January 26, 2006 – Before the opening bell, biotech bellweather Amgen announced earnings that were 29% higher than last year, but a penny short of expectations; Aranesp took some sales away from Epogen, its predecessor anemia drug; Amgen also reported positive data on denosumab in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis; Pfizer received European approval for Exubera, its inhaled insulin formulation and FDA approval for cancer drug Sutent; Bayer slid lower after reports showed Trasylol increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure; Altus Pharma staged a successful IPO; Alexion reported positive results for a drug treating a genetic disease that causes anemia; and Biomira will allow Merck of Germany to take over the development of BLP25 Liposome Vaccine as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. The Centient Biotech 200™ was down 5 points at 3922.04, a loss of .11%. More details...
