Author: Luke Timmerman

Luke is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences. He has served as national biotechnology editor for Xconomy and national biotechnology reporter for Bloomberg News. Luke got started covering life sciences at The Seattle Times, where he was the lead reporter on an investigation of doctors who leaked confidential information about clinical trials to investors. The story won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award and several other national prizes. Luke holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and during the 2005-2006 academic year, he was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.

SeaGen’s Big Day at the FDA, Hutch Nabs $20M HIV Grant, Allozyne’s Nasdaq Plan, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This week, all eyes in Seattle biotech are on Seattle Genetics. If you don’t know why, here’s a chance to catch up. If nothing else, this will provide plenty of fodder for conversation at today’s WBBA Summer Social, which I plan to attend this afternoon. —Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) is making its case today in … Continue reading “SeaGen’s Big Day at the FDA, Hutch Nabs $20M HIV Grant, Allozyne’s Nasdaq Plan, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Sorbent Therapeutics Seeks to Fight Heart Failure in Unusual Arena: The Gut

Heart failure is a huge market with 5 million sufferers in the U.S., but it can be a pretty dull space for investors, since it’s widely treated today with cheap generics that have been around a long time. So how is it that Sunnyvale, CA-based Sorbent Therapeutics was able to raise $53 million in venture … Continue reading “Sorbent Therapeutics Seeks to Fight Heart Failure in Unusual Arena: The Gut”

Allozyne Looks to Rustle Up Interest on Wall Street With Backdoor IPO

Any company that aspires to get a listing on the stock market had better be ready for marathon hours with investors, accountants, and lawyers. But there’s a special thicket of challenges to work through when you’re introducing yourself to the NASDAQ the way Seattle-based Allozyne is. The privately-held biotech company is taking the backdoor route … Continue reading “Allozyne Looks to Rustle Up Interest on Wall Street With Backdoor IPO”

Insider Trader Pleads Guilty in SeaGen Case

Zishen Fan, of Chino Hills, CA, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to charges that he traded on insider information on Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) in 2010, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Western Washington. Fan’s brother, Zizhong “James” Fan, now deceased, was at the time a manager … Continue reading “Insider Trader Pleads Guilty in SeaGen Case”

Gilead Expands Low-Cost HIV Drug Program

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]), the world’s largest maker of HIV drugs, said today it has expanded its global access program to offer HIV/AIDS drugs at low prices in poor countries. The Foster City, CA-based company said four Indian partners and the Medicines Patent Pool Foundation will get access to the experimental drug elvitegravir, the experimental … Continue reading “Gilead Expands Low-Cost HIV Drug Program”

Seattle Genetics’ New ‘Empowered Antibody’ Looks Clean in FDA Staff Documents

The FDA staff has been known to dish out some unhappy surprises in briefing documents ahead of FDA advisory committees, and to make withering comments about the inadequacy of new drugs, but there wasn’t really any of that in this morning’s analysis of a new drug application from Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]). The FDA staff … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics’ New ‘Empowered Antibody’ Looks Clean in FDA Staff Documents”

Seattle Genetics’ FDA Panel Preview: What You Need to Know This Week

[Updated: 6:50 am PT] This is the week Seattle Genetics, a 14-year-old company, will have its biggest coming-of-age experience on its way to becoming a real grown-up. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) is getting ready to make its best possible argument for FDA approval of its new “empowered antibody” drug aimed at a pair of rare … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics’ FDA Panel Preview: What You Need to Know This Week”

LS9 Extends Chevron Deal

LS9, the South San Francisco-based developer of renewable fuel technologies, said today it has advanced to the second phase of a collaboration supported by Chevon Technology Ventures. The next step aims to further improve the company’s technology to produce “specific pure hydrocarbon products,” LS9 said in a statement. Financial terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. … Continue reading “LS9 Extends Chevron Deal”

The Missing Ingredient in Today’s Biotech: Guts

People in the biotech business (most, anyway) aren’t delusional. They know the odds are stacked against anybody who dares to develop a new drug. But even during the darkest days of recent economic history, December 2008, I heard a seasoned executive explain why the U.S. was, and would remain, the leading place in the world … Continue reading “The Missing Ingredient in Today’s Biotech: Guts”

Amylin, Alkermes Once-Weekly Diabetes Drug Passes Heart Trial Demanded by FDA

The diabetes drug that people are counting on at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, and Alkermes has passed a crucial test that the FDA demanded almost 10 months ago. San Diego-based Amylin (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]), along with its partners, said today that exenatide once-weekly (Bydureon) didn’t appear to cause an irregular heart rhythm, known as QT prolongation, … Continue reading “Amylin, Alkermes Once-Weekly Diabetes Drug Passes Heart Trial Demanded by FDA”

Fate Therapeutics Trims Chemistry Staff, Bets on Biotech Drugs

Fate Therapeutics, the high-profile stem cell startup in San Diego, has made some limited job cuts in recent months and changed strategy to focus on biotech drugs—instead of conventional small molecules—to coax stem cells into becoming a useful therapies. The company, founded by leading scientists at Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Washington, … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics Trims Chemistry Staff, Bets on Biotech Drugs”

SeaGen Preserves Science Culture, Dendreon Sways Medicare, NanoString’s Financing, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

We Seattleites have to savor the incredible weather we’ve been having, so I’m keeping this week’s roundup short and sweet so as not to interfere with your outdoor time. —Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) is one company that can’t really soak up too many rays right now, because it’s getting ready to transform from an R&D-only … Continue reading “SeaGen Preserves Science Culture, Dendreon Sways Medicare, NanoString’s Financing, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Fluidigm, Life Settle Legal Dispute

South San Francisco-based Fluidigm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FLDM]]) said today it has settled a legal dispute over intellectual property with Carlsbad, CA-based Life Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LIFE]]), as the companies have agreed to cross-license and sub-license certain technologies from each other. Fluidigm, which went public in February, makes microfluidic instruments that biologists can use to identify rare and … Continue reading “Fluidigm, Life Settle Legal Dispute”

Alkermes Wins Over Investors With Plan To Become Trans-Atlantic “Big Biotech”

Richard Pops went on hiatus for a while as CEO of Alkermes, and when he returned in September 2009, he vowed to put the company back in “building mode.” It could have been dismissed as rah-rah rhetoric, but over the past couple of months, the investment community has started to rally behind Pops’ bold plan … Continue reading “Alkermes Wins Over Investors With Plan To Become Trans-Atlantic “Big Biotech””

aTyr Pharma Looks to Strike Balance Between Nonprofits, and Really Big For-Profits

Quite a few biotech entrepreneurs are thinking hard these days about how to reinvent the industry’s wobbling business models, and one of these interesting experiments is happening at San Diego-based aTyr Pharma. John Mendlein, the well-known entrepreneur who splits time as the executive chairman at both San Diego-based aTyr Pharma and Fate Therapeutics, says that … Continue reading “aTyr Pharma Looks to Strike Balance Between Nonprofits, and Really Big For-Profits”

Optivia Biotech Finds its Way to Profits, With a Little Help from Friends at the FDA

Get most biotech executives talking about the FDA, and they usually tiptoe around with diplomatic sound bites, or maybe they’ll grumble about what they consider unreasonable burdens and arbitrary decisions by the U.S. drug regulatory agency. The guys at Menlo Park, CA-based Optivia Biotechnology have a completely different take. “The tougher the FDA gets, the … Continue reading “Optivia Biotech Finds its Way to Profits, With a Little Help from Friends at the FDA”

Seattle Genetics, On the Verge of Going Commercial, Seeks to Keep Its Scientific Soul

Just glance at the name, Seattle Genetics, and you get the drift this is a science-based company. But Seattle Genetics is morphing into something bigger and more valuable, which creates a whole new challenge: How do you maintain an inspired scientific culture from the early days, while living up to the cold market reality to … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics, On the Verge of Going Commercial, Seeks to Keep Its Scientific Soul”

NanoString Adds $2.5M Financing

NanoString Technologies, the Seattle-based maker of genetic analysis instruments, has collected $2.5 million in new financing, according to a regulatory filing. NanoString’s financing, which could be worth as much as $14 million over time, comes in the form of debt that be converted later into equity holdings, as well as warrants to buy shares in … Continue reading “NanoString Adds $2.5M Financing”

Cadence Faces Competition from Generic Pain Reliever, Less Than a Year After FDA Approval

San Diego-based Cadence Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CADX]]) won FDA clearance in November to start selling the first intravenous form of a common pain reliever, and it’s already attracting competition from a generic rival. The FDA’s website was updated today to show that another company is seeking to sell a generic version of injectable acetaminophen, which Cadence … Continue reading “Cadence Faces Competition from Generic Pain Reliever, Less Than a Year After FDA Approval”

Dendreon, After Yearlong Inquiry, Sways Medicare to Pay for $93,000 Prostate Cancer Drug

Dendreon is no stranger to controversy, but the story today is about minimizing the debate about when taxpayers ought to pay for its high-priced prostate cancer drug. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said today it has made a final decision to reimburse healthcare providers in the U.S. who prescribe sipuleucel-T (Provenge). The Medicare … Continue reading “Dendreon, After Yearlong Inquiry, Sways Medicare to Pay for $93,000 Prostate Cancer Drug”

Sorbent Therapeutics Absorbs $36M to Go After New Treatment For Kidney, Heart Failure

Sorbent Therapeutics wants to soak up the excess sodium and fluids that linger in the blood of people with failing kidneys and failing hearts, and it’s now absorbing a lot more cash to put the idea to the test. Sunnyvale, CA-based Sorbent is announcing today it has secured another $36 million in venture financing to … Continue reading “Sorbent Therapeutics Absorbs $36M to Go After New Treatment For Kidney, Heart Failure”

Gates Bets on Computer Drug Discovery, Tachi Yamada Joins Frazier, Dendreon’s LA OK, & More in Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This week we had some global health news, some politics, and some personnel moves to keep things humming here on the local biotech desk as head into summer. —Bill Gates is spending most of his fortune on tackling the health woes of the world’s poorest people, but every once in a while he invests in … Continue reading “Gates Bets on Computer Drug Discovery, Tachi Yamada Joins Frazier, Dendreon’s LA OK, & More in Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Dendreon Gets FDA Nod for New LA Cancer Drug Factory

Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said today that it has won clearance from the FDA to start manufacturing its immune-boosting drug for prostate cancer at a new factory in the Los Angeles area. The manufacturing plant OK, which was widely expected by analysts, means that Dendreon now has its first new location to produce its treatment … Continue reading “Dendreon Gets FDA Nod for New LA Cancer Drug Factory”

Genentech Shot Down at FDA Hearing on Avastin for Breast Cancer

Genentech has had a lot of good fortune in its dealings with the FDA over the years, but it was dealt a significant setback today. The South San Francisco-based biotech company, a unit of Switzerland-based Roche, failed to win over an FDA advisory panel that was asked to weigh in on whether bevacizumab (Avastin) should … Continue reading “Genentech Shot Down at FDA Hearing on Avastin for Breast Cancer”

Acetylon, Backed by Patriots Owner Bob Kraft, Snags $27M to Develop New Cancer Drugs

Boston-based Acetylon Pharmaceuticals has been pursuing one of the hottest fields in cancer biology the past couple years, and today it said it was able to scrape together a sizable amount of money to execute on its game plan. The company, founded two years ago on scientific work at Harvard University and the Dana-Farber Cancer … Continue reading “Acetylon, Backed by Patriots Owner Bob Kraft, Snags $27M to Develop New Cancer Drugs”

Betting That Biotech Will Bring the FDA to Heel? Don’t Count On It

When Minnesota Democrat Al Franken and Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown line up on the same side of an issue, my first guess would usually be that it’s to vote on some meaningless resolution in favor of apple pie. Or, like now, it could be a sign that a controversial, potentially transformative piece of legislation is … Continue reading “Betting That Biotech Will Bring the FDA to Heel? Don’t Count On It”

Genentech Scoops Up Tumor-Starving Drug Program From Forma Therapeutics In Rare Deal

Genentech doesn’t acquire many drugs from other people, partly because it has a prolific internal R&D operation. But the South San Francisco-based unit of Roche, the world’s biggest maker of cancer treatments, is announcing an unusual deal today in which it is paying to get an early-stage cancer drug program from Cambridge, MA-based Forma Therapeutics … Continue reading “Genentech Scoops Up Tumor-Starving Drug Program From Forma Therapeutics In Rare Deal”

Tachi Yamada, Former Gates Foundation Leader, Joins Frazier for New VC Gig

Tachi Yamada ran what you could call the world’s largest nonprofit venture fund for high-risk, high-reward global health ideas the past five years. Now he’s going to apply that same feel for risk and reward in the traditional venture capital business. Yamada, 66, the former president of global health at the Bill & Melinda Gates … Continue reading “Tachi Yamada, Former Gates Foundation Leader, Joins Frazier for New VC Gig”

Merck’s Julie Gerberding, Former CDC Director, on the Future of Vaccines

Not many pharmaceutical executives can say with a straight face that if they are successful, they will really help millions of people live significantly longer and healthier lives around the world. Julie Gerberding, the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been in one of those rare positions for about … Continue reading “Merck’s Julie Gerberding, Former CDC Director, on the Future of Vaccines”

Allozyne’s Backdoor IPO, Sound Pharma Fights iPod Deafness, Mirina Vs. Marina Ends, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Seattle biotech hasn’t had an IPO in a long time, but this week one biotech startup found a way to get onto the NASDAQ without doing the usual road show to entice investors. —One of Seattle’s top private biotech companies, Allozyne, essentially agreed to acquire a shell of a public company, San Francisco-based Poniard Pharmaceuticals … Continue reading “Allozyne’s Backdoor IPO, Sound Pharma Fights iPod Deafness, Mirina Vs. Marina Ends, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Allozyne Acquires Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Finds Backdoor Route to NASDAQ

Sometimes biotech startups can find a backdoor route to going public without going to all the trouble of doing an IPO, and that’s what Seattle-based Allozyne just did today. Allozyne, the developer of a long-lasting protein drug for multiple sclerosis, said today it has agreed to a merger with San Francisco-based Poniard Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PARD]]) … Continue reading “Allozyne Acquires Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Finds Backdoor Route to NASDAQ”

Case Closed on Mirina vs. Marina, as Accelerator Startup Changes Name

There won’t be any more Mirina vs. Marina stories to kick around here anymore. Seattle-based Mirina, the privately-held developer of microRNA therapies, has dropped its trademark infringement lawsuit against Bothell, WA-based Marina Biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]). Mirina, a startup at Accelerator, has changed its name to Groove Biopharma, according to Accelerator CEO Carl Weissman. “Every single … Continue reading “Case Closed on Mirina vs. Marina, as Accelerator Startup Changes Name”

Cyterix Develops New Twist on an Old Idea, With ‘Smart Bomb’ Cancer Drugs

The folks at The Column Group like to back some of the edgiest ideas in biomedicine, and their counterparts at SV Life Sciences tend to avoid some of the risky early steps in cancer drug R&D. So I had to wonder what these two venture firms were thinking earlier this month when they poured $9.2 … Continue reading “Cyterix Develops New Twist on an Old Idea, With ‘Smart Bomb’ Cancer Drugs”

Fighting iPod Deafness, Sound Pharma Focuses on Teens Cranking up the Volume

The iPod made tiny earbuds supercool. But the digital music revolution has created some damaging consequences, as millions of young people listen to songs for hours every day at sometimes deafening volumes. Most of them won’t turn down the noise anytime soon, and as millions develop early forms of hearing loss, it is creating a … Continue reading “Fighting iPod Deafness, Sound Pharma Focuses on Teens Cranking up the Volume”

Tesaro Snags Huge $101M Venture Round to Develop Cancer Drugs

Who needs the risky, messy business of early drug discovery? A number of top venture capitalists and public investors have shown, through a monster $101 million Series B investment in Waltham, MA-based Tesaro, that the preferred bet of the day is on a proven team of people aspiring to push cancer drugs through the later … Continue reading “Tesaro Snags Huge $101M Venture Round to Develop Cancer Drugs”

Amylin, Alkermes Diabetes Med OKd in EU

San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) and its partners—Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) and Waltham, MA-based Alkermes (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALKS]])—said today that their once-weekly injectable version of exenatide (Bydureon) was cleared for sale in Europe as a treatment for diabetes. The drug’s introduction has been delayed by regulators in the U.S., who have asked for more … Continue reading “Amylin, Alkermes Diabetes Med OKd in EU”

Genentech, Curis Pass Clinical Trial With Skin Cancer Drug, Look Ahead to FDA

Just when it looked like there was nothing much left to say about cancer drugs after the huge ASCO conference a couple weeks ago, here comes Genentech and Curis with another noteworthy result for skin cancer patients. South San Francisco-based Genentech, and Curis, its partner in Cambridge, MA, said that their experimental drug for a … Continue reading “Genentech, Curis Pass Clinical Trial With Skin Cancer Drug, Look Ahead to FDA”

Alder Gets $15M From Bristol

Alder Biopharmaceuticals, the Bothell, WA-based developer of antibody drugs, said today it will receive a $15 million milestone payment from its partner, Bristol-Myers Squibb. Alder got the milestone for initiating a Phase 2b clinical trial of its rheumatoid arthritis drug, ALD518, in a trial that compares it against a blockbuster drug in the category—Abbott Laboratories’ … Continue reading “Alder Gets $15M From Bristol”

Anaphore Names Grayson as New CEO

Anaphore, the San Diego-based developer of novel protein drugs, said today it has named Paul Grayson as its new CEO. Grayson is the former CEO of San Diego-based Fate Therapeutics and was a managing director at Sanderling Ventures. He replaces Kathy Bowdish, who will remain a consultant to Anaphore. Last year, Anaphore formed a partnership … Continue reading “Anaphore Names Grayson as New CEO”

Pfizer’s Idea to Fix the Drug Development Crisis, Which Probably Won’t Work (But Just Might)

Big companies love acronyms, and Pfizer is no exception. So when I heard the world’s biggest drugmaker talk about using its CTI network to validate POMs, it sounded like some Dilbert-style, soul-crushing initiative going nowhere. Writing off this latest initiative would be the safe bet, as many have tried and failed to revitalize the unproductive … Continue reading “Pfizer’s Idea to Fix the Drug Development Crisis, Which Probably Won’t Work (But Just Might)”

SeaGen Promotes Dobmeier

Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]), the Bothell, WA-based developer of targeted cancer drugs, said today that Eric Dobmeier has been promoted from chief business officer to chief operating officer. Dobmeier, who joined the company in 2002, has overseen the company’s efforts to license out its technology for linking antibodies to toxins that make them more potent … Continue reading “SeaGen Promotes Dobmeier”

Biogen Idec CEO on Move Back to Cambridge: “We’re Working on It”

Biogen Idec, after weeks of speculation in the local real estate market, has confirmed it is considering options to move its headquarters back from the suburbs to Cambridge, MA, as CEO George Scangos seeks to foster a more close-knit culture between the company’s R&D and commercial operations. “We’re working on it. We’ll see if it’s … Continue reading “Biogen Idec CEO on Move Back to Cambridge: “We’re Working on It””

Aveo Gets $100M in Stock Offering

Cambridge, MA-based Aveo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVEO]]) said today it has raised another $100 million. The company sold 5.75 million shares at $17.50 apiece in an underwritten offering managed by JP Morgan Securities, Jefferies & Co., and Canaccord Genuity. Aveo, the developer of cancer drugs, said in its most recent quarterly report that it had about … Continue reading “Aveo Gets $100M in Stock Offering”

iPierian Shakeup Continues, as Chairman Corey Goodman, Scientist Doug Melton Exit Stem Cell Startup

Two of the leaders at iPierian, the high-profile stem cell startup in South San Francisco co-founded by scientists at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, have left the company in the wake of its strategic shift this spring, Xconomy has learned. Corey Goodman, the prominent neuroscientist and biotech executive, has resigned his position as chairman of … Continue reading “iPierian Shakeup Continues, as Chairman Corey Goodman, Scientist Doug Melton Exit Stem Cell Startup”

Termeer Joins Verastem Board

Henri Termeer, the former CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme, has joined the board of Verastem, a startup seeking to develop treatments against cancer stem cells. Verastem, co-founded by MIT biologists Robert Weinberg and Eric Lander, raised $16 million last November, in a round that included Longwood Founders Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, Cardinal Partners, and MPM … Continue reading “Termeer Joins Verastem Board”

Vertex Adds New HepC Drugs for $60M

Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) said today it has agreed to pay $60 million upfront, as much as $715 million in development milestone payments over time, and potentially $750 million in sales milestones, to obtain a worldwide license to a couple new hepatitis C drug candidates from South San Francisco-based Alios Biopharma. The two … Continue reading “Vertex Adds New HepC Drugs for $60M”