By the time you read this, I’ve probably already wrapped up my work as a correspondent for Xconomy, turned in my key to office on Rogers Street in Cambridge, MA, and taken a deep breath in anticipation of my exciting new role as an executive editor for the life sciences group at FierceMarkets. I’m really … Continue reading “My 33 Months at Xconomy, a Nano-Memoir (of Sorts)”
Author: Ryan McBride
Ryan is an award-winning business journalist who contributes to our life sciences and technology coverage. He was previously a staff writer for Mass High Tech, a Boston business and technology newspaper, where he and his colleagues won a national business journalism award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in 2008. In recent years, he has made regular TV appearances on New England Cable News.
Prior to MHT, Ryan covered the life sciences, technology, and energy sectors for Providence Business News. He graduated with honors from the University of Rhode Island in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. When he’s not chasing down news, Ryan enjoys mountain biking and skiing in his home state of Vermont.
Gambling.com Domain Fetches $2.5M, Broker Says
Cambridge, MA-based Sedo, which provides an online marketplace for Web domain names, said today that it brokered UK-based Media Corp.’s sale of the “gambling.com” domain for $2.5 million to an unnamed British firm. It’s the largest sum paid for a domain this year, according to the broker. Sedo (which Xconomy’s Wade Roush profiled back in … Continue reading “Gambling.com Domain Fetches $2.5M, Broker Says”
FDA Panel Meets Today on Vertex HepC Drug
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:VRTX]]) faces a test today for its experimental drug for hepatitis C virus, telaprevir, as the FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee meets today in Silver Springs, MD, to review the firm’s application for approval of the treatment. NASDAQ has halted trading of the Cambridge, MA-based firm’s common stock today, according to Vertex. Yesterday … Continue reading “FDA Panel Meets Today on Vertex HepC Drug”
Genzyme and Anika Patent Dispute Continues
Cambridge, MA-based biotech Genzyme, now a unit of Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE:[[ticker:SNY]]), has amended its patent infringement lawsuit against its competitor Anika Therapeutics (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ANIK]]) related to Anika’s osteoarthritis treatment, Monovisc. Genzyme also filed a new complaint in U.S. District Court in Boston that includes a newly issued patent, according to Anika. Genzyme, the world’s largest maker of … Continue reading “Genzyme and Anika Patent Dispute Continues”
KEW, Led by Millennium Co-Founder, Seeks to Bring Big-Time Cancer Care to Community Clinics
A new cancer care startup called KEW Group has been quietly operating in the Boston area and entered advanced talks to raise a sizable amount from venture investors. With an ensemble cast of founders from Harvard and elsewhere, KEW plans to provide community oncology clinics with information technology-supported services to make evidence-based medicine, such as … Continue reading “KEW, Led by Millennium Co-Founder, Seeks to Bring Big-Time Cancer Care to Community Clinics”
SR One Opens Bay Area Shop
SR One, the independent venture arm of London-based drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:[[ticker:GSK]]), has established a San Francisco office after a long history of backing West Coast biotechs such as Amgen (NASDAQ:[[ticker:AMGN]]) and Idec Pharmaceuticals (now part of Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) of Weston, MA), the group announced today. Simeon George, a partner at SR One, is … Continue reading “SR One Opens Bay Area Shop”
Biogen Shares Jump on Good News on Revenue, Oral MS Drug
Biogen Idec’s (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) stock price is soaring this morning after the Weston, MA-based biotech company reported a bump in first quarter revenue and new details about a successful late-stage clinical trials for its oral multiple sclerosis drug. Shares of Biogen were up more than 22 percent to $105.83 as of 10:23 am Eastern time. The … Continue reading “Biogen Shares Jump on Good News on Revenue, Oral MS Drug”
BG Medicine Chief Speaks on Rough IPO Climate, (Finally) Going Public
BG Medicine (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BGMD]]) took the long road to becoming a public company, scrapping its first attempt in 2008 and then spending just more than a year to wrap up its second IPO campaign this past February. In a recent interview, Pieter Muntendam, the CEO of the Waltham, MA-based medical diagnostic company, told me how BG … Continue reading “BG Medicine Chief Speaks on Rough IPO Climate, (Finally) Going Public”
Humedica Lands $20M Round
Humedica, a Boston-based clinical informatics company, has raised $20 million in a round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The firm, which previously raised $30 million from Bain Capital Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, and the investment bank Leerink Swann in summer 2008, came out of stealth mode in September … Continue reading “Humedica Lands $20M Round”
Ariad Extends Three Tech Licensing Deals
Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ARIA]]), a Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer drugs, said today it extended licenses to its cell-signaling regulation technology to three separate groups, all of which are using the technology for different purposes. Bellicum Pharmaceuticals of Houston, TX, is developing the technology for its experimental cancer vaccine and cell therapies; Washington, DC-based ReGenX Biosciences … Continue reading “Ariad Extends Three Tech Licensing Deals”
Bluebird Bio Snaps up $30M for Gene Therapies, Adds ARCH Venture to Syndicate
Investors are rewarding Bluebird Bio for wracking up accolades with its experimental gene therapies for serious genetic diseases. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm has brought in $30 million in a Series C round of funding, just over year after investors pumped $35 million into the firm in its second-round financing. ARCH Venture Partners joined the … Continue reading “Bluebird Bio Snaps up $30M for Gene Therapies, Adds ARCH Venture to Syndicate”
Alnylam Inks Deal with Precision NanoSystems
Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALNY]]) has found another partner to help it deliver its gene-silencing drugs to tissues deep in the body. Precision NanoSystems, of Vancouver, British Columbia, has agreed to lend Alnylam its expertise in using its so-called small lipid nanoparticles to potentially deliver RNA-interference (RNAi) drugs, the companies said today. The tiny particles … Continue reading “Alnylam Inks Deal with Precision NanoSystems”
Atlas and Monsanto the Latest VC and Big Co. Getting Close
Cambridge, MA-based Atlas Venture and the agribusiness giant Monsanto (NYSE: [[ticker:MON]]) are working together to find interesting life sciences investments to complement Monsanto’s agriculture business, Monsanto said today. It’s another case of venture firms working with large companies at an early stage. While no financial terms of the agreement were disclosed, the companies called this … Continue reading “Atlas and Monsanto the Latest VC and Big Co. Getting Close”
Taris Bio Taps Third Rock Ventures and Previous Backers in $18.3M Financing Round
Taris Biomedical, an MIT spinout focused on treating bladder diseases, has brought on Third Rock Ventures as its new investor and lead backer in an $18.3 million Series B round of financing. Sarma Duddu, CEO of Lexington, MA-based Taris, says that the funding will be used to advance the company’s lead treatment, which holds the … Continue reading “Taris Bio Taps Third Rock Ventures and Previous Backers in $18.3M Financing Round”
Nano Terra Acquires Surface Logix
Nano Terra, a Brighton, MA-based company that works with industry on surface engineering and nanotechnology projects, said today that it has acquired the drug developer Surface Logix. The terms and details of the deal were not disclosed. Harvard University chemist George Whitesides (an Xconomist) is a founder of both Nano Terra and Surface Logix. “Surface … Continue reading “Nano Terra Acquires Surface Logix”
Roche Vet Takes CEO Job at Boston’s Enlight Biosciences
Michelle Browner saw firsthand what huge challenges lie along the way to developing a new drug during her 18 years at Swiss healthcare giant Roche. Now, Xconomy has learned, she has taken the CEO job at Boston-based Enlight Biosciences, a firm that was founded to aid Big Pharma with some of its biggest research and … Continue reading “Roche Vet Takes CEO Job at Boston’s Enlight Biosciences”
Genzyme’s Termeer Joins Aveo Board
Aveo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:AVEO]]), a Cambridge, MA-based company with a drug in late-stage development for advanced kidney cancer, said today that it has recruited biotech bigwig Henri Termeer, the outgoing chairman and CEO of biotech drug maker Genzyme, to join its board of directors. Termeer, who joined Genzyme in 1983 and built it into an industry … Continue reading “Genzyme’s Termeer Joins Aveo Board”
T2 Biosystems, On-Q-ity, and GnuBIO Report Progress in Hunting for Signs of Disease
[Updated. 4/8/11. 8:09 am Eastern. See updates to section on On-Q-ity.] T2 Biosystems has chosen deadly blood-borne yeast infections as the lead targets of its system for rapidly and accurately diagnosing diseases. And the Lexington, MA-based firm is revealing results this morning from lab experiments that show the potential of its diagnostic for Candida infections … Continue reading “T2 Biosystems, On-Q-ity, and GnuBIO Report Progress in Hunting for Signs of Disease”
Founder Collective, Seed-Stage Fund, Betting on Surging NYC Tech Startup Scene
New York is famous in the business world for its large companies in a variety of industries. For the partners at the seed-stage venture fund Founder Collective, however, the focus is on the small tech startups in the city and beyond that have the potential to rapidly grow in value. In fact, managing partners David … Continue reading “Founder Collective, Seed-Stage Fund, Betting on Surging NYC Tech Startup Scene”
Optimer Inks Potential $47.5M-Plus Deal with Cubist to Help Sell Antibiotic
On the heels of a favorable FDA advisory panel vote on its experimental antibiotic, San Diego-based Optimer Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:OPTR]]) says today that Cubist Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CBST]]) has agreed to help sell the drug in the U.S. The deal calls for Lexington, MA-based Cubist to co-promote the Optimer antibiotic, fidxomicin (Dificid), for two years; the drug is … Continue reading “Optimer Inks Potential $47.5M-Plus Deal with Cubist to Help Sell Antibiotic”
Phreesia Keeps Data Digital When Patients Check In
The United States is investing billions of dollars to get doctors to use electronic health records for patients at their practices. Why then, Phreesia CEO Chaim Indig asks, are patients being handed the same old clipboards with papers to fill out when they arrive for appointments? New York-based Phreesia, which Indig co-founded in 2005, aims … Continue reading “Phreesia Keeps Data Digital When Patients Check In”
Cubist Settles Key Litigation
Lexington, MA-based Cubist Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CBST]]) said late yesterday afternoon that it has settled patent litigation related to its only marketed drug, the antibiotic daptomycin (Cubicin), with Teva Pharmaceutical. The companies’ agreement enables Teva to market a generic version of the antibiotic in the U.S. as early as December 24, 2017 under a license from Cubist, … Continue reading “Cubist Settles Key Litigation”
Follica Sheds More Light on Hair Re-Growth Invention
There’s been some buzz on the Web in recent weeks about Follica’s technology for treating one of the most common maladies of aging in men—male pattern baldness. The company, which got its start in offices of PureTech Ventures in Boston in 2006, sheds some light on its internal research in a patent application, published March … Continue reading “Follica Sheds More Light on Hair Re-Growth Invention”
Vertex CF Drug Shines in Late-Stage Study in Children
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:VRTX]]) reported today positive results from an ongoing late-stage study of its cystic fibrosis drug, VX-770, that show that the drug is working about as well in children as it did in older patients with the genetic disorder. The Cambridge, MA-based company said that the Phase III study of the drug, which aims … Continue reading “Vertex CF Drug Shines in Late-Stage Study in Children”
$2M for BL Healthcare
BL Healthcare, a Foxboro, MA-based provider of telemedicine products, has raised an additional $2 million in equity, debt, and rights financing to bring its Series A round to $4.9 million, according to an SEC filing. The company previously disclosed that it had raised $2.9 million in the first-round financing in August 2009. According to the … Continue reading “$2M for BL Healthcare”
PerkinElmer Agrees to Buy CambridgeSoft
PerkinElmer (NYSE:[[ticker:PKI]]), the Waltham, MA-based provider of products and services focused on the health and safety of people and the environment, said today that it has inked a definitive agreement to acquire CambridgeSoft of Cambridge, MA. In related news, PerkinElmer has completed its buyout of ArtusLabs, based in Research Triangle Park, NC. PerkinElmer says that … Continue reading “PerkinElmer Agrees to Buy CambridgeSoft”
$2M for SensAble Technologies
Wilmington, MA-based SensAble Technologies, a maker of 3D modeling and haptic systems, has raised $2 million of a planned $6 million equity round of financing, according to an SEC filing. In March 2010, the company said it raised $8 million in a financing that included HLM Venture Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners. That funding … Continue reading “$2M for SensAble Technologies”
VBI Progressing with Vaccines That Don’t Require Refrigeration
Expect to hear more about the vaccine developer VBI this year. The company has made some progress in addressing a major bugaboo in the vaccine field—the need to keep the vast majority of them at cool or freezing temperatures or risk spoilage. VBI (formerly called Variation Biotechnologies), which moved its headquarters from Canada to offices … Continue reading “VBI Progressing with Vaccines That Don’t Require Refrigeration”
Genzyme-Spinout Peptimmune Files for Chapter 7 Liquidation
Peptimmune, a Somerville, MA, biotech firm that has been developing a long-lasting drug for multiple sclerosis, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on Monday, according to a court filing. VentureWire reported the news this morning. The biotech—which was acquired by Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) in 1999 and then spun off from the Cambridge, MA-based drugmaker as an independent … Continue reading “Genzyme-Spinout Peptimmune Files for Chapter 7 Liquidation”
Alnylam Named in Complaint Over RNAi Patents
A week after settling litigation related to the patents on gene-silencing treatments, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and others have found themselves in another legal battle over the Tuschl patents related to RNA-interference treatments. This time the University of Utah has named Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALNY]]), Max Planck, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT, and the University … Continue reading “Alnylam Named in Complaint Over RNAi Patents”
CloudTP Acquires Global Green
Cloud Technology Partners, a Boston-based consulting firm, says that it has acquired Global Green Consulting Group. Financial terms of the deal weren’t announced. Global Green Consulting Group’s services will become part of the offerings of Cloud Technology Partners or CloudTP. Jim Lampert, founder and president of Global Green, will be joining CloudTP as executive vice … Continue reading “CloudTP Acquires Global Green”
Genentech Gets Positive Result in Cancer Trial
Lexington, MA-based Curis (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CRIS]]) said this morning that its partner Genentech of South San Francisco informed the firm that its pivotal Phase II study of a drug dubbed vismodegib in patients with an inoperable form of severe skin cancer called advanced basal cell carcinoma met its primary endpoint of tumor shrinkage. The most common adverse … Continue reading “Genentech Gets Positive Result in Cancer Trial”
Synageva Grabs $25M for Rare Diseases Drug Pipeline
Synageva BioPharma has nabbed $25 million in private equity financing as the Lexington, MA-based firm makes progress with its pipeline of treatments for rare diseases—an area that seems to be white hot these days, given Sanofi-Aventis’ (NYSE:[[ticker:SNY]]) $20.1 billion buyout of Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) and other recent developments. Synageva says that its previous lead investors participated … Continue reading “Synageva Grabs $25M for Rare Diseases Drug Pipeline”
Tekmira-Alnylam Lawsuit Centers on Drug Carrier Particles
Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALNY]]) has been working with Tekmira Pharmaceuticals (TSE:[[ticker:TKM]]) of Vancouver, BC, since at least 2006 on getting its gene-silencing drugs into cells to treat diseases. But the partnership has gone sour. Tekmira has filed a lawsuit that is seeking what could amount to more than $1 billion from Alnylam. Alnylam, founded … Continue reading “Tekmira-Alnylam Lawsuit Centers on Drug Carrier Particles”
Date Set for Key Meeting on Vertex Drug
The FDA said it has set April 28 as the date of an advisory committee meeting on Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ (NASADAQ:[[ticker:VRTX]]) application for approval of its experimental hepatitis C drug telaprevir. The agency has a track record of often, but not always, following the recommendations of such advisory groups. Vertex is seeking approval of … Continue reading “Date Set for Key Meeting on Vertex Drug”
Ariad Opts to Sell Cancer Drug with Merck
Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ARIA]]), a Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer drugs against specific biological targets, said today that it has taken its option to co-promote its experimental drug ridaforolimus with its partner Merck & Co. (NYSE:[[ticker:MRK]]) for treating soft tissue and bone sarcomas. As part of Ariad’s license deal with Merck in May 2010, it has … Continue reading “Ariad Opts to Sell Cancer Drug with Merck”
Former Boston Scientific Exec and UCSD Physician Team Up at Startup Topera Medical
Here’s an interesting development involving figures in the medical devices scenes of Boston and San Diego. Topera Medical, a secretive startup launched in 2008 in San Diego, has established a new headquarters in the Boston area to develop a catheter system for rapidly identifying the source of irregular heart rhythms in each patient. The Lexington, … Continue reading “Former Boston Scientific Exec and UCSD Physician Team Up at Startup Topera Medical”
Alnylam, UMass, and Others Settle RNAi Patent Litigation
[Updated 3/15/11, 2:28 pm ET. See note below] Litigation concerning key patents involved in the development gene-silencing drugs known as RNA-interference therapies has been settled. Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALNY]]), a developer of RNAi therapies, said today that the firm and all others involved in the lawsuit over certain rights to the Tuschl I and … Continue reading “Alnylam, UMass, and Others Settle RNAi Patent Litigation”
Edimer, Third Rock’s Bet on Rare Diseases, Aims to Begin First Human Tests
Edimer Pharmaceuticals wants to break new ground in the treatment of patients with an ultra-rare genetic disorder called X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, or XLHED. And the small venture-backed operation based in Cambridge, MA, is tapping the talents of some of the area’s rare disease veterans to try to pull it off. The firm, with primary … Continue reading “Edimer, Third Rock’s Bet on Rare Diseases, Aims to Begin First Human Tests”
Tolerx and Glaxo Diabetes Drug Disappoints in Late-Stage Study
There’s some bad news from Cambridge, MA-based Tolerx today. The venture-backed biotech firm and its partner GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:[[ticker:GSK]]) reported that their experimental drug for Type 1 diabetes failed to meet the main clinical goal of a late-stage study, called Defend-1. The 272-patient Defend-1 study was designed to measure how well newly diagnosed adult patients were … Continue reading “Tolerx and Glaxo Diabetes Drug Disappoints in Late-Stage Study”
Report: Fabry Patients Sue Genzyme and Mt. Sinai Medical School
Six patients with the rare genetic disorder Fabry disease have filed a lawsuit against Cambridge, MA-based biotech company Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) and Mt. Sinai Medical School over the handling of a rationing system for Genzyme’s Fabry treatment, agalsidase beta (Fabrazyme), the online publication Pharmalot reported yesterday. Genzyme, which is being bought by the French drug giant … Continue reading “Report: Fabry Patients Sue Genzyme and Mt. Sinai Medical School”
Epizyme Takes $6M Upfront in Cancer Drug Deal with Eisai
Cambridge, MA-based Epizyme has nabbed another pharmaceutical partnership. Two months after announcing a deal worth as much as $650 million with GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:[[ticker:GSK]]), the startup says today that it has landed a partnership with the Japanese drugmaker Eisai to develop drugs against an epigenetic enzyme for treating lymphomas and other cancers. In its latest deal, … Continue reading “Epizyme Takes $6M Upfront in Cancer Drug Deal with Eisai”
Bill Gates Backs Nimbus, Betting on Computer-Based Drug Discovery
Here’s a startup that is stepping out of top-secret status in style. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, the second-most wealthy person in the world, is one of two new seed investors in the stealthy biotech startup, Nimbus Discovery. Cambridge, MA-based Nimbus, focused on computer-based drug discovery in partnership with the global chemical-simulation software provider Schrödinger, said … Continue reading “Bill Gates Backs Nimbus, Betting on Computer-Based Drug Discovery”
$1M for Senior Health Startup Stonewedge
Stonewedge, an Andover, MA-based startup focused on improving care for seniors, has raised $1 million in an equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The company provides scant details about its business and products on its website. Stonewedge’s board includes Bernard Gordon, the founder and former chairman and CEO of Analogic (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALOG]]), a maker of … Continue reading “$1M for Senior Health Startup Stonewedge”
Report: Genzyme Chief Could Reap $221.2M in Sanofi Deal
Genzyme chief executive Henri Termeer is due to take in $158.4 million from French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis’s buyout of his Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm, Bloomberg reported. Termeer is also eligible for up to $62.8 million from contingent value rights payments if Genzyme products such as the experimental multiple sclerosis drug alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) meet all performance … Continue reading “Report: Genzyme Chief Could Reap $221.2M in Sanofi Deal”
Imprivata Aims to Make It Easier to Securely Access Electronic Health Records
Lexington, MA-based Imprivata is among the software companies that is benefiting from the push in the U.S. and abroad to adopt electronic health records. And the venture-backed company seems to have found its place in the healthcare field by streamlining the way clinicians securely access IT systems. This year, the U.S. government starts paying out … Continue reading “Imprivata Aims to Make It Easier to Securely Access Electronic Health Records”
Report: Talk of Bessemer Raising New Fund
Bessemer Venture Partners, which has offices in Cambridge, MA, and Menlo Park, CA, wants to raise as much as $1.5 billion for a fund to invest in technology startups, two unnamed sources told Bloomberg. The investments would be made from the firm’s offices in the U.S., India, and Israel. The Larchmont, NY, firm and other … Continue reading “Report: Talk of Bessemer Raising New Fund”
Amylin, Lilly, Alkermes Diabetes Drug Doesn’t Match Rival in Head-to-Head Study
Three companies involved in the development of a once-weekly injection of the Type 2 diabetes drug exenatide reported today that the treatment did not provide superior efficacy over an existing treatment in a head-to-head study. Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:AMLN]]) of San Diego, Waltham, MA-based Alkermes (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALKS]]), and Indianapolis drugmaker Eli Lilly (NYSE:[[ticker:LLY]]) said that the treatment, … Continue reading “Amylin, Lilly, Alkermes Diabetes Drug Doesn’t Match Rival in Head-to-Head Study”
With Sanofi Buyout of Genzyme, Rare Disease Execs Upbeat About Interest in Their Niche
Speculation raged for months about the potential impacts of a Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]) takeover of Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]). Yet now that the French drug giant and Cambridge, MA-based biotech company have agreed to terms of a $20.1 billion buyout, local players in the market for rare disease drugs are contemplating what Sanofi’s huge move into … Continue reading “With Sanofi Buyout of Genzyme, Rare Disease Execs Upbeat About Interest in Their Niche”
FDA Wants More Data on Merck KGaA’s MS Pill As Biogen Develops Rival Therapy
One of Biogen Idec’s rivals in the development of oral multiple sclerosis drugs got some bad news from the FDA. The agency has informed Germany-based Merck KGaA that it wants more safety data on the firm’s experimental MS pill cladribine, which has failed to gain approval at this time, the company said today. This news … Continue reading “FDA Wants More Data on Merck KGaA’s MS Pill As Biogen Develops Rival Therapy”