Verizon fires 14, alleges false reporting of hours Nov 18, 2008
A 2d psoriasis patient has died of PML Genentech Inc. reported that a second patient who was taking the company's psoriasis treatment, Raptiva, has died after developing a rare brain infection ... -based Genentech said in a prepared statement ... Genentech reported on Oct. 14 that a 70-year-old patient who also was taking the drug for more than four years had died from PML. The two cases suggest "prolonged exposure to Raptiva and older age" may further increase the risk for patients of... (Boston Globe)
Apple Winning Over Businesses with iPhone Nov 17, 2008
A handful of companies, such as Genentech and Disney, mostly with ties to Apple, have decided to adopt the iPhone companywide as a communications tool. Such decisions are not hurting Blackberry significantly, as they often come from companies that had not previously adopted a smartphone in mass. (DailyTech)
Volatility Alert: Economic Data leads to Declines for Stocks Nov 17, 2008
Selling continued this past week, although the lows were successfully retested. The Dow ($) fell 446. (Forbes -- Markets)
Biotechs claw for their lifeblood - financing Nov 17, 2008
By contrast, shares in giant industry leaders, including Genentech and Amgen, rose this year. Some of those big companies are even hiring. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Predictive Tests And Early Treatment Delay Progression Of Blood Cell Cancer, Researchers Find Nov 16, 2008
15, 2008) Mayo Clinic researchers say they have moved closer to their goal of providing personalized care for a common blood cell cancer. They have found that the use of predictive biomarkers along with two targeted treatments significantly delays the need for conventional chemotherapy in patients with early-stage, but high-risk, chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL). (Science Daily)
Roche sticks by $43.7 billion Genentech bid: report Nov 14, 2008
7 billion Genentech bid: report - Yahoo ... 7 billion Genentech bid: report ... 7 billion offer to buy out the rest of Genentech Inc (DNA.N) it does not already own, its pharmaceuticals chief said in an interview published on Sunday. (Yahoo News -- Pharmaceutical Industry News)
Europe Retreats from M&A Deals in U.S. as Japan Emerges: Chart of the Day Nov 13, 2008
8 billion, including debt, or Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG's offer to buy Genentech Inc. for $41. 3 billion. (Bloomberg -- Asia)
Study Shows Potential Benefits of Xolair(R) in Treating Children Suffering from Moderate or Severe Persistent Allergic Asthma Inadequately Controlled With Inhaled Corticosteroids Nov 9, 2008
Genentech, co-marketer of Xolair, plans to submit these data to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking to expand the current labeled indication for Xolair ... Xolair is co-marketed in the United States by Genentech, Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. (PR Newswire)
Will Apple iPhone overtake Blackberry in the corporate segment? Nov 9, 2008
At the time, big names like Genentech Inc, Nike Inc and Walt Disney Co announced they would support the iPhone. Genentech said it would deploy 3,000 to employees. (India Times)
Tarceva maker: Study shows drug slows lung cancer Nov 8, 2008
Genentech and Roche Holdings are partners with OSI in the development and marketing of Tarceva ... In the Saturn study conducted by Roche, 889 patents were enrolled at 160 sites worldwide, according to a joint news release by OSI and Genentech ... In a statement, Hal Barron, Genentech's chief medical officer, said that the findings "represent another step forward in our hopes of providing more options to patients ...". (Newsday)
Brain cells in mice coaxed to regenerate Nov 7, 2008
In your arms and legs, if these fibers are severed, they can regrow back to the muscle, said Marc Tessier-Lavigne, executive vice president of research drug discovery at biotechnology firm Genentech Inc.. Nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord do not regenerate. (MSNBC -- Health)
Optic nerves regrowth raises hope for blind Nov 7, 2008
In the same journal a second team from the US biotech company Genentech reports similar experiments that prompted the regrowth of nerve cells in petri dishes. Both studies looked at nerve fibres called axons, which carry electrical signals around the body. (guardian.co.uk)
Newsweek: How we should fix biomedical research Nov 4, 2008
It's made billions for Genentech. Herceptin increased the cure rate for high risk Her-2 positive breast cancers by 50%, another multi-billion dollar blockbuster. (MSNBC -- Health)
Genentech seeks Avastin OK for brain use Nov 4, 2008
Genentech seeks Avastin OK for brain cancer - Sacramento Business Journal ... Genentech seeks Avastin OK for brain cancer ... If the Food and Drug Administration accepts Genentech s application to use Avastin against previously treated glioblastoma, accelerated approval would allow provisional approval based on preliminary evidence suggesting there is a benefit. (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)
California's rich keep on giving Nov 4, 2008
Genentech Access To Care Foundation: 194. 1. (Yahoo News -- Philanthropy and Volunteerism)
Election to benefit some industries, harm others Nov 4, 2008
Unlike traditional chemical drugs, biotech companies such as Amgen Inc. and Genentech Inc. face no generic competition in the U.S. because the Food and Drug Administration lacks authority to approve copies of biotech medicines. That is because biotech drugs, which are made from living cells or bacteria, are more complicated to manufacture than chemical drugs. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
U.S. biotech IPOs dying on the vine Nov 1, 2008
Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding is trying to buy the shares in Genentech it does not already own for $43. 7 billion, while Eli Lilly recently acquired ImClone Systems for $6. (USA Today -- Tech)
Roche Receives FDA Approval for Hepatitis C Viral Load Test on Its Fully Automated Real-Time PCR Platform Oct 31, 2008
Roche has Rements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai, and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R007. Worldwide, the Group employs about 80,000 people. (PR Newswire)
Drugmaker Roche plans expansion at Ventana Oct 30, 2008
Ventana developed an automated test that can detect the gene's presence and quantity, which indicates whether a patient may benefit from Herceptin, which is sold in the United States by Genentech Inc. Roche owns a majority of California-based Genentech's stock and has made a bid to buy the rest. That type of personal health care is potentially a big industry and of great benefit to patients, Schwan said. (AZCentral -- Business)
State Fund opens $77M green office in Vacaville Oct 30, 2008
The site is located south of Genentech s Vacaville facility, and east of Interstate 505. State Fund said materials once destined for landfills made up more than 20 percent of the building materials used in its construction, including concrete and cork and rubber flooring. (East Bay Business Times, CA)
Broader Financial Turmoil Threatens Biotech's Innovation and Cash Oct 29, 2008
The big biotechnology companies, including Genentech and Amgen, have products on the market and are highly profitable. The biggest companies are in such strong financial shape, in fact, that their shares are roughly flat for the year, far better than stocks as a whole. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Business)
Venture capital firm closes on $250m high-tech fund Oct 28, 2008
Genentech, of South San Francisco, Calif. is seeking to expand its current US approval for Rituxan. (Boston Globe)
The Millionaire in the Next Cubicle Oct 27, 2008
It should also provide a fund whose managers look toward growth-oriented fare such as Genentech (NYSE: DNA) and Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) -- stocks with robust earnings-growth estimates over the next five years. Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM) and Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) are similarly racy contenders for such funds. (MSNBC -- Business)
Samsung drops bid for SanDisk as mergers decline globally Oct 24, 2008
A $44 billion offer by the Swiss drug maker Roche for Genentech of the United States remains on the table after Roche on Tuesday confirmed its commitment to buying the 46 percent of Genentech it did not already own. But Genentech, a biotechnology company, has rebuffed the offer as inadequate. (International Herald Tribune -- Technology)
5-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Genzyme Oct 24, 2008
Genentech (NYSE: DNA). Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN). (MSNBC -- Business)
New Prostates Grown from Single Stem Cell Oct 24, 2008
But study co-author Leisa Johnson, a senior scientist with Genentech in San Francisco, said that point has not yet been proven. In rodents, the normal prostate undergoes up-and-down cycles of androgen (a male hormone), indicating to researchers the presence of prostate stem cells. (MEDLINEplus)
Merck's Free Radical Oct 24, 2008
Noticeably absent are drugs such as Genentech (nyse: - - )'s $2 billion (annual sales) Avastin, which stanches tumor blood supply. These are too complicated to understand. (Forbes -- Business)
Prostate Gland, a Repository of Adult Stem Cells, Genentech ... Oct 24, 2008
Prostate Gland, a Repository of Adult Stem Cells, Genentech Researchers Found ... Prostate Gland, a Repository of Adult Stem Cells, Genentech Researchers Found ... Researchers at Genentech, in San Francisco, found that the prostate contains adult stem cells that are capable of building a new prostate gland. (eFluxMedia)
Growing Prostates from Adult Stem Cells -- But Who Would Want One? Oct 23, 2008
By homing in on the researchers can now examine how this cell population helps regulate growth in the prostate, says Leisa Johnson, a molecular biologist at Genentech, Inc., in South San Francisco, Calif. and co-author of the study appearing in Nature. (Scientific American)
Hope for new cancer drugs as scientists grow prostate gland from a ... Oct 23, 2008
The study by researchers at Californian firm Genentech suggests that the stem cells may fuel the pre-cancerous growth of the prostate and ease the disease's passage around the body. Learning more about how they do this could lead to new ways of combating the disease. (Daily Mail)
1 in 4 new bio meds cause side effects Oct 22, 2008
Concerning resultsAmong the drugs under examination are Genentech Inc.s psoriasis drug Raptiva, which just last week the Food and Drug Administration warned may contribute to a life-threatening brain illness and infections; and Exubera, an inhaled insulin product, linked with lung cancer risks. Exubera was approved by the FDA in 2006 but Pfizer Inc. stopped selling it last year. (MSNBC -- Health)
Roche's Bitter Pill To Investors Oct 22, 2008
7 billion bid for the rest of its American partner Genentech, of which Roche already owns 55 ... The drug maker is acquiring Genentech to strengthen its position in the cancer drugs sector ... Roche, whose offer to buy American biotech partner Genentech has been rebuffed, also posted a 2. (Forbes -- Markets)
Safety a problem for biological drugs, too Oct 22, 2008
Among the drugs under examination are Genentech Inc.'s psoriasis drug Raptiva, which the Food and Drug Administration warned last week may contribute to a life-threatening brain illness and infections; and Exubera, an inhaled insulin product, linked with lung cancer risks. Exubera was approved by the FDA in 2006 but Pfizer Inc. stopped selling it last year. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
Drugmakers post healthy results Oct 22, 2008
7 billion bid for the rest of U.S. biotech group Genentech Inc (DNA.N), despite recent concerns that the world's largest seller of cancer drugs might struggle to secure financing for the deal ... Buying Genentech would give Roche control of all revenues for big-selling cancer drugs such as Avastin and Herceptin, as well as absorbing an attractive portfolio of new medicines. (Yahoo News -- Pharmaceutical Industry News)
U.S. Awards Anthrax Vaccine Deal Oct 22, 2008
VaxGen, founded in 1995 as a spinoff from biotech giant Genentech Inc., was involved in the development of a much-anticipated, but ultimately unsuccessful, AIDS vaccine in the late 1990s. In August, the company stumbled again, announcing that the Nasdaq exchange was delisting its stock because the company had not filed two quarterly reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Yahoo News -- Anthrax)
Bio-Pharma Industry Improves Patient Outcomes Through Continuing Medical Education (CME) Oct 21, 2008
In a benchmarking study that included such influential companies as AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, Johnson on, Merck, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis and Wyeth, many key questions were covered, including: -- What is the current landscape of continuing medical education (CME) in North America and Europe. -- What structural forms are used to deploy CME, optimize budgets deliver content. (PR Newswire)
Roche Sales Rise on Increased Demand for Avastin (Update1) Oct 21, 2008
Avastin and Herceptin were developed by South San Francisco- based Genentech Inc. Roche in July offered to buy the 44 percent of the U.S. biotechnology company that it doesn't already own for $43 ... The original offer has been rejected by Genentech as ``too low ... Gaining full control of Genentech would also ensure Roche access to all new medicines developed by the U.S. company, even after its current agreement expires in 2015. (Bloomberg)
Roche Confirms Genentech Bid, 9-Mth Sales Down 2 Pct Oct 21, 2008
ABC News: Roche Confirms Genentech Bid, 9-Mth Sales Down 2 Percent ... Roche Confirms Genentech Bid, 9-Mth Sales Down 2 Percent ... 7 billion bid for Genentech Inc as it reported a 2 percent fall in nine-month sales to 33. (ABC News -- Wire)
No lucky surprise on Genentech drug Oct 21, 2008
Genentech shareholders hoping for a quick boost from a closely watched clinical trial will have to wait until next year to find out whether the biotechnology giant's drug Avastin protects patients from a recurrence of colon cancer after surgery ... Instead, the independent experts monitoring the trial concluded that it should continue as planned, Genentech said late Sunday ... But they said stronger results at this point would have propelled the valuation of Genentech just as its majority... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Roche sales up 1.6 percent in third quarter Oct 21, 2008
The Swiss drug maker also reaffirmed its offer for California-based Genentech Inc., of which it already owns some 56 percent ... The company has been struggling to convince Genentech investors to take up a US$43. (International Herald Tribune)
Biogen 3Q profit rises 73 percent, tops forecast Oct 21, 2008
Revenue from a partnership with Genentech Inc. on the cancer and arthritis drug Rituxan rose 27 percent to $299 million. As of September 30, the company had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of about $2 billion. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Tracon Pharmaceuticals Appoints Bryan Leigh, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer Oct 21, 2008
He has also held positions at Genentech, IDEC Pharmaceuticals, and Biogen Idec where he was responsible for global clinical oncology development, managing multiple clinical stage programs and marketed products including Rituxan(r) and Zevalin(r). Prior to industry, Dr. Leigh held faculty positions at UC San Francisco and UC Davis. (Primezone Releases)
Roche 9-mth sales slip 2 percent, says will meet full-year target Oct 21, 2008
1 percent of the bio-tech pioneer Genentech for 43. 7 billion dollars, confirmed that the offer for the US unit holds. (Yahoo! Asia News)
UPDATE 2-US calls for new warnings on Genentech skin drug Oct 19, 2008
UPDATE 2-U.S. calls for new warnings on Genentech skin drug ... WASHINGTON, Oct 16 (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators have ordered strong black-box warnings for Genentech Inc's (DNA.N: , , , ) psoriasis drug, Raptiva, saying patients given the once-weekly injections are at risk for life-threatening infections ... Genentech spokeswoman Krysta Pellegrino said the biotech was only aware of one reported case of PML that the company announced earlier this month. (Reuters)
TV review: Doctor's quest for cancer drug Oct 19, 2008
Some of these elements are included in the contemporary story - he's late for a father-daughter event, his wife (Paula Cale Lisbe) reminds him in vain that Sunday is family time, he works day and night in his UCLA lab - but the "Eureka!" moment stretches out to be 12 years of struggling to get funding for his study, first from his primary corporate sponsor, Genentech, and then through private grants from breast cancer advocacy groups and big corporations like Revlon, which started the money ball... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Honoring a tireless breast-cancer crusader Oct 18, 2008
He pushes ahead with Herceptin, despite his own modesty and the obstacles presented by the drug maker Genentech, some of whose executives worry that the company will suffer if the drug fails. "We're not businessmen," he yells in a moment of frustration at a Genentech meeting, "we're doctors." In the late 1980s, Slamon gets fund-raising help from the extroverted Lilly Tartikoff (a breezy Angie Harmon), whose husband, NBC head Brandon Tartikoff, had been treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma by Slamon. (Boston Globe)
Genentech's Raptiva Receives New FDA Warning Oct 17, 2008
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will update the labeling of Genentech Inc.'s psoriasis drug Raptiva to highlight the risk of several bacterial and viral conditions. The added warnings follow Genentech's announcement earlier this month that Raptiva may have contributed to a patient getting progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, which causes swelling of the brain and is usually fatal ... On Tuesday, Genentech said that a 70-year-old chronic plaque psoriasis patient... (ABC News -- Wire)
Correction: Genentech Earnings Story Oct 17, 2008
In an Oct. 14 story about Genentech's third-quarter results, The Associated Press erroneously reported financial forecasts by analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, wrongly indicating that Genentech had met expectations. The analysts projected a profit of 88 cents a share on revenue of $3. (ABC News -- Wire)
Psoriasis Drug Raptiva Gets FDA Warning Oct 17, 2008
Genentech, the drug company that makes Raptiva, says it will issue a letter to doctors and other health care providers detailing the label changes. "We feel it's important that patients and doctors are educated about the signs and symptoms of infections and the other information included in the boxed warning," Genentech spokeswoman Krysta Pellegrino tells WebMD. ... Krysta Pellegrino, spokeswoman, Genentech. (WebMD)
Banco Santander OK's CEO appointment at Sovereign Oct 15, 2008
Man dies from brain illness while on drug Genentech Inc. said a patient taking its drug for chronic psoriasis, Raptiva, died after developing a rare brain infection. Genentech alerted doctors Oct. 2 that the patient had contracted the infection, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy ... The man, 70, who had taken the psoriasis drug for four years, had no health factors known to be associated with PML. Genentech said it would work with the Food and Drug Administration "to evaluate the risks... (Boston Globe)
Genentech doing well, 3rd-quarter report shows Oct 15, 2008
(10-14) 18:37 PDT -- While small investors are still wailing over their 401(k) losses, biotech giant Genentech Inc. revealed in its quarterly earnings report Tuesday that its trove of cash and investments has risen to $8 ... Chief executive Arthur Levinson said Genentech now may tap its reserves to acquire smaller biotech companies whose flattened share prices make them a comparative bargain ... So far, Genentech seems to rate high marks, said Jason Kantor, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Genentech's Good News Oct 15, 2008
Genentech doing well, 3rd-quarter report shows. Article:Genentech doing well, 3rd-quarter report shows:/c/a/2008/10/14/BUN813GP9S.DTL Article:Genentech doing well, 3rd-quarter report shows:/c/a/2008/10/14/BUN813GP9S.DTL ... Genentech doing well, 3rd-quarter report shows. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Genentech Net Rises 6.4%; Revenue Beats Estimates Oct 15, 2008
Genentech Net Rises 6 ... Genentech Net Rises 6 ... Pharmaceutical and biotech firm Genentech (DNA) missed analyst estimates for earnings per share, but beat revenue estimates when it reported non-GAAP third quarter earnings of 81 cents per share on $3. (Fox News)
Cancer-Drug Sales Bolster Genentech Oct 15, 2008
It seems Genentech made the right choice in turning down a takeover bid from its majority holder, the Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche Holding: its sales are soaring and investors apparently don't mind that its latest earnings missed Wall Street's estimates, possibly because of costs associated with defending itself against the bid. After trading ended on Thursday, Genentech said announced that sales of its key cancer drugs were all above expectations ... Despite the lower-than-expected... (Forbes -- Markets)
Street Falls Slightly On Profit Reports Oct 15, 2008
After the closing bell, Genentech (nyse: - - ) reported profits of 81 cents a share. The biotech stock missed the Street's call for profits of 88 cents a share. (Forbes -- Technology)
Genentech profit rises, sales top estimates Oct 15, 2008
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Genentech Inc (DNA.N) reported on Tuesday that sales of its cancer drug Avastin topped Wall Street estimates and its shares rose more than 3 percent, despite third-quarter earnings that fell short of analyst expectations due to higher costs ... U.S. sales of Avastin, widely considered the most important barometer of Genentech's growth, rose 18 percent to 704 million, helped by increased use in breast cancer ... Genentech's other important cancer drugs also topped... (Yahoo News -- Pharmaceutical Industry News)
Sector Snap: Drug developers insulated from storm Oct 15, 2008
Elsewhere in the sector, Genentech Inc. has already rejected a $43 ... Genentech said it was open to a higher bid. (Yahoo News -- Pharmaceutical Industry News)
Sales of Genentech's cancer drug climb Oct 15, 2008
Sales of Genentech's cancer drug climb - International Herald Tribune. Sales of Genentech's cancer drug climb ... Genentech reported on Tuesday that sales of its cancer drug Avastin topped Wall Street estimates, even though third-quarter earnings fell short of analyst expectations because of higher costs. (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
Intel reports profit, issues a warning Oct 15, 2008
Genentech's net income rises 6 ... Genentech Inc.'s third-quarter profit rose 6 ... Excluding charges for an employee-retention program and other one-time items, Genentech earned 81 cents a share. (Los Angeles Times)
Genentech's Q3 profit increases to $731M Oct 15, 2008
South San Francisco-based Genentech (NYSE:DNA) reported U.S.product sales of $2. 45 billion, a 14 percent increase from U.S. product sales of $2. (San Jose Business Journal, CA)
Genentech 3Q profit rises, meets forecast Oct 15, 2008
NEW YORK Genentech Inc.'s third-quarter profit rose 6 ... Excluding charges for an employee-retention program and other one-time items, Genentech earned 81 cents per share ... 9 percent of Genentech, comes back with another offer has been the key focus for analysts and investors. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
ETFs Rally on Historic Market Rise Oct 14, 2008
Earnings Domino's, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo. Economic Data ABC/Washington Post Consumer Confidence (5 p.m.). (SmartMoney)
Business briefing Oct 13, 2008
-- Earnings reports expected from Domino's, Genentech, Intel, Johnson on, PepsiCo. W. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Weekly Outlook: October 13, 2008 Oct 13, 2008
Earnings J Pepsi ( ), Supervalu ( ), WW Grainger ( ), Altera ( ), CSX ( ), Genentech ( ), Intel ( ), USANA ( ). Wednesday: Economic Weekly Crude. (Forbes -- Markets)
California's rich keep on giving Oct 13, 2008
Genentech Access To Care Foundation: 194. 1. (Yahoo News -- Philanthropy and Volunteerism)
