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

• AstraZeneca may expand into follow-on biologics
  AstraZeneca CEO David Brennan said the company is considering venturing into follow-on biologics as more major pharmaceutical firms set their sights on such drugs. Pending legislation designed to create a process for the FDA to approve follow-on biologics would affect AstraZeneca's decision on such a move in the U.S., Brennan said. Financial Times (free content) (12/22)

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Health Care & Policy

• Expert: Embryonic stem cells could improve drug development
  Embryonic stem cells could be used to develop human cardiac cells for testing drugs, serving as a practical alternative to animal studies, British scientist Christine Mummery said. Such use "may also allow more and better drugs to come through the first tests or flag up safety issues at an earlier stage," Mummery said. CNN (12/23)

• Compound appears to avert lung injury from cigarette smoke in mice
  A chemical compound known as CDDO-imidazole prevented lung damage in mice that were exposed to cigarette smoke five hours a day by reducing inflammation and increasing the production of antioxidants, U.S. scientists reported. The researchers plan to investigate the drug's potential in reversing injury caused by emphysema. Bloomberg (12/22)

• Technique may help gauge efficacy of hepatitis C therapy
  U.S. scientists who analyzed RNA chains of the hepatitis C virus in infected patients found that a specific series of changes known as covariance networks vary based on the efficacy of standard therapy involving ribavirin and pegylated-interferon. The method could help doctors predict response to the treatment and may be used for other viruses, researchers said. Reuters (12/23)

• Study finds 2 gene mutations associated with lung cancer
  U.S. and Chinese scientists who conducted a study on subjects from southeastern China reported that variations in two genes -- ABCB1 and ABCC1 -- were more likely to be found among lung cancer patients than in cancer-free individuals. The ABCB1 gene mutation was particularly linked to adenocarcinoma, a primary form of lung cancer, as well as higher cancer risk in women and people younger than 60, researchers said. The Boston Globe/Reuters (12/22)

• Other News

• Study identifies potential mechanism for setting off autoimmune disorders
  Yahoo!/HealthDay News (12/22)

Company & Financial News

• FDA approves Epix's imaging agent for blood vessels
  The FDA cleared Epix Pharmaceuticals' Vasovist, a contrast agent for scanning blood vessels. Epix plans to terminate its marketing deal with Bayer AG for the drug in March and seek another partner. Vasovist has been approved in 34 other countries. Bloomberg (12/22)

• Gene tied to higher heart attack risk in younger Plavix users
  A study found that a year after treatment with the blood thinner Plavix, heart attack patients age 45 and younger with a gene variant called CYP2C19*2 were more than 3 1/2 times more susceptible to another attack or death than those without the mutation. A blood test instead of a genetic one can be conducted to determine anti-clotting reaction to Plavix, an expert in cardiovascular research said. Forbes/HealthDay News (12/21)

• Newron's ralfinamide enters next stage of clinical study
  Newron Pharmaceuticals started a mid- to late-stage study of ralfinamide, a treatment for neuropathic lower-back pain, to test its efficacy in providing relief to 400 patients. The move could allow the Swiss biotech firm to outlicense ralfinamide to a large drugmaker with strong presence in the painkiller market, a Helvea analyst said. CNNMoney.com/Dow Jones Newswires (12/22)

Food & Agriculture

• Field trials of biotech canola get approval in Western Australia
  The government of the state of Western Australia has cleared the first commercial field studies of biotech canola for next year. The trials are set to involve 20 farms that will cultivate 2,470 acres of the crop, said Terry Redman, the state's agriculture and food minister. Bloomberg (12/23)

Industrial & Environmental

• Energy Department to award up to $200M for biofuel projects
  The U.S. Department of Energy announced that it will award as much as $200 million to fund projects designed to develop cost-effective bio-butanol, "green gasoline" and other advanced biofuels. Programs must support the department's efforts to limit greenhouse gases and reduce dependence on imported oil to be eligible for the grants. United Press International (12/22)

News from BIO

• Yasuchika Hasegawa, president of Takeda Pharmaceuticals, will be keynote speaker for BIO Asia
  The sixth annual BIO Asia Partnering Conference, Jan. 19 and 20, 2009, in Tokyo, organized by BIO and co-hosted by BioCentury Publications, is the leading biotechnology partnering conference in Asia. This exclusive forum brings together biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies from North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region to meet in one place at one time to explore business opportunities. BIO will be introducing new state-of-the-art One-on-One Partnering software to arrange meetings between attendees. Early registration ends Dec. 19.

SmartQuote

Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous mind." --Samuel Johnson, English author