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

• Alnylam licenses RNAi cholesterol drugs to Medicines Company
  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals granted the Medicines Company the right to develop and market a series of RNA interference-based, cholesterol-lowering drug candidates. The deal covers ALN-PCS02, an experimental intravenous RNAi treatment, and ALN-PCSsc, a preclinical injectable RNAi candidate. Alnylam will get $25 million immediately and as much as $180 million in potential milestone fees plus sales royalties. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (2/4)     

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Health Care & Policy

• Biosimilars, CMOs on FDA's list for guidelines coming this year
  The FDA unveiled a list of coming guidance documents that include the expected release this year of guidelines for biosimilars and quality agreements for contract manufacturing organizations. In-PharmaTechnologist.com (2/4)     

• BioSante sells GVAX vaccines to Aduro BioTech
  Aduro BioTech agreed to pay $1 million upfront to purchase BioSante Pharmaceuticals' GVAX assets, including vaccines, cell lines and intellectual property. Aduro previously licensed the rights to the GVAX pancreas and prostate cancer vaccines. The new deal also covers vaccines for multiple myeloma, colon cancer and breast cancer. RTT News (2/4)     

• Gilead's hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir hits main goal in trials
  Gilead Sciences' experimental drug sofosbuvir achieved the primary goal of two late-stage trials involving treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C virus. The firm plans to use the results to support a marketing application in the U.S. this year. Reuters (2/4), The Motley Fool (2/4)     

• Lab isolates precursors to lens cells
  Researchers at Monash University in Australia derived and purified lens epithelium, the tissue that serves as the base for the growth of the lens of the eye. The researchers said they were able to coax the precursor cells to turn into lens cells. The findings could speed the development of treatments for eye conditions by allowing testing on tissues in the lab. Yahoo/Asian News International (2/1)     

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Company & Financial News

• Stem Cell Therapeutics, Trillium announce merger plans
  Canadian firms Stem Cell Therapeutics and Trillium Therapeutics said they will merge and develop cancer drugs using stem cell technologies. The combined company will be called Stem Cell Therapeutics. Trillium shareholders will receive $1.2 million in cash and $1.65 million worth of common shares. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (2/4), Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba) (tiered subscription model)/The Canadian Press (2/4)     

• $5.5M will support CyVek's commercialization of immunoassay
  A Series D funding round has brought in $5.5 million for CyVek, which will use the proceeds for the market launch of the firm's CyPlex immunoassay platform. CyPlex can be used to examine multiple biomarkers from samples. GenomeWeb Daily News (free registration) (2/4)     

Global Developments

• Zealand-Sanofi diabetes drug wins go-ahead in Europe
  Sanofi and Zealand Pharma obtained approval from the European Commision to market the drug Lyxumia, or lixisenatide, for treatment of diabetes. The prandial GLP-1 receptor agonist will be used with oral glucose-lowering treatments and/or basal insulin to control blood sugar levels. PharmaTimes (U.K.) (2/4)     

Food & Agriculture

• Monsanto buys Israeli crop bioengineering firm
  Monsanto agreed to pay $35 million to purchase the assets of Rosetta Green, a crop bioengineering company based in Israel. The spinoff from Rosetta Genomics develops traits and identifies genes useful for farming and fuel applications. American City Business Journals/St. Louis/BizTalk blog (2/4)     

Industrial & Environmental

• How "lend-lease" could accelerate Pentagon's biofuel push
  Creating a nationwide biomass lend-lease program could speed the development of drop-in biofuels for military use by lowering the cost of feedstocks, Jim Lane writes. Federal lands would be made available to advanced biofuel producers or feedstock suppliers in exchange for affordable drop-in biofuels for the military, Lane writes. BiofuelsDigest.com (2/4)     

News from BIO

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SmartQuote

Failure changes for the better, success for the worse." --Seneca the Younger, Roman philosopher, statesman and playwright