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

• Drugmakers and biotechs enter new era of immunotherapy
  Large drugmakers and small biotechnology firms are developing cancer drugs and vaccines that attack tumors using the immune system. The industry's top physicians think the next 18 months could substantiate wider value of the approach. Companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen and Bristol-Myers Squibb are expected to unveil major clinical-study results this year or next. Reuters (5/7)     

Health Care & Policy

• FDA advisers will examine Gilead's Truvada for HIV prevention
  An FDA advisory panel is scheduled Thursday to review Gilead Sciences' Truvada for healthy but high-risk people to prevent them from contracting HIV. Truvada, one of the most-used HIV medications, combines two drugs that limit HIV multiplication. The Wall Street Journal (5/6)     

• Collaboration can advance rare-disease work, researcher says
  Researchers working on rare diseases should get access to EMRs, clinical trial data, patient registries, tissue samples, biofluid repositories and other information that is being collected but not shared, says amyotrophic lateral sclerosis researcher Alex Sherman. A consortium of ALS research organizations has collected data from more than 8,000 trials, and Sherman said this kind of collaborative approach can bring together enough data to allow advances in rare-disease research. Bio-IT World (5/7)     

• Seattle, Millennium kick off trial of lymphoma drug Adcetris
  Seattle Genetics and Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Co. initiated a late-stage trial to assess the efficacy of their drug Adcetris in patients with CD30-expressing relapsed cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The trial will involve about 124 patients and will be carried out in the U.S., Europe, Brazil and Australia. American City Business Journals/Boston (5/7)     

• Generon initiates Phase II study of breast cancer drug candidate
  Generon (Shanghai) started a midstage trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its biologic drug F-627 in female breast cancer patients receiving myelotoxic chemotherapy compared with those receiving Neulasta. The trial is expected to involve 200 patients and will run in North America and Europe. Pharmaceutical Business Review Online (5/7)     

• Bioscience incubator slated to open next month in Ariz.
  BioInspire, an incubator that aims to invest in biomedical device startups, is scheduled to launch next month at a 6,800-square-foot facility in Peoria, Ariz. The incubator is a collaborative effort among the Peoria City Council, Plaza Companies and BioAccel, and has an annual city funding estimated at $1.6 million over a three-year period. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (5/4)     

• Study aims to test use of CT, blood assay in lung cancer diagnosis
  A trial being launched at National Jewish Health in Denver will combine the use of a low-dose CT scan and Oncimmune's EarlyCDT-Lung blood assay as a way to improve early-stage lung cancer detection. The four-year trial will involve 1,600 individuals ages 50 to 75 years and who have a history of smoking one pack a day for at least 20 years, among other criteria. HealthImaging.com (5/7)     

Company & Financial News

• Retrophin raises $4M to advance rare disease treatments
  Retrophin secured $4 million in a Series A financing round headed by MSMB Capital. Martin Shkreli leads both companies. The New York-based Retrophin will use the money to bring forward its investigational drugs for diseases including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Xconomy/New York (5/7)     

• GenVec wins NIH grant to advance RSV vaccine
  GenVec received $590,000 from the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to support its pediatric respiratory syncytial virus vaccine program. The grant was given under the Small Business Innovation and Research program. Pharmaceutical Business Review Online (5/4)     

Global Developments

• IHT granted rights to Opko's prostate cancer panel
  U.K.-based International Health Technology secured rights to offer Opko Health's novel panel of protein biomarkers and a related algorithm for detection of prostate cancer. The agreement covers sales to labs in the U.K., Ireland, Sweden and Denmark. GenomeWeb Daily News (free registration) (5/4)     

	The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Michael J. Fox Foundation Expands Funding to Envoy Interested in learning more about advertising in BIO SmartBrief? Contact Meryl Harold at (202) 407-7828 or mharold@smartbrief.com.

Featured Content

Industrial & Environmental

• EU officials disagree on role of ILUC in biofuels rules
  EU officials failed to reach an agreement Wednesday on whether to include indirect land-use change in the accounting of biofuels' carbon footprint. The EU's Climate Commission wants ILUC to be considered in upcoming biofuels rules, but energy officials are against it. "We need some kind of a decision. Every option has merits and demerits, but we need to make a decision and help industry move on," said Clare Wenner, head of renewable transport for the Renewable Energy Association. BusinessGreen (U.K.) (5/3)     

News from BIO

• Ship with FedEx
  FedEx is now offering member companies discounts of up to 35% off select FedEx services, both U.S. and international services. The BIO program with FedEx is one of the many cost-savings programs offered by BIO through its Business Solutions program. There is no charge for BIO member companies to participate in any of the BIO Business Solutions programs -- it is a benefit of membership. Learn more about the BIO and FedEx program.     

SmartQuote

The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it." --Peter Medawar, Brazilian-British biologist