Abbott bows out of Flutiform pact

Following the FDA's decision in June to require more clinical trials of SkyePharma's asthma drug Flutiform, partner Abbott has returned U.S. marketing rights to the British drugmaker. Under an agreement, there are no material payments due by either party on termination. Earlier this year, the FDA said 'substantive' issues would need to be addressed before Flutiform app could be approved. And this effort would require significant clinical work, as the agency wanted additional data...

Did the odds just get worse for Arena’s new weight drug?

After the FDA panel vote against Vivus's obesity drug Qnexa, analysts tracking the wave of new weight drugs headed to the agency have been hyper-sensitive about anything that could highlight concerns about the safety of the experimental treatments. So when the agency scheduled an in-depth review of Abbott's Meridia right ahead of Arena's (ARNA) lorcaserin--just as it tackled Avandia risks right ahead of the Qnexa session--it didn't take long for fresh fright to take hold. "The Meridia...

On a roll, Neurocrine nails $575M licensing deal with Abbott

Hot on the heels of a promising package of top-line results from the Phase II trial of their endometriosis therapy, Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX) has wrapped a $575 million licensing deal for the therapy with Abbott Laboratories. The San Diego-based biotech gets $75 million of that upfront along with Abbott's commitment to fund late-stage clinical investigation work. And there's about $500 million in milestones along with the prospect of royalty payments from an approved product. The deal...