The Cross-Border Biotech Blog

Biotechnology, Health and Business in Canada, the United States and Worldwide

Monthly Archives: May 2009

Swine Flu Update Monday May 11: Ontario, Canada and Colbert Nation

Ontario has reached a total of 110 confirmed human swine flu cases, all still considered mild.  The age range is between 1 and 62.  Canada reported its first swine flu fatality, an Alberta woman with asthma. ScienceInsider has had outstanding coverage, and I’m adding their swine flu RSS feed to the sidebar on the right [...]

Trends Update — Comparative Effectiveness: To Head-to-Head or Not To Head-to-Head?

One of the challenges of comparative effectiveness implementation is figuring out when to look for comparative data. Two developments this week shed light on current comparative effectiveness thinking by regulators and pharma: Vanda’s new antipsychotic, iloperidone (Fanapt) was approved by the FDA last week without any head-to-head comparison against competitors (Zyprexa, Risperidol).  This approval indicates that [...]

Monday Deal Review: May 11, 2009

Check out the latest Patheon-JLL developments, a licensing deal that looks like a subcontracting arrangement, a plan of arrangement M&A that looks like a license, and the rest of the Canadian deal info from this past week

Friday Science Review: Old School and New School Edition

Science Old School: Mark Samuels’ lab at Dalhousie used positional cloning to identify a novel protein (dubbed SLC25A38 … catchy!) that appears to be responsible for a form of congenital sideroblastic anemia.  They also show that SLC25A38 is involved in heme biosynthesis.  The paper appeared among Nature Genetics’ advance publications this week.  Science New School: A pair of [...]

Obama Budget 2010: HHS Highlights

The Obama Administration delivered its FY2010 Budget to Congress yesterday. Among the highlights of the Department of Health and Human Services Budget: $511,000,000 increase to FDA’s budget with $259 million for food safety inspections, surveillance etc. $584,000,000 for influenza preparedness, including purchase and development of vaccines, antivirals, diagnostics and supplies $275,000,000 for advanced development of biodefense [...]

Trends Update — Electronic Medical Records: Telus/Microsoft and GE’s Global Healthcare Initiative Come to Canada

Two Canadian developments on the electronic medical records front: Telus-Microsoft: Telus and Microsoft are developing a patient-centred system that would allow individuals to access and manage their medical records and would interface directly with health care providers’ systems to gather and share the data.  Canada Health Infoway wants to make sure it’s secure.  The CBC story [...]

Senator Grassley Update: No to Judiciary, Yes to Lunch

Sen. Charles Grassley will not be moving to replace Sen. Specter on the Judiciary committee, contrary to the speculation that I previously passed along.  He did have lunch with Sen. Baucus, the President and the Vice President today where the topic was apparently staying off airplanes health reform.

University of Guelph and Vineland Launch New Ontario Partnership for Applied Genomics, Consumer and Horticulture Research

The University of Guelph and the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre signed a “research partnership agreement” that will develop new products and ideas “ranging from new fruit cultivars with health-boosting antioxidants to wider food choices at the supermarket.” The collaboration will focus on three main areas: Applied genomics to help increase yield and resist disease; [...]

Trends Update — Shifting IP Constituencies: AstraZeneca’s R&D Investment in India’s Jubilant

One of our trends in 2009 series is following the increasing innovative activity in India and China, which has the potential to reshape WTO debates around IP protection. Yesterday, FierceBiotech picked up a Reuters report that AstraZeneca will be funding five years’ work in neuroscience R&D at India’s Jubilant Organosys.  Jubilant was… well … very happy about the [...]

H1N1 Human Swine Flu Wednesday Update: Ontario, Genetics and Sanofi News

Ontario confirms 13 new cases as of Wednesday afternoon, bringing the total to 49 in the province, all considered mild.  A lot of the public health messaging over the last 48 hours has been advising people not to relax too much. Today also saw an interesting Canadian development on the scientific front.  Although commentary around [...]

Licensing and Strategic Partnerships in Biotechnology and Pharma: Slides from Yesterday’s Talk

I spoke yesterday along with Chris Hunter, a partner at Ogilvy, and Dr. Tony Cruz of Transition Therapeutics, about biotech, pharma and other licensing and strategic partnering relationships.  The talk was at the ninth of this year’s ten “Growing Your Business” seminars hosted by the RIC Centre and OCETA.  The RIC Centre website now has the [...]

Human Swine Flu: Ontario Update and Other New Info

There are five new confirmed cases in Ontario today, according to the press release following the 3pm call, bringing the total to 36. Nature has a good scientific update, including the latest thinking on the basic reproductive rate, R0, “which is the number of new cases that an infected individual will give rise to,” and [...]

Trends Update — Personalized Medicine: No Medicare Funding for Warfarin Testing, For Now

The WSJ Health Blog reports that Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has decided there is not enough scientific evidence for Medicare to pay for genetic testing to customize Warfarin dosing. CMS proposes paying for more research, and the New York Times story questions the cost effectiveness of a prospective study; but as we [...]

Confirmed Human Swine Flu Cases in Ontario Double

As testing capacity ramps up in Ontario, suspect cases are becoming confirmed cases at a rapid rate — 17 new confirmations from yesterday (and  two being re-assessed) brings the total number of confirmed cases in Ontario to 31.  The geographic and age range are both expanding, but all cases are reportedly still considered mild.  Here’s [...]

Canada — and MaRS — Draw Notice on List of Biotechnology Clusters

A report at Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, picked up today by FierceBiotech, discusses emerging biotechnology clusters.  It’s worth excerpting the whole bit on Canada: Both Toronto and Vancouver have good, small companies, but they’re struggling for capital. They have the benefit of government support and strong universities, particularly the University of Toronto, the University [...]

Trends Update — Electronic Medical Records: Health IT and EMR Have an Advocate in New OMA President Suzanne Strasberg

Dr. Suzanne Strasberg took over as the incoming president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Saturday night at their annual gala.  The OMA press release headlines Dr. Strasberg’s call for access to family physicians, but health IT also figures prominently. Dr. Strasberg indicated that she would focus on a number of initiatives, including “expansion of the [...]

Brain Drain and Ontario Genomics Funding: Globe and Mail Prefers to Hear the Bad News First

On the front page of the Globe and Mail this morning: Top AIDS researcher lured away, urges Harper ‘soul-searching’, citing $148 million in cuts to the Canadian funding agencies. Buried several links down below the fold in the National section: Ontario to provide major new research funding – in fact, $100 million to retain researchers, which [...]

Monday Deal Review: May 4, 2009

Canadian deal and company news this week: Big drama at Patheon’s AGM, a public offering (!), some collaboration news and a completed private placement.

Swine Flu, Snake Oil

A warning from Health Canada about various products you should not buy or take that claim to “to fight or prevent H1N1 flu virus.”  Basically, there is no such thing as generic Tamiflu or Relenza approved in Canada.  Don’t get swine-dled.

Breakfast Talk on Licensing and Strategic Partnerships, Tuesday, May 5

I will be speaking at a “Growing Your Business” seminar hosted by the RIC Centre and OCETA on Tuesday morning in Mississauga, along with Chris Hunter, a partner at Ogilvy, and Dr. Tony Cruz of Transition Therapeutics. We will be discussing Licensing and Strategic Partnerships in the Life Sciences sector. Click here for the full flyer [...]

Ontario Human Swine Flu Update: 16 Confrimed, All Mild

UPDATED Sunday: A press release from Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health, confirms 2 new cases of Human Swine Flu (aka H1N1 Influenza, aka Grippe Porcine) in Ontario today Sunday, bringing the total confirmed so far to 1416, with all reporting mild symptoms and recovering at home. More from the press [...]

Friday Science Review: Screening Edition

Early Screening for Breast Cancer Risk: A group of Canadian researchers showed that using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging, not the Ministry of Research and Innovation) to estimate breast tissue density may provide information on breast cancer risk comparable to measuring density by mammography.  Because MRI does not use radiation, earlier screening by MRI would avoid the culumative radiation exposure problems [...]

What You Missed While You Were at BioFinance

A lot to catch up on over the last few days… A professor in Hong Kong says don’t relax just because flu cases outside of Mexico have been mild — more spread equals more chances for further mutation. You think Biden had a bad public speaking week?  Check this one out from the Environment Minister [...]

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