NEW YORK, Sept 8 (Reuters) – New data from a trial of
Pfizer Inc’s (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) experimental pill to treat rheumatoid
arthritis showed the medicine was as effective as Abbott Inc’s
(ABT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) blockbuster injectable Humira drug, but more patients
taking it had serious side effects.

Summaries of several other late-stage trials to be
presented at a major rheumatology meeting in November were
released on Thursday and confirmed earlier findings that the
Pfizer drug, tofacitinib, was effective and well tolerated.

NEW YORK, Sept 8 (Reuters) – PerkinElmer Inc (PKI.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) agreed
to buy Caliper Life Sciences Inc (CALP.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) for $600 million to
broaden its reach in molecular imaging and genomic detection
technologies.

The deal marks the biggest acquisition for PerkinElmer
under Robert Friel, who became its chief executive in 2008.

WASHINGTOn/NEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) – U.S. drug
regulators approved Allergan’s (AGN.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Botox for treating a
specific kind of overactive bladder on Wednesday, setting the
stage for wider use of the popular wrinkle treatment in those
with bladder problems.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Botox can be
injected into the bladder to treat those who lose bladder
control because of damage to the nervous system, through
conditions such as multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New drugs from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Vertex Pharmaceuticals are selling fast out of the gate, and their recent share sell-offs provide investors with a new opportunity to profit from the medicines’ bright futures.

Bristol’s melanoma drug Yervoy and Vertex’s hepatitis C treatment Incivek, as well as Amgen’s Xgeva for preventing bone fractures in cancer patients stormed past early sales projections because they are simply too good to be ignored, industry experts said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Dendreon Corp (DNDN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) lost two thirds of its market value on Thursday after abandoning its forecast for its debut drug, prostate cancer vaccine Provenge, and shocking its biggest backers on Wall Street.

Dendreon said late on Wednesday it could not deliver on promised sales of the high-priced drug because doctors weren’t confident enough about getting reimbursed.

NEW YORK, Aug 3 (Reuters) – Dendreon Corp (DNDN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) on
Wednesday reported far lower-than-expected second-quarter sales
of the prostate cancer vaccine Provenge and withdrew its
full-year revenue forecast, sending its shares into a
tailspin.

The biotechnology company, whose shares fell 62 percent
after hours, also plans to reduce expenses, including through
job cuts, at a time when Wall Street was expecting sales to
take off as manufacturing capacity for the vaccine increases.

NEW YORK, July 28 (Reuters) – Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc’s
(VRTX.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) new hepatitis C drug stormed out of the gate, posting
sales of nearly $75 million in its first five weeks on the
market, and the company’s shares rose nearly 4 percent.

Incivek, which is likely to become part of the standard of
care for hepatitis C and widely expected to become a
multibillion-dollar seller, won U.S. approval in May.

NEW YORK, July 27 (Reuters) – AstraZeneca (AZN.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it
will price its recently approved blood thinner Brilinta at a
premium to widely used rival Plavix in the United States.

The British drugmaker confirmed on Wednesday a wholesaler
acquisition cost for Brilinta of $7.24 per day, about 19
percent higher than Plavix, which is sold by Sanofi (SASY.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)
and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Co.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Private equity and real estate firm Blackstone Group (BX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is in talks to buy healthcare IT company Emdeon Inc (EM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), a source familiar with the situation said on Wednesday.

A deal for Emdeon could be valued at about $3 billion, the source said. That number would include debt.

NEW YORK, July 27 (Reuters) – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc
(TMO.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), a leading maker of scientific instruments, reported a
higher quarterly profit, helped by a gain on the sale of a pair
of businesses, and it raised its full-year forecast.

Shares fell, however, as some analysts speculated that
concerns from sector rivals about a potentially weak second
half of the year and sluggishness from academic customers could
be having a spillover effect.