February 15, 2006 – Biogen Idec and Elan announced the FDA has removed the hold on a clinical trial of Tysabri for multiple sclerosis; Keryx in-licensed the worldwide rights for Zerenex, a phosphate binder, from a Taiwan company; Genentech filed to use Herceptin for early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer; Merck filed a New Drug Application for Januvia, a novel therapy for type 2 diabetes; Genta said that Genasense increased the number of leukemia patients who had a response to chemotherapy; Progenics said that methylnaltrexone (MNTX) was effective against opioid-induced constipation; Celera Genomics announced that Abbott Labs selected two additional cancer targets for further development; and Johnson and Johnson cut 105 positions, most of them in the sales force that markets its anemia drug Procrit. The Centient Biotech 200™ climbed 39 points to 3930.89, a rise of an even 1%. More details...
