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.

Orexigen Aims to Redefine Obesity, as Amgen Vet Revamps Company to Compete

San Diego’s Orexigen Therapeutics looked like just another biotech on the verge of collapse at the beginning of the year. Its CEO was diagnosed with a terminal case of leukemia and soon died. Three other senior executives had just quit. The company halted development of two experimental drugs to conserve cash. Orexigen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OREX]]) sought … Continue reading “Orexigen Aims to Redefine Obesity, as Amgen Vet Revamps Company to Compete”

Genzyme’s Woes Piling Up as FDA Panel Says Data on Leukemia Drug are Lacking

The bad news just keeps flowing for Genzyme. Today, an FDA advisory panel recommended against approving the company’s application to start marketing a leukemia drug to patients over 60, saying the Cambridge, MA-based biotech giant hadn’t produced enough evidence that the drug is safe and effective for those patients. The agency isn’t required to follow … Continue reading “Genzyme’s Woes Piling Up as FDA Panel Says Data on Leukemia Drug are Lacking”

AVI Offers Glimmer of Hope for Muscular Dystrophy, Says UW Neuroscientist Jeff Chamberlain

Jeff Chamberlain first heard about muscular dystrophy as a kid watching the annual Jerry Lewis telethon on Labor Day weekend. That TV program has been raising awareness for 43 years about this genetic disorder that breaks down muscles, eventually crippling and killing young boys and men, usually by their 20s. The disease really captured Chamberlain’s … Continue reading “AVI Offers Glimmer of Hope for Muscular Dystrophy, Says UW Neuroscientist Jeff Chamberlain”

San Diego’s Palkion Chases Amgen’s Big Market, Joins Race to Develop Oral Anemia Drug

Amgen’s big break came in the 1980s when it learned how to stimulate the body to make more oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Nobody has topped this achievement for the treatment of anemia in the past 20 years. But now San Diego’s Palkion has joined a list of competitors that hope to capture some billions of … Continue reading “San Diego’s Palkion Chases Amgen’s Big Market, Joins Race to Develop Oral Anemia Drug”

IDRI Licenses Vaccine Microneedles

The Seattle-based Infectious Disease Research Institute, a nonprofit global health research center, said today it has agreed to license technology from Israel-based NanoPass to use very short “microneedles” that cause less pain than traditional needles. The technology is supposed to stimulate the dense network of immune system cells just under the surface of the skin, … Continue reading “IDRI Licenses Vaccine Microneedles”

Will Solar Ever Live Up to the Hype? Paul Allen, Vinod Khosla Bet On Infinia’s Sun Engines

The early afternoon sun was bearing down on us, and it was about 100 degrees Fahrenheit the other day when J.D. Sitton walked behind his office, squinted, and pointed to the future of his company. Sitton, the CEO of Kennewick, WA-based Infinia, showed me a device resembling a satellite dish that has attracted some deep-pocketed … Continue reading “Will Solar Ever Live Up to the Hype? Paul Allen, Vinod Khosla Bet On Infinia’s Sun Engines”

How to Build a Billion-Dollar Company (And Keep An Academic Day Job), According to David Walt

Anyone compiling a list of the most successful life sciences entrepreneurs of the past decade would have to consider a soft-spoken academic named David Walt. He’s the chemistry professor at Medford, MA-based Tufts University who co-founded Illumina in 1998. San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) found its niche in the past decade by boosting the efficiency … Continue reading “How to Build a Billion-Dollar Company (And Keep An Academic Day Job), According to David Walt”

iWalk Secures Venture Round

iWalk, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of an actively powered prosthetic ankle and foot, has raised a new round of venture financing that provides a post-money valuation of $20 million, according to Rick Casler, the company’s chief technology officer. The amount of equity investment isn’t yet being disclosed, although General Catalyst led the round, Casler says, … Continue reading “iWalk Secures Venture Round”

Trubion Gets $20M Upfront in Leukemia Drug Partnership With Facet; Shares Boom

Trubion Pharmaceuticals has been pretty quiet this year, but put out some some good news this morning that sent shares soaring more than 40 percent. The Seattle biotech company said it has signed a global partnership with Redwood City, CA-based Facet Biotech to co-develop and market an experimental treatment for leukemia. Trubion (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TRBN]]) will … Continue reading “Trubion Gets $20M Upfront in Leukemia Drug Partnership With Facet; Shares Boom”

ZymoGenetics Plays Hardball, Targeted Genetics’ Legacy, Omeros Preps for Fall IPO, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

We’re supposed to be oh-so-laid-back here in the Northwest, so the surprise of the week came when one of the local biotech mainstays showed it was willing to step up and punch a competitor in the nose. —Seattle-based ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) showed it was willing to ruffle some feathers in its quest to gain market … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Plays Hardball, Targeted Genetics’ Legacy, Omeros Preps for Fall IPO, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Biogen Idec Research Boss Quits Board, Giving Icahn Shot at Pushing R&D Agenda

[Update: 8:20 pm Eastern time with Biogen comments] One of the Biogen Idec executives who was criticized earlier this year for displaying “failed leadership,” in the words of billionaire investor Carl Icahn, is resigning from the company’s board after an earlier pledge to keep the seat. Cecil Pickett, Biogen’s president of research and development, will … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Research Boss Quits Board, Giving Icahn Shot at Pushing R&D Agenda”

Omeros Plans to Test Waters with First Washington IPO in Two Years, Sources Say

Omeros, the Seattle biotech company developing a treatment to help people recover faster from knee surgery, is preparing a renewed push for an initial public offering this fall, possibly as soon as next month, Xconomy has learned from people familiar with the matter. The company first showed an interest in going public back in January … Continue reading “Omeros Plans to Test Waters with First Washington IPO in Two Years, Sources Say”

Genocea, Attracting Merck and Wyeth Vaccine Gurus, Pushes New Immunizations to Clinic

Vaccines get the credit for some of the biggest public health gains of the past century, but they are notoriously tough to develop. The required clinical trials take years, cost many millions, and even the slightest safety warning will attract droves of litigators. That’s all for a product that can’t usually command monopoly prices, like, … Continue reading “Genocea, Attracting Merck and Wyeth Vaccine Gurus, Pushes New Immunizations to Clinic”

Resolvyx Nails Dry Eye Trial, Gloucester Pulls in $29M, Shire Beefs Up Mass Presence, & Other Boston-Area Life Sciences News

News flow was light this week, so it was a good time for biotechies to rest up and get ready for the usual fall frenzy of investor conferences and medical meetings. But one local startup had a breakout moment in clinical trials, and another raised a pile of cash. —Bedford, MA-based Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals aimed high … Continue reading “Resolvyx Nails Dry Eye Trial, Gloucester Pulls in $29M, Shire Beefs Up Mass Presence, & Other Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Genzyme Rival Gets Another FDA Break

Protalix BioTherapeutics, the Israel-based biotech company, said today it has received “fast-track” status with the FDA for its experimental drug for Gaucher’s disease. The designation allows the company (AMEX: [[ticker:PLX]]) to submit pieces of information for its new drug application as they become available, rather than waiting for everything to be finalized, and gives the … Continue reading “Genzyme Rival Gets Another FDA Break”

Inovio, Fueled By Swine Flu Fear, Comes Back From Brink With ‘Universal’ Vaccines

Just three months ago, San Diego-based Inovio Biomedical looked like one of the many biotechs with big ambitions that were headed for the dustbin of history. The company has been burning cash for 15 years and it was down to its last $5 million in working capital. Inovio tried to merge with another little biotech … Continue reading “Inovio, Fueled By Swine Flu Fear, Comes Back From Brink With ‘Universal’ Vaccines”

Targeted Genetics’ Legacy: No Cures, But a Generation of Seattle Biotechies

[Updated: 10 am, 3/24/10] Targeted Genetics never cured anything. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TGEN]]) didn’t prove the concept that gene therapy could usher in a new era of more effective medicines. It was never profitable. It burned through more than $315 million in investor capital during its 17-year history. Those are cold facts that … Continue reading “Targeted Genetics’ Legacy: No Cures, But a Generation of Seattle Biotechies”

Gloucester Nails Down $29M to Move Ahead with Late-Stage Cancer Drug

Gloucester Pharmaceuticals, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer drugs, said today it has raised $29 million in a Series D venture round as it goes through the final dress rehearsals before making an argument for its lead drug in front of an expert review panel for the FDA. Gloucester raised the latest round from new … Continue reading “Gloucester Nails Down $29M to Move Ahead with Late-Stage Cancer Drug”

Seattle Genetics Trial Fills Up

Seattle Genetics, the Bothell, WA-based developer of cancer drugs, said today that it has completed enrollment in the pivotal clinical trial of its lead product candidate, brentuxmab vedotin (SGN-35). The trial recruited 100 patients with relapsed forms of Hodgkin’s disease. The enrollment period was about six months faster than the company expected, so Seattle Genetics … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Trial Fills Up”

FDA Agrees to Review CTI App

Cell Therapeutics, the Seattle-based developer of cancer drugs, said today that the FDA has agreed to review the company’s application to market pixantrone for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the U.S. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]) is seeking an expedited six-month review for the drug, which is sometimes granted for treatments with life-saving potential. The FDA will decide … Continue reading “FDA Agrees to Review CTI App”

Resolvyx, Swinging for the Fence in First Human Study, Passes Test with Drug for Dry Eye

Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals, the company that develops derivatives from omega-3 fish oils into new drugs, is announcing today that the first therapy from this class passed its first clinical trial, helping alleviate symptoms for patients with chronic dry eye. This was a big hurdle for Bedford, MA-based Resolvyx to clear, partly because the company set the … Continue reading “Resolvyx, Swinging for the Fence in First Human Study, Passes Test with Drug for Dry Eye”

Can The Genome Be Cracked for $5,000? OVP, Enterprise Partners Say Yes in $45M Round

Complete Genomics, the Mountain View, CA-based company that says it can sequence entire human genomes for as little as $5,000, has pinned down a $45 million venture round which includes support from two of its founding backers—Kirkland, WA-based OVP Venture Partners and San Diego-based Enterprise Partners Venture Capital. The rest of the capital is coming … Continue reading “Can The Genome Be Cracked for $5,000? OVP, Enterprise Partners Say Yes in $45M Round”

ZymoGenetics, Citing Two Patient Deaths, Builds Up Ammunition for Case Against Rival

Before it asked the FDA to yank a drug made by its chief competitor, King Pharmaceuticals, off the U.S. market, ZymoGenetics learned that physicians had attributed the deaths of two patients to bad reactions to the drug, says ZymoGenetics CEO Doug Williams. I spoke with Williams this morning shortly after the Seattle biotech issued a … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics, Citing Two Patient Deaths, Builds Up Ammunition for Case Against Rival”

AVI Nails Down $30M

AVI Biopharma, the Bothell, WA-based developer of RNA therapies, said today it has raised another $30 million through a stock offering. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVII]]) said it sold 21 million new shares of common stock, in addition to 8.5 million warrants to buy shares, in an offering underwritten by Jefferies & Company. AVI, which recently … Continue reading “AVI Nails Down $30M”

ZymoGenetics Plays Hardball, Asks FDA to Pull Competing Drug Off Market Because of Safety

ZymoGenetics isn’t giving up on its sole marketed product, and it’s playing some hardball to fight for it. The Seattle biotech company said today it is asking the FDA to yank its top competitor’s drug off the market because, it contends, it’s not safe enough. Thrombin-JMI, made by Bristol, TN-based King Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: [[ticker:KG]]), is … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Plays Hardball, Asks FDA to Pull Competing Drug Off Market Because of Safety”

Cell Therapeutics Nabs $30M, Rick Klausner on Vaccines, Targeted Growth Tinkers With Algae Genes, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Somebody forgot to tell the Northwest biotech community this is the height of vacation season. Our pages this week were packed with stories on financings, clinical trials, exclusive interviews and more. —Rick Klausner, the former leader of the National Cancer Institute and the global health wing of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provided some … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Nabs $30M, Rick Klausner on Vaccines, Targeted Growth Tinkers With Algae Genes, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

VC Rick Klausner on the Future of Vaccines, and Why Dendreon is Only Scratching the Surface

Vaccines produced some of the biggest advances in medicine over the past two centuries, but for most of that time, scientists couldn’t say for sure how they worked to rev up the immune defenses. “You would close your eyes and hope,” says Rick Klausner. That era is coming to a close, says Klausner, a former … Continue reading “VC Rick Klausner on the Future of Vaccines, and Why Dendreon is Only Scratching the Surface”

Anadys, Biotech’s Roller Coaster Story, Gears Up for Next Big Step with Hepatitis C Drug

If there were a prize for the whiplash-inducing roller coaster story of the year in San Diego biotech, Anadys Pharmaceuticals would have to be a contender. But if CEO Steve Worland has his way, some of that stomach-turning drama of the past eight months will soon just be a memory. “You might say we’ve been … Continue reading “Anadys, Biotech’s Roller Coaster Story, Gears Up for Next Big Step with Hepatitis C Drug”

PATH Wins $1.5M Hilton Prize, World’s Biggest Award for Humanitarian Work

PATH, the Seattle-based nonprofit that works to improve health in poor countries, said today it has won the closest thing the humanitarian field has to the Nobel Prize—the $1.5 million cash award known as the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. The news was delivered at an exuberant press conference this morning with PATH president Christopher … Continue reading “PATH Wins $1.5M Hilton Prize, World’s Biggest Award for Humanitarian Work”

Light Sciences Starts BPH Trial

Light Sciences Oncology, the Bellevue, WA-based developer of cancer treatments, said today it has started enrolling patients in a mid-stage clinical trial of its light-activated drug for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The condition, sometimes known as enlarged prostate, is characterized by frequent urination, urgency to urinate, and getting up at night to go. … Continue reading “Light Sciences Starts BPH Trial”

Intellikine, Stocked With Cash, Pushes Portfolio of Drugs Against Biology’s Hot Targets

Intellikine has the kind of story you rarely see in 2009. Few biotech companies can rustle up $28 million in venture capital in this year of the Great Recession, especially when they don’t have a single drug candidate in human clinical trials. Either investors are having a bout of 1999-style insanity, or the company has … Continue reading “Intellikine, Stocked With Cash, Pushes Portfolio of Drugs Against Biology’s Hot Targets”

Amgen Trial Shows Mixed Result

Amgen, the world’s largest biotech company, which has operations in Seattle and Cambridge, MA, said today that its drug for colorectal cancer slowed the spread of tumors for patients with a certain genetic profile, in a clinical trial of 1,186 patients. Despite slowing down tumors, the drug failed to show that translated into helping patients … Continue reading “Amgen Trial Shows Mixed Result”

Genzyme Rival Gets FDA Nod

Protalix BioTherapeutics, an Israel-based biotech company, said today it has received FDA approval for a treatment protocol of its experimental drug for Gaucher’s disease, which will allow patients to get expanded access to the drug during a shortage of the leading therapy, Genzyme’s imiglucerase (Cerezyme). Shares of Protalix (AMEX: [[ticker:PLX]]) climbed 10 percent in mid-day … Continue reading “Genzyme Rival Gets FDA Nod”

Vitex, Pacific Northwest National Lab Create Impervious ‘Sandwich Bag’ To Take Solar Power Mainstream

If solar panels are ever going to generate electricity for the mass market of U.S. consumers, they will need to be embedded in a place that captures serious rays, like the roof of the average American home. Lots of scientists are trying to make solar panels thinner, lighter, flexible, and more efficient, so they can … Continue reading “Vitex, Pacific Northwest National Lab Create Impervious ‘Sandwich Bag’ To Take Solar Power Mainstream”

CombiMatrix Looks to Hire Banker

CombiMatrix, the Mukilteo, WA-based maker of genetic analysis tools, said this week it intends to hire an investment bank to evaluate options to “unlock shareholder value,” which might mean selling the company, parts of the company, or a finding partnership, according to a statement. CombiMatrix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CBMX]]) considers it a good time to evaluate those … Continue reading “CombiMatrix Looks to Hire Banker”

Targeted Growth Tinkers with Genes to See If Algae Can Fulfill Biofuel Potential

[[Correction 10:40 am Pacific: Targeted Growth’s camelina program currently uses traditional breeding, not genetic engineering techniques like those for its algae biofuel program.]] Targeted Growth‘s business depends today in large part on its ability to breed new camelina seeds as a source for biofuel. But the Seattle-based biotech/cleantech company also has its eyes on a … Continue reading “Targeted Growth Tinkers with Genes to See If Algae Can Fulfill Biofuel Potential”

Seattle Genetics Recruits at Warp Speed, Amgen Passes Cancer Test, Stephen Friend’s Adventure & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Quite a few publicly traded biotechs released quarterly financial statements this week, but we arranged some fascinating conversations with entrepreneurs and researchers to offset the necessary number-crunching. —Seattle Genetics is having a breakout year, and one sure sign is that it has enrolled cancer patients in a clinical trial much faster than the industry norm. … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Recruits at Warp Speed, Amgen Passes Cancer Test, Stephen Friend’s Adventure & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Alnylam, Tekmira and New Northwest Firm, AlCana, Push Boundaries of RNAi Delivery

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is looking to the frontiers of science for ideas on how to best deliver RNA interference drugs throughout the body, and the Cambridge, MA-based company sounds most jazzed about what it sees emerging from laboratories in Vancouver, BC. Back in May, I wrote about how Alnylam—one of the richest companies in biotech—was leaning … Continue reading “Alnylam, Tekmira and New Northwest Firm, AlCana, Push Boundaries of RNAi Delivery”

Targeted ‘Must Raise’ Cash

Targeted Genetics, the Seattle-based developer of gene therapies, said today in its quarterly financial report that it “must raise additional capital” to remain in business beyond this month. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TGEN]]) had $2.5 million in cash and investments left at the end of June. The company is considering selling assets, product collaborations, or stock … Continue reading “Targeted ‘Must Raise’ Cash”

Seattle Genetics, Bucking the Trend, Recruits Hodgkin’s Patients at Warp Speed

Drug companies usually have a hard time recruiting cancer patients in clinical trials, and some dirty little financial reasons for it were exposed last week in The New York Times. Another little secret is that biotech companies often overpromise, and under deliver, when they tell investors they will hit their clinical trial deadlines. That makes … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics, Bucking the Trend, Recruits Hodgkin’s Patients at Warp Speed”

Alnylam Takes Moment to Pause on Cutting Edge, Mull Options on RSV Game Plan

Navigating the world of cutting-edge drug development can be thrilling, but you can sometimes find yourself in a gray zone. That’s the impression I got from a conversation yesterday with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals CEO John Maraganore about the many options he’s carefully mulling over before deciding whether to bet bigger company resources on his lead drug … Continue reading “Alnylam Takes Moment to Pause on Cutting Edge, Mull Options on RSV Game Plan”

Energy Secretary Steven Chu: Hire Brash Young Turks to Create the New Bell Labs

Steven Chu was once a young turk scientist in the late 1970s at Bell Labs, the hothouse that gave the world the transistor, satellites, and all sorts of other high tech inventions. Now that he’s the U.S. Secretary of Energy, overseeing 30,000 government scientists and engineers around the country, Chu is drawing on his own … Continue reading “Energy Secretary Steven Chu: Hire Brash Young Turks to Create the New Bell Labs”

Seattle Genetics Snags Milestone

Seattle Genetics, the Bothell, WA-based developer of antibody drugs for cancer, said today it has earned an undisclosed milestone payment from MedImmune, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca. Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) is due to receive the payment because MedImmune started a clinical trial with a drug that uses Seattle Genetics’ proprietary technology for making antibody … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Snags Milestone”

Amgen’s Personalized Strategy for Cancer Pays Off in Big Colon Cancer Trial

Quite a few scientists at Amgen could breathe sighs of relief over the weekend—that years of their work didn’t go down the drain. The world’s biggest biotech company, which has scientific operations in Seattle and Cambridge, MA, scored a victory in its quest to make cancer drugs tailored to specific genetic subgroups, when the idea … Continue reading “Amgen’s Personalized Strategy for Cancer Pays Off in Big Colon Cancer Trial”