The news summaries appearing in BIO SmartBrief are based on original information from news organizations and are produced by SmartBrief, Inc., an independent e-mail newsletter publisher. The information is not compiled or summarized by BIO. Questions and comments should be directed to SmartBrief at bio@smartbrief.com.

Today's Top Story

• Legal expert calls for BIO's involvement in health reform
  BIO should take part in White House discussions on health care reform because major decisions could be made in such venues, said Broderick Johnson, a partner at Bryan Cave, at the trade group's annual meeting. Although the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has been involved in the health care reform debate, it doesn't mean that the group will also look after BIO's concerns, Johnson said. TheRPMReport.com (5/22)

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Health Care & Policy

• Leaders say FDA must focus more on public health
  The FDA should work to modify its reputation from an organization that merely approves drugs or inspects production facilities to a public-health agency focused on preventing illness, FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg wrote in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine. The article, co-authored by FDA Deputy Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, also emphasized the need for policies to ensure safety in product approval, including conducting post-market studies of drugs and devices. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (5/26)

• Study finds genetic link between heart condition, gum disease
  German scientists found that periodontitis and coronary heart disease share a genetic mutation located on chromosome 9p21.3. "We think that periodontitis should be taken very seriously by dentists and diagnosed and treated as early as possible," one researcher said. U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay News (5/26)

• Scientists sequence genome of mice
  U.S. and U.K. researchers said they have completed mapping the mouse's genome after a decade and found that mice and humans have in common about 75% of genes. The findings could help in the development of treatments for human diseases. BBC (5/27)

• Researchers tout blood test as alternative to transplant biopsy
  Canadian researchers found that blood from heart and kidney transplant patients contains genetic markers that could help predict and diagnose acute organ rejection. The researchers are set to evaluate the blood test method in different sites across Canada to gather more data toward approval from Health Canada, the FDA and European regulators. They hope the method soon could replace the painful and more expensive transplant biopsy procedure as the standard laboratory test in predicting organ rejection. Google/The Canadian Press (5/26)

Company & Financial News

• United Therapeutics' lung drug Adcirca approved by FDA
  The FDA cleared Adcirca, United Therapeutics' treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension. The drug was co-developed by Eli Lilly and Co. and contains the active ingredient in Lilly's erectile dysfunction medicine Cialis. American City Business Journals/Raleigh/Durham, N.C. (5/26)

• Trials show "significant benefits" from Cougar's cancer drug
  Phase I/II trials proved prostate cancer drug abiraterone effective in providing pain relief for an average of about eight months in two-thirds of patients and for more than 18 months for those with the ERG gene -- about one-third of the group, Cougar Biotechnology announced. The positive response is "a brilliant result for those with aggressive prostate cancer and their families," the study's chief investigator said. Reuters (5/26)

• Vaxart starts animal trials of swine flu vaccine
  Vaxart began testing its H1N1 influenza vaccine in animals and expects to manufacture the first batch of an oral vaccine by August. Vaxart is one of a few biotech companies that used the sequence of the virus' major gene to form an artificial version. American City Business Journals/San Francisco (5/26)

Featured Content

Industrial & Environmental

• Big oil firms take advantage of biofuel market
  With the market for advanced biofuel continuing to grow because of federal mandates, big oil companies increasingly are showing interest in renewable fuels. BP and Royal Dutch Shell have invested in and formed partnerships with small ethanol firms to commercialize the biofuel. "Any time you get Big Oil into the game, that changes the paradigm because nobody can go large-scale chemical engineering like Big Oil," said Brent Erickson, BIO's executive vice president. NYTimes.com (5/26)

• Commentary: Congress should not cut ethanol investments
  Congress should not stop or reduce investments in the ethanol industry in favor of alternative energy sources such as sun and wind, writes Don Kusler, director of the Working Families Win project at Americans for Democratic Action, in this Post-Bulletin commentary. "At a time when our economy is hemorrhaging jobs, it would be disastrous to end investments in an industry that is growing and producing secure domestic jobs," Kusler writes. The Post-Bulletin (Rochester, Minn.) (5/26)

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News from BIO

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SmartQuote

We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery." --H.G. Wells, English author