Here are the ins and outs of biotech this past week:
As far as Merck was concerned, Xenon Pharmaceuticals was in, with a new deal that has Merck providing R&D funding for new small-molecule cardiovascular drugs [1]and getting an option on any output. Neuromed was out, with Merck pulling out of a collaboration looking for NCE’s targeting N-type calcium channels [1].
Online medical resources are in, with new offerings from the Canadian Medical Association for patients with diabetes [2]and an information upgrade from the Ontario Hospital Association at myhospitalcare.ca [2]. But the Ontario Health Quality Council’s 2009 Annual Report [2]showed that electronic medical records were still out, reporting that compared to other jurisdictions, Ontario lags when it comes to EMR adoption [2].
An FTC report on the economics of biosimilars [3]provided support for the proposition that shortened exclusivity periods [3] should be in, but argued that pay-for-delay deals [3] should be out.
Sodium fluoride isotopes for bone scans [4]were in, with Sherbrooke University Hospital resurrecting a 40-year old technology to make the isotope in-house using a cyclotron. But medical isotopes were still out, with the shutdown of Ontario’s Chalk River Reactor projected to last at least three months [4].
Keep up with all the ins and outs, ups and downs, and ayes and nays of the biotech scene at crossborderbiotech.ca [5].