Biotech investors interested in seeing more details about these companies and a full list of their related stories can do so by typing the stock ticker symbol into the Stock Quotes box on the right side of the page.AVANIR Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNR) announced the Company will present at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, November 18th at 3:15 p.m. Eastern time (12:15 p.m. Pacific time) at the St. Regis in New York.Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (OTC:ADMP), announced it’s wholly owned subsidiary, Adamis Labs has now secured distribution contracts and initial stocking orders from the three major wholesalers of prescription drugs in the U.S.Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALXN) announced Dr. Leonard Bell, Chief Executive Officer of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, will present at Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference in New York City at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, November 18, 2009.

Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR) announced it will present at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, at 10:55 AM Eastern Standard Time in New York City.

Covidien (NYSE:COV) will present at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference in New York on Wednesday, November 18, 2009.

Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS), a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, announced the Company will be presenting at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference at 3:45 p.m. EST on November 18, 2009, in New York City.

Enzo Biochem, Inc. (NYSE:ENZ), a leading vertically integrated clinical lab, life sciences and therapeutic biotechnology company, announced Barry Weiner, President, and David Goldberg, Vice President, Corporate Development, will be presenting at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 3:40 PM at The St. Regis Hotel in New York, N.Y.

IMS Health (NYSE: RX), the world’s leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, announced the upcoming launch of IMS Oncology QuantifierTM, a comprehensive, clinically rich analytical tool that enables the company’s clients to assess treatment opportunities and guide commercial decisions in the $48 billion global oncology market.

ImmunoGen, Inc. (Nasdaq:IMGN), a biotechnology company that develops targeted anticancer products, announced Howard Pien was elected to its Board of Directors at today’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

LecTec Corporation (OTC:LECT) announced it has reached a settlement with Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. on outstanding patent litigation related to LecTec’s U.S. Patent Nos. 5,536,263 and 5,741,510.

MS Health (NYSE:RX), the world’s leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, announced the upcoming launch of IMS Oncology QuantifierTM, a comprehensive, clinically rich analytical tool that enables the company’s clients to assess treatment opportunities and guide commercial decisions in the $48 billion global oncology market.NexMed, Inc. (Nasdaq:NEXM), a developer of innovative transdermal products based on the NexACT® drug delivery technology, announced it raised $750,000 in gross proceeds from the issuance of new convertible notes due December 31, 2011 (the “Notes”), which are secured by a mortgage on NexMed’s facility in East Windsor, New Jersey.

Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) a clinical-stage vaccine company, announced today that John Trizzino, Senior Vice President, International and Government Alliances, will be presenting at the Influenza Congress USA 2009.

Chief Research Officer Morris S. Whitcup, Ph.D., of ORC Guideline (NASDAQ:IUSA) will present findings of the company’s recent research on the impact of social media on fair balance and pharmaceutical marketing at a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) public hearing later this week.

PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq:PPDI) announced its board of directors declared a cash dividend for the fourth quarter of 2009 under its annual cash dividend policy. The quarterly cash dividend will equal $0.15 per share.

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ:SNTA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, announced the Company will be presenting at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, November 18 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) at the St. Regis New York.Tongjitang Chinese Medicines Company (NYSE: TCM), a leading specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on the development, manufacturing, marketing and selling of modernized traditional Chinese medicine in China, announced it plans to announce its third quarter 2009 financial results before the market opens on Wednesday, November 18, 2009.

) is reporting some interesting findings confirmed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) that a household cat in Iowa developed signs of respiratory infection caused by H1N1 influenza virus. The AVMA report adds cats to the growing list of animals, including ferrets, hogs (most recently in Indiana and Taiwan) and turkeys reported to be infected by H1N1 influenza virus.

{tiny;AMAR;3}Dr. Joseph Cummins, President & CEO, ABI, said, "Any possible H1N1 mutations that worsen the virus' effect on humans could limit the effectiveness of vaccines or other prophylactic measures. Fortunately, oral or intranasal interferon alpha has been reported by scientists in France, Italy, Germany, Taiwan and the USA to be safe and beneficial in controlling viral diseases in cats, hogs, ferrets and poultry, regardless of mutations occurring."

A Phase 2 clinical trial of ABI's low-dose oral interferon is ongoing in Australia in 200 healthy human volunteers exposed to the H1N1 influenza virus and other respiratory viruses during the local influenza season.

Dr. Manfred Beilharz, one of the principal investigators in Australia, said, "Our study was conducted based on human results published in Russia and Bulgaria. Our study is expected to validate results of human clinical trials published years ago, which reported that low-dose interferon given orally or intranasally is safe and effective against influenza virus."

Results of this important Australian study are expected within a month.

{tiny;REGN;1}Sanofi-Aventis the Paris health-care giant, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.(Nasdaq:REGN) the Tarrytown, N.Y., biopharmaceutical producer, have expanded their effort to discover and market therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Within the deal, Sanofi-Aventis will boost its funding commitment to $160 million a year from $100 million beginning in 2010. The funding commitment will now extend through 2017 and given that the venture had been set to expire at the end of 2012 this is good news for Regeneron, whcih will gap shares up this morning. The companies aim to bring as many as five antibodies into clinical development each year, they said in a statement late on Tuesday. The two companies have advanced four antibodies into clinical development and have filed for a fifth.

{tiny;NEXM;3}Nexmed is getting a nice cash infusion.  NexMed, Inc. (Nasdaq: NEXM), a developer of innovative transdermal products based on the NexACT® drug delivery technology, today announced that it raised $750,000 in gross proceeds from the issuance of new convertible notes due December 31, 2011, which are secured by a mortgage on NexMed’s facility in East Windsor, New Jersey.

The Notes were purchased by two investors, including The Tail Wind Fund Ltd., a long term investor in NexMed and are convertible into shares of NexMed common stock at $2 per share with a coupon rate of 7% per annum.

NexMed’s pipeline includes a late stage terbinafine treatment for onychomycosis, a late stage alprostadil treatment for erectile dysfunction, a P 2 alprostadil treatment for female sexual arousal disorder, and an early stage treatment for psoriasis.

{tiny;ALTH;3}Look for shares of Allos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALTH) to rise as we head closer to an announced presentation of abstracts from studies of FOLOTYN™ (pralatrexate injection) were accepted for presentation at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La., from December 5-8, 2009.

Four poster presentations will summarize new analyses of data and updated efficacy results from the Company’s pivotal PROPEL study, which served as the basis for U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s accelerated approval of FOLOTYN™ on September 24, 2009, for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. A complete schedule of the presentations can be found here.

 

Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday it plans to offer an undisclosed number of shares of stock in a public offering. Arena shares fell over 12 percent to $4.10 in after-hours trading.

The company announced that it intends to offer shares of its common stock in a public offering. Piper Jaffray & Co. will be the sole underwriter for the offering. The offering is being made pursuant to a shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 25, 2008, which became effective on December 3, 2008.

A prospectus supplement relating to the offering will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Meanwhile, NexMed, Inc. (NASDAQ:NEXM) and Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) announced that they are terminating the development of NM100060, a topically-applied treatment for onychomycosis, commonly known as nail fungus sending NexMed's shares down 43 percent in after-market trade.

 

In addition, NexMed also announced that the results from the comparator study of NM100060 vs. Loceryl, a topical nail lacquer currently marketed in Europe, showed comparable safety and efficacy profiles for the two products in patients with mild to moderate toenail fungus. In the post hoc analysis of patients with mild fungus, NM100060 showed higher efficacy, which was consistent with the results from the two Phase 3 pivotal studies completed by Novartis in 2008. However, the study results were insufficient to support filing for marketing approval.

Vivian Liu, NexMed’s Chief Executive Officer said, “There were lessons learned from the studies which warrant further development of this product. We decided that NexMed will proceed with potential new licensing discussions. We have already received inquiries from companies with a focus in dermatology who are interested in commencing discussions.”

NexMed will host a conference call on July 8, 2009, at 9:00 am EDT to update investors. The call can be accessed in the U.S. by dialing 877-407-9205 and outside of the U.S. by dialing 201-689-8054 and asking the conference operator for the NexMed Conference Call. The teleconference replay is available for one week by dialing in the U.S. 877-660-6853 and outside of the U.S. by dialing 201-612-7415. Replay pass codes 286 and 327678 are both required for playback. The conference call will also be Webcast live at URL http://www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=147195. The Webcast replay will be available for three months.

The shares closed at 42 cents Tuesday on Nasdaq.

Below is a list of the companies that made news in the healthcare sector on Thursday, November 05, 2009.

 

Biotech investors interested in seeing more details about these companies and a full list of their related stories can do so by typing the stock ticker symbol into the Stock Quotes box on the right side of the page.

 

CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) announced the appointment of David M. Denton to the new role of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective January 1, 2010. Denton will succeed David Rickard who announced in February of this year his intention to retire as CFO.

 

NovaDel Pharma Inc. (NYSE:NVD), announced it received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for claims under U.S. Patent Application No. 10/671,715, entitled “Buccal, Polar and Non-polar Spray Containing Zolpidem,” which covers a method of treating insomnia by administering zolpidem to humans utilizing NovaMist™ Oral Spray spray technology.

 

NexMed, Inc. (Nasdaq:NEXM), a developer of innovative topical products based on the NexACT® technology, announced management will hold a conference call to discuss 2009 third quarter financial results and ongoing corporate activities, on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. EST.

 

IMS Health (NYSE:RX), the world’s leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by investment funds managed by TPG Capital (“TPG”) and the CPP Investment Board (“CPPIB”) in a transaction with a total value of $5.2 billion, including the assumption of debt.

 

StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEM) reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

 

EpiCept Corporation (Nasdaq:EPCT) announced it will host a conference call to discuss third quarter 2009 operating and financial results on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. EST. The call will follow the release of these financial results earlier in the day at 12:01 a.m. EST.

 

BMP Sunstone Corporation (Nasdaq:BJGP) announced the Company plans to release third quarter 2009 financial results on Monday, November 9, 2009, after the market closes.

 

Transgenomic, Inc. (OTC:TBIO) announces the following Webcast:  What: Transgenomic, Inc. Third Quarter 2009 Earnings Release Conference Call When: Thursday, November 5, 2009 @ 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

 

Unilife Medical SolutionsLimited (OTC:UNIFF) wishes to advise shareholders of the release of a Finance News Network interview conducted recently with Unilife CEO Alan Shortall.

 

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ISIS) announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

 

VIVUS, Inc. (Nasdaq:VVUS) announced Leland Wilson, chief executive officer, will present an overview of the company at Merriman Corhan Ford's 6th Annual Investor Summit.

 

MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:MAPP) announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

 

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLDX) announced Anthony S. Marucci, President and Chief Executive Officer of Celldex Therapeutics, Inc., will present at Merriman Curhan Ford’s 6th Annual Investor Summit at the Sofitel Hotel, New York City on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 2:40 pm, EST.

 

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALXN) announced Dr. Leonard Bell, Chief Executive Officer of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, will present at Credit Suisse’s 2009 Healthcare Conference in Phoenix, Arizona at 8:00 a.m., local time (10:00 a.m. ET) on Thursday, November 12, 2009.

 

Levi & Korsinsky is investigating the Board of Directors of IMS Health Inc. (NYSE:RX) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law in connection with their attempt to sell the Company to private equity firm TPG and the CPP Investment Board of Toronto ("CPP").

 

OncoVista Innovative Therapies, Inc. (OTC:OVIT) reported strong growth in revenue, in the second quarter of 2009.

 

CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE:CVS) announced its Board of Directors has approved a new share repurchase program for up to $2.0 billion of its outstanding common stock.

 

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced its financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2009.

 

Maxygen, Inc. (Nasdaq:MAXY), a biotechnology company focused on the development of improved protein drugs, announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2009.

 

Targacept, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRGT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNR Therapeutics™, reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

 

Life Sciences Research, Inc. (NYSE:LSR) announced financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009.

 

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SOMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the in-licensing, development and commercialization of proprietary branded pharmaceutical products and late-stage product candidates for the treatment of diseases and disorders in the central nervous system therapeutic area, announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

 

S3 Investment Company, Inc. (OTC:SIVC) issued comment from Chairman and CEO Jim Bickel regarding the recent progress of its wholly owned subsidiary businesses, Redwood Capital and Redwood Medical, both of which operate in the China market.

 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a labeling update for REYATAZ® to include long-term data from the CASTLE Study.

 Its been a while since I discussed a true penny stock …not one that simply meets the SEC’s broad definition (under $5 and not traded on a national exchange).  No, I mean a real penny stock, with a price actually measured in pennies. Here’s one that is on a roar today: NexMed (Nasdaq:NEXM).  Its traded over 18 [...]