Anaphore's Atrimers Snag up to $345M from Mitsubishi Date: December 13, 2010 Client: Anaphore Inc. Summary: Anaphore Inc. is expected to announce Monday morning that it has snagged its first big pharma partnership for its Atrimer protein engineering platform, a deal with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. that could be worth up to $345 million.
		AVI BioPharma Names Chris Garabedian Chief Executive Office Date: December 13, 2010 Client: AVI BioPharma Summary: AVI BioPharma (NASDAQ: AVII) today announced the appointment of Chris Garabedian as CEO and president effective Jan. 1, 2011. Garabedian, who has served as a director since June, will continue as a member of the board. J. David Boyle II, who held the post of interim CEO and president, will continue in his role as CFO and senior vice president.
		Anaphore Enters R&D Partnership with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma To Develop and Commercialize Novel Protein Pharmaceuticals For Autoimmune Disorders Date: December 13, 2010 Client: Anaphore Inc. Summary: LA JOLLA, Calif., Dec. 13, 2010 -- Anaphore Inc. today announced that the company has entered into a partnership with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (Osaka, Japan) for the research, development and commercialization of novel protein therapies for autoimmune disease.
		Solithromycin: An Oral and IV Fluoroketolide with High Potency and Broad Activity Spectrum Date: December 8, 2010 Client: Cempra Pharmaceuticals Inc. Summary: There are increasing numbers of treatment failures in community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). CABP’s primary pathogen is Streptococcus pneumoniae, of which many strains are resistant to currently available macrolides. Over five million people in the United States are diagnosed with CABP each year and more than a million of these require hospitalization.
		Otonomy Appoints David A. Weber, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer Date: December 8, 2010 Client: Otonomy, Inc. Summary: SAN DIEGO, Dec. 8, 2010 – Otonomy, Inc. announced today that David A. Weber, Ph.D., has joined the company as president, CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Jay Lichter, Ph.D., managing director of Avalon Ventures, co-founder of Otonomy and CEO since its inception, will continue to actively support the company as a member of the Board of Directors.
		Sutro Biopharma Appoints Trevor Hallam, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer Date: December 8, 2010 Client: Sutro Biopharma Summary: SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 8, 2010 – Sutro Biopharma, a biopharmaceutical company developing both novel and biosuperior protein therapeutics with improved pharmaceutical properties, today announced that it has appointed Trevor Hallam, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer (CSO). Dr. Hallam will lead Sutro’s ongoing efforts in the application of the company’s proprietary protein biochemical synthesis platform for the research and development of novel and biosuperior therapeutics, including those that cannot be made using conventional technologies. Sutro is pursuing these protein therapeutics through its own programs as well as through collaborative relationships.
		StemCells, Inc. Receives Authorization to Conduct World's First Neural Stem Cell Trial in Spinal Cord Injury Date: December 7, 2010 Client: StemCells, Inc. Summary: StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM) announced today that is has received authorization from Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial in Switzerland of the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) in chronic spinal cord injury. The trial is designed to assess both safety and preliminary efficacy in patients with varying degrees of paralysis who are three to 12 months post-injury, and will progressively enroll patients based upon the severity of injury. Enrollment is expected to begin in early 2011.
		S*BIO’s Oral Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitor SB939 Shows Tolerability and Safety in Phase 1 Clinical Trial in Patients with Advanced Hematologic Malignancies Date: December 7, 2010 Client: S*BIO Pte Ltd Summary: SINGAPORE, Dec. 7, 2010 - S*BIO Pte Ltd today announced that data from a Phase 1 study for its oral histone deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitor SB939 showed tolerability and safety in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies. Results were presented at the 52nd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, Fla.
		Argos Therapeutics Initiates Dosing of Patients in Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Monoclonal Antibody-Based Therapy for Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Date: December 7, 2010 Client: Argos Therapeutics Summary: DURHAM, N.C. – Dec. 7, 2010 – Argos Therapeutics today announced that it has initiated dosing of patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial of its monoclonal antibody-based therapy, AGS-009, for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). AGS-009 is a humanized immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) monoclonal antibody (mAb) with the ability to bind and neutralize human interferon alpha (IFN-α).
		Zerenex Clears First Phase III Hurdle; Secondary Data Wow Date: December 1, 2010 Client: Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc. Summary: Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc.'s iron-based phosphate binder Zerenex (ferric citrate) met the primary and key secondary endpoints in a short-term Phase III trial in hyperphosphatemia in dialysis patients, results that bode well for the ongoing long-term study as well as for the drug's potential in the $1.5 billion phosphate binder market.