results of this study, the first Phase 3 study to be conducted under the new regulatory paradigm, both in a peer reviewed journal and at a major conference in 2012." Trius is one of a handful of biotechs like Rib-X, Tetraphase and Achaogen which are pushing ahead with experimental antibiotics despite a tough regulatory environment and years of neglect by Big Pharma. Last July Bayer Pharma stepped up with a $94 million deal for the antibiotic, paying $ 25 million upfront for the Asian, African and Latin American rights to tedizolid (formerly torezolid) while the biotech held on to the key U.S. and European rights. - here's the Trius release Special Report: Trius Therapeutics - 10 Biotech IPOs of 2010 Related Articles: Bayer partners on Trius' Ph3 antibiotic in $94M pact Trius slashes its IPO price to the bone Can Trius get market mojo working with $84M IPO? Read more about: Achaogen, Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, tedizolid, antibiotic back to top | 3. Alexza readies "significant" layoffs, brings in Lazard to review asset sale Just days after eking out an FDA expert panel vote in favor of its inhaled antipsychotic Adasuve, Alexza Pharma ($ALXA) has brought in Lazard to investigate the possible sale of assets as it prepares to drop the budget axe on an uncertain number of employees. Mountain View, CA-based Alexza announced that Lazard would look at a "possible sale or disposition of one or more corporate assets, a strategic business combination, partnership or other transactions." And the biotech said that it would "significantly reduce" its workforce as it pushed for a formal agency approval. Alexza shares were largely unaffected by the news this morning, with the stock trading at 66 cents. An expert FDA committee voted 9 to 8 in favor of Adasuve on December 12, with a number of critics clearly remaining unhappy with the safety issues that have hobbled the program before. That vote came after investors dumped shares in Alexza after reading regulators' concerns about the potentially lethal pulmonary effects of the treatment in patients with asthma or COPD. Those same risks persuaded the FDA to reject Alexza's initial try at an approval. But a majority of the FDA panel felt that the biotech's risk mitigation strategy, which would demand that patients are carefully screened and then monitored for the first hour after treatment, satisfied their safety concerns. - here's the press release - read the Bloomberg report Related Articles: Alexza shares spike after antipsychotic wins weak embrace from FDA panel Alexza Pharma shares tank on FDA's safety concerns about Adasuve Alexza lands European partner for stymied agitation therapy Read more about: Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Adasuve back to top | 4. Burrill raises $313M for new life sciences venture fund The high-profile biotech analyst and investor Steven Burrill has rounded up more than $300 million for a new life sciences fund, which reportedly includes a big cache of cash from a Russian bionano investment group. The investment group announced this morning that Burrill Capital Fund IV is open for business and plans to keep gathering cash with a goal of bumping its total to $500 million by next summer. The San Francisco-based fund--which currently has $313 million--has a broad scope. Burrill plans to use the cash to invest in early- to late-stage investments in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, healthcare delivery, wellness and digital health. "We are pleased to have surpassed our initial goal of $300 million in capital commitments for the first close," says Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company. "We look forward to achieving our final goal of $500 million in capital commitments by June 2012." Burrill told MedCityNews back in August that $200 million of his new fund's cash was coming from RusNano, a bionano investment group which has been making some hefty investments in U.S. biotech companies. He also told the news group that he'd have $350 million in short order, maintaining a tradition of bold pronouncements that sometimes fall short of the mark. More than two years ago he promised to put together a $1 billion fund to invest in Elk Run, an ambitious biotech development in Minnesota which has yet to materialize. - here's the press release Related Articles: Burrill to Minnesota: No ink on that $1B biopark contract Burrill gets "firm commitment" for $1B to back biotech park Burrill: Biopharma no longer a shelter in the storm Burrill: Focus on patients, not molecules Read more about: Biotech Venture Capital, Steven Burrill back to top | 5. Somaxon to axe HQ staffers as adviser explores possible sale Plagued by weak sales of the sleep drug Silenor, San Diego-based Somaxon ($SOMX) laid out plans to lay off a majority of its headquarters staff as a financial adviser reviews its options, including a potential sale of the company. Stifel Nicolaus Weisel has been hired as a strategic advisor. "This process will focus on strategic alternatives, which may include one or more of a sale of the company or assets relating to Silenor, or partnering or other collaboration transactions relating to U.S. or ex-U.S. prescription or over-the-counter rights to Silenor," said CEO Richard Pascoe. "While we are conducting this process, we will continue to market Silenor in the U.S. to existing prescribers through our 30-person sales force and non-personal promotion, and to protect the intellectual property position of the product," continued Pascoe. "We will also undertake measures to minimize our cash burn rate, including through a reduction in force involving approximately 60% of our current non-field-based employees." Somaxon said in its release that it will terminate 60% of its non-field workforce, underscoring lingering doubts about the biotech's future. Silenor has helped illustrate how an FDA approval is no panacea for a biotech company. Its third quarter 2011 sales amounted to only $3.7 million in a crowded market of competing therapeutics. Somaxon's stock was trading at 52 cents a share this morning, down 12%. - here is the Somaxon release Related Articles: Somaxon (finally) wins FDA approval for sleep drug Silenor Somaxon tries again with Silenor Somaxon shares plunge on second FDA rejection Read more about: Somaxon, layoffs, Silenor back to top | Also Noted SPOTLIGHT ON... Sharer gets mediocre grade for Amgen tenure Xconomy's Luke Timmerman assesses Amgen CEO Kevin Sharer's tenure this morning, giving him a gentleman's "C" for leadership, new product development, vision and other key factors. As Timmerman notes, C is the definition of mediocrity. His best grades come for leadership and vision, but there's an "F" for his rich salary and poor grades on industry relations and acquisitions. Column @FierceBiotech: The top 10 biotech deal terminations of 2011. GSK/Targacept break-up takes top spot. Report | Follow @FierceBiotech @JohnCFierce: Somaxon axing staffers, calling in the "strategic advisers." Anyone want to buy a sleep drug? Release | Follow@JohnCFierce @RyanMFierce: Cornell U. won a competition involving Stanford and NYU to be NYC's pick to set up a science grad school in Gotham.Item | Follow @RyanMFierce @MaureenFierce: Using neti pots for sinus relief could cause amoebas to eat your brain. News | Follow @MaureenFierce @MarkHFierce: There's a way now to keep a cancer patient's healthy cells and tumor cells alive in the lab. Two ingredients help. Release | Follow @MarkHFierce > GlaxoSmithKline says an R&D grant from Scottish Enterprise will allow the pharma company to hire 25 new workers. Story > A division of the NIH has agreed to help bankroll a Phase IIb study of Raptor Pharma's delayed-release tablet formulation of cysteamine bitartrate, a potential treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Release > Alkermes has launched a Phase III clinical trial of ALKS 9070 for the treatment of schizophrenia. Release > The ALS Therapy Development Institute has forged a pact with Biogen Idec and UCB Pharma to investigate the use of an anti-CD40L antibody as a potential therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Release > Agenus (formerly Antigenics) says it struck a "license, development and manufacturing technology transfer agreement" for its Oncophage vaccine. The therapy is only available in Russia. Release > Pfizer is selling its last properties in Brooklyn, where it once maintained a manufacturing facility. Story Pharma News @FiercePharma: Bausch + Lomb eyes pharma ops expansion. Story | Follow @FiercePharma > EU brings Bayer's Xarelto into German market. News > ISTA rebuffs Valeant bid. Story > Pfizer and GSK boost pneumonia vaccine price cuts for developing world. Report Biotech IT News > Blood cancer group lights way to 28% faster trial starts. Item > Elsevier scoops up scientific software outfit Ariadne. Story > Harvard plays money ball with biotech--and baseball--data. Article > EU program backs Linguamatics and ChemAxon's informatics work. News Medical Device News > Lawmakers seek recall info from Medtronic, four others. News > TransEnterix closes $15M in 2nd tranche of Series B. Article > CSA scores $20.5M in Series B. More > FDA looks to improve the representation of women in device studies. Story And Finally... A Massachusetts General Hospital research team says that increased expression of Sirt1, one of a family of enzymes called sirtuins, in the brain of a mouse model of HD protected against neurodegeneration. Report > BIOCOM Global Life Science Partnering Conference - Jan 31- Feb 2,2012 - La Jolla, CA Exclusive global partnering and networking forum that brings together senior executives and business development professionals from leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Speakers include Roger Pomerantz, SVP and Head Worldwide Licensing, Merck/ Jeremy Levin, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Alliances and Transactions, Bristol-Meyers Squibb/ Brian McVeigh, Vice President, WWBD Transactions and Investment Management, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals and many more. Register today. > BioConference Live ? Laboratory Animal Sciences ? Virtual Online-only Event - February 15-16, 2012 The Veterinary Bioscience Institute and LabRoots, Inc. announce this inaugural event. The theme is Animal Well being and Welfare Science. It is free to participants, with no out-of-pocket expenses for travel. Register and learn more at www.bioconferencelive.com. > Webinar: JHU's Master's in Biotechnology Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Learn more about Johns Hopkins University's 10-course graduate program that is designed for those seeking to pursue a biotechnology entrepreneurial career beyond the laboratory. The entire degree can be completed online. Available On-Demand | REGISTER NOW > Online GMP Courses Priced as Low as $75 for Individual Learners Our web-based GMP courses can be purchased online and taken at your own pace. Once completed with adequate proficiency, you'll receive a certificate of completion. Developed by GMP experts and taken by thousands, these courses provide quality GMP training for far less than other alternatives. Click Here > New Paradigms to Fund & Move Biotech - January 11-12, 2012 - San Francisco, CA New Paradigms is guided by key individuals from biotech, pharma and the investment community to advance R&D through alternative sources of funding, non-traditional partnering strategies and innovative approaches to drug approval for the successful commercialization of new therapies. The conference is backed by an exceptionally distinguished speaking faculty with diverse experience and expertise. Co-located at the same time as the JP Morgan Healthcare event, on-site networking partnering services available to registered attendees. Register today! 20% off registration fee for Fierce Readers with code FBNP > Partnerships in Clinical Trials 2012 - March 4-7 - Orlando, FL Partnerships is the largest clinical trial operations, development and outsourcing meeting in the world with over 1500+ attendees and 200 exhibitors. This leading event is a unique senior leadership meeting focused on overcoming challenges clinical trial executives face. Visit www.cliicaltrialpartnerships.com. > Comparative Effectiveness: A Real-World User's Guide - March 14-15, 2012 - Washington, DC Moving from Policy to Practice in Research and Delivery! Push beyond basic questions to evaluate the importance of comparative effectiveness research (CER) and provide participants with actionable understandings of how CER evidence can be better managed and developed within their own organizations. This event will provide participants with a "what does it mean for me" perspective on CER and HTA, providing take-aways to apply within day-today drug development and marketing positions. Register Today! | > Director, Reagent Manufacturing & Operations - San Francisco, CA - Fluidigm Directly reporting to the VP of Manufacturing, the Director will be responsible for managing and directing Fluidigm's Reagents and Assays Manufacturing operations. This includes formulating manufacturing operations strategies in support of business goals and objectives, developing and mentoring manufacturing employees and driving continuous improvements to achieve optimal operational efficiency. He or she will set up the systems and tools to deliver quality products and services that will meet customers' expectations in the most cost-effective manner. The Director will also lead and manage the supply chain operations in South San Francisco which includes but is not limited to: purchasing, inventory management, supplier management... Learn more. > Sr. Product Manager – NJ – Celgene Corporation Celgene Corporation is a global biopharmaceutical company that is helping to turn incurable cancers into chronic, manageable conditions. An ideal candidate for this position will have BS/BA degree and a minimum of 7 years' pharma/biotech industry and 3 years product management/marketing research. Sales experience in the pharmaceutical industry required. The Sr. Product Manager assists in the development and implementation of marketing and educational programs, leading segments of the projects as appropriate. Also participates in the development of business plans, product strategies, and tactical implementation.....Learn more. > Manager, Strategic Forecasting & Analytics Job – NJ – Celgene Corporation Celgene Corporation is a global biopharmaceutical company that is helping to turn incurable cancers into chronic, manageable conditions. An ideal candidate for this position will have BS/BA degree. The Manager, Strategic Forecasting & Analytics will provide ongoing forecasting and long-range analytical support for the Americas Hematology/Oncology business. The Manager will participate on cross-functional teams including marketing, market research, new product planning, sales operations, business development, manufacturing, finance, and strategic planning....Learn more. > Tools Engineer - Gaithersburg, MD - MedImmune MedImmune is a company that shares your passion for helping to improve human health around the world. Explore a MedImmune career as we strive to better more lives, more often, around the world. As a Tool's Automation Engineer one will be required to have advanced knowledge in Network and Systems Management processes and tools. This position exists to evaluate, analyze, design, coordinate, direct, and implement complex engineering solutions using existing and new technologies to meet infrastructure and monitoring application requirements...Read More. > Telecommunications Engineer - Gaithersburg, MD - MedImmune MedImmune is a company that shares your passion for helping to improve human health around the world. Explore a MedImmune career as we strive to better more lives, more often, around the world. The Telecom Engineer provides level 2/3 support for all VoIP related activities, including the design, implementation, support and maintenance of MedImmune's VoIP and network infrastructure, performing other duties as required...Read More. > Manager, Telecomm/Facilities - Gaithersburg, MD - MedImmune MedImmune is a company that shares your passion for helping to improve human health around the world. Explore a MedImmune career as we strive to better more lives, more often, around the world. The Manager, Telecom/ Facilities Engineer plans and directs the staff, comprising of technical workers, in the installation, maintenance and operation of telecom networks and equipment, and will supervise the development and installation of new sites and facilities, and performs other management-related duties as and when required...Read More. > Telecom Management Engineer - Gaithersburg, MD - MedImmune MedImmune is a company that shares your passion for helping to improve human health around the world. Explore a MedImmune career as we strive to better more lives, more often, around the world. The Telecom Management Engineer reports directly to the Manager of Telecom / Facilities. The successful candidate manages the IT organization's relationship with the Telecom providers, including the planning and provisioning of all carrier circuits, reconciliation of carrier invoices and other carrier-related duties as required...Read More. > IT Account Administrator - Gaithersburg, MD - MedImmune MedImmune is a company that shares your passion for helping to improve human health around the world. Explore a MedImmune career as we strive to better more lives, more often, around the world. The Account Administration team primary function is to safeguard and manage access to MedImmune IT resources while adhering to MedImmune IT Controls guidelines. As a team member, the IT Account Administrator is responsible for the day-to-day administration of systems accounts such as Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, Blackberry Enterprise Server as well as other critical business applications...Read More. > Need a job? Need to hire? Visit FierceBiotech Jobs | |