Maybe everybody’s rushing to scratch things off the to-do list before the holidays, but this was one of the busiest weeks of the year we’ve seen in Seattle biotech news. Here are the highlights.
—Seattle Genetics had a big week. The Bothell, WA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said follow-up data in a clinical trial of its “empowered antibody” for Hodgkin’s disease and related lymphomas showed it’s getting better at causing complete remissions, and the effect appears to be long-lasting. Another drug passed an interim safety analysis.
—Alan Frazier, who oversees $1.8 billion for Frazier Healthcare Ventures, sat down with me for an exclusive interview. He had some interesting advice for how companies can adapt to one of the worst busts in the industry’s 30-year history.
—An effective malaria vaccine has eluded scientists for a century, so I stopped by to interview Stefan Kappe of Seattle Biomedical Research Institute to find out why he’s so excited about a new approach. I made sure to track down Kappe in advance of our Xconomy Forum tonight, which focuses on next-generation vaccines in development.
—Alder Biopharmaceuticals, a Bothell, WA-based developer of antibody drugs, received some good fortune in time for the holidays. Its leading competitor, Switzerland-based Roche, was hit with a delay from the FDA that is expected to slow down its plans to commercialize a rheumatoid arthritis drug by at least a year. This could give little Alder a chance to catch up.
—We broke the unfortunate news here last Friday that Calypso Medical Technologies laid off 36 workers, or about one-fifth of its staff, to conserve cash in the downturn. To see an updated list of layoffs at Seattle life sciences companies, click here.
—Some life sciences companies and organizations are still hiring in Seattle, so I set out to track down this information, despite the drumbeat of layoff news. If anybody out there knows of big names I’m missing, please send me a note at [email protected].
—ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) said its sole marketed product, recombinant thrombin for surgical bleeding, didn’t cause any immune reactions when given to patients who were at risk of getting that complication. The company will use this data to try to persuade doctors it has a safer alternative than the standard drug made from cow blood, by Bristol, TN-based King Pharmaceuticals.
—The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center raised $2.2 million in donations for its scientific programs Saturday night, at its annual Hutch Holiday Gala. The center plans to funnel
