Aveo Oncology (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVEO]]) has seen its share of ups and downs over the past year as it has fought to prove the worth of its kidney cancer drug, tivozanib. Now the moment of truth is at hand, with an independent advisory panel choosing whether to recommend the drug to the FDA. On Thursday, the … Continue reading “Aveo’s Stock Plunges As Day of Reckoning Nears For Cancer Drug”
Author: Ben Fidler
Ben is former Xconomy Deputy Editor, Biotechnology. He is a seasoned business journalist that comes to Xconomy after a nine-year stint at The Deal, where he covered corporate transactions in industries ranging from biotech to auto parts and gaming. Most recently, Ben was The Deal’s senior healthcare writer, focusing on acquisitions, venture financings, IPOs, partnerships and industry trends in the pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostics and med tech spaces. Ben wrote features on creative biotech financing models, analyses of middle market and large cap buyouts, spin-offs and restructurings, and enterprise pieces on legal issues such as pay-for-delay agreements and the Affordable Care Act. Before switching to the healthcare beat, Ben was The Deal's senior bankruptcy reporter, covering the restructurings of the Texas Rangers, Phoenix Coyotes, GM, Delphi, Trump Entertainment Resorts and Blockbuster, among others. Ben has a bachelor’s degree in English from Binghamton University.
Blavatnik Gives Harvard $50M for Life Sciences Initiatives
Businessman and philanthropist Len Blavatnik has donated $50 million to Harvard University to help spur the creation of new, innovative drugs. Harvard will form two related initiatives with the gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, hoping to turn university research into viable business projects that don’t stall because they run out of money. The first … Continue reading “Blavatnik Gives Harvard $50M for Life Sciences Initiatives”
RainDance Secures $20M, and a Believer in Myriad Genetics
RainDance Technologies always thought its droplet technology platform had the potential to attract the powerhouses of the world of genomic research. Three years after introducing its first commercial product, it has now found the big-name ally with a big sales force to support that thesis—Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MYGN]]). The Lexington, MA-based company today not only … Continue reading “RainDance Secures $20M, and a Believer in Myriad Genetics”
East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Bind, Gen9, Radius, Cydan
Hello, Xconomy readers! I figured I’d formally introduce myself here, as I’ve grabbed the reins on these East Coast Life Sciences roundups and will be compiling them moving forward. I’ve been an avid Xconomy reader for several years while working as a healthcare writer for The Deal, and have always admired the quality of the … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Bind, Gen9, Radius, Cydan”
Radius Health, Still Private, Raises Another $43M
Radius Health has been lukewarm about diving into the public markets over the past year. But since its inception in 2003, the Cambridge, MA-based biotech has been sure about one thing: it has no problem whatsoever raising cash from private financiers for its osteoporosis drug, as it proved once again on Thursday by lining up … Continue reading “Radius Health, Still Private, Raises Another $43M”
Cydan, the NEA Startup Machine, Scours the Globe for Orphan Drugs
What if you could create a biotech startup focused on treating a rare disease, with a drug candidate already in hand, and high odds of success in clinical trials? That’s the concept that crystallized in former MedImmune executive David Mott’s mind through decades of experience in the life sciences sector. The idea ultimately led him … Continue reading “Cydan, the NEA Startup Machine, Scours the Globe for Orphan Drugs”
Sage Therapeutics Shifts Gears, Focuses on Rare Form of Epilepsy
Sometimes it takes a little time, and a little luck for a company to find its identity. Of course, when you’re a biotech like Cambridge, MA-based Sage Therapeutics, it doesn’t hurt to have the backing of a life sciences company creation specialist Third Rock Ventures to get there either. When Xconomy last checked in on … Continue reading “Sage Therapeutics Shifts Gears, Focuses on Rare Form of Epilepsy”
Acorda Stock Climbs on Post-Stroke Study
Acorda Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACOR]]) put itself on the map three years ago when the FDA approved dalfampridine (Ampyra) to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis. Now, the Hawthorne, NY-based biotech is at it again, hoping that some promising data can open up a new revenue stream for its sole drug on the market. Acorda … Continue reading “Acorda Stock Climbs on Post-Stroke Study”