October 9, 2006 -- Merck won FDA approval for Zolinza, a once daily therapy for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; the FDA approved Brovana from Sepracor for COPD; New River and Shire received an approvable letter for their ADHD drug; Pfizer bought PowderMed Ltd., a privately held DNA-based vaccine company; Cortex reported the clinical hold on its Alzheimer’s drug was lifted; Theravance began a Phase II trial of its drug for constipation; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead and Merck have applied for European approval of their HIV/AIDS drug, Atripla; GlaxoSmithKline will buy CNS for $566 million; and Crucell won a $16.2 million NIH contract to develop an HIV vaccine. Biotech added to its recent gains with another strong session. The Centient Biotech 200™ rose 48 points to 3956, an increase of 1.23%. More details...
