isn’t bound by such panels’ recommendations it usually follows them, which means the Cambridge, MA-based firm’s application for approval of oritavancin is unlikely to succeed at this point. The news was a bit of a surprise, coming a few days after the FDA released briefing documents appearing to show that reviewers were favorably inclined toward Targanta’s application.
—Cambridge, MA-based drug developer Archemix, which pulled a planned IPO early this year, inked a deal to go public via a reverse merger with Lexington, MA-based NitroMed (NASDAQ:[[ticker:NTMD]]). The resulting company would keep Archemix’s name and headquarters, but would be led by NitroMed CEO Kenneth M. Bate.
—Ryan chatted with the CTO of Maria Health, a San Mateo, CA, startup trying to keep a low profile despite ties to some high-profile firms—such as Watertown, MA-based healthcare software company Athenahealth (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ATHN]]) and Yahoo. So far as Ryan could discern, Maria Health is building online tools to help patients manage their health care; Venrock and Athenahealth like the idea enough to back the firm.
—Cambridge, MA-based Elixir Pharmaceuticals reported positive Phase III clinical trial results for its treatment for Type 2 diabetes, a combination of the drugs metformin and mitiglinide that it plans to market under the name Metgluna. Elixir plans to submit the pill for FDA approval next year.
—In-Q-Tel, the venture wing of the U.S. intelligence community, made a strategic investment in Febit, a German maker of automated, microfluidic gene and RNA sequencing devices with laboratories in Lexington, MA.
