> Cytokinetics says that GlaxoSmithKline won't be exercising its options on two of its programs. Cytokinetics retains all rights to ispinesib and SB-743921. But both companies will continue to partner on the cancer drug GSK-923295. Report
> Northwest Biotherapeutics has raised $500,000 in debt funding from Toucan Partners that will fund its financial needs into January. Further talks are ongoing. The company says it needs to raise additional funds for clinical trials and to repay debt. Story
> TOPIGEN Pharmaceuticals has received a clinical trial approval letter to move TPI 1100, a drug candidate for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, into clinical development in 2009. Release
> Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer have made their way into our holiday lawsuits roundup. Report
> Publication of the findings from a new nationwide survey today suggests that seniors are at risk for serious complications when they combine prescription medications with seemingly innocuous OTC meds. Report
> Despite the U.S. economic crisis, men and women are still turning to pharma to stay pretty, according to the Wall Street Journal. Report
> India's drugmakers will have to grapple with 17 new FDA recommendations for developing oral medications for type 2 diabetes, likely costing the companies more time and money to obtain regulatory approval. Report
> Edwards Lifesciences is leading the way towards transparency; the company will post information about its fiduciary relationships with physicians beginning in the second half of 2009. Report
> Nabi Biopharmaceuticals and the FDA have reached an agreement on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for a Phase II trial of NicVAX, the company's anti-smoking vaccine. Report
> The FDA has approved Emergent BioSolution's sBLA for BioThrax, the company's anthrax vaccine. The new approval changes the number of total vaccinations that must be administered. Report
> Paladin Labs has completed its acquisition of ViRexx Medical Corp for $1.25 million. Report
> Baxter International's H5N1 flu vaccine, Celvapan, received CHMP approval last week and Sanofi Pasteur also snagged a CHMP recommendation for Intanza, a seasonal flu vaccine that is injected below intradermally, rather than into muscle--the first of its kind to be approved by the CHMP. Report
> Results from preclinical trials for an experimental drug show that it may offer protection from the respiratory damage caused by cigarettes. Report
And Finally... All that chocolate might actually help finish the bumper Christmas crossword over the seasonal period. According to Oxford researchers working with colleagues in Norway, chocolate, wine and tea enhance cognitive performance. Release