Genentech Inc.

Bill would regulate 'biosimilar' drugs

2013-05-12 20:00:00

SACRAMENTO — Two of the nation's largest biotech companies — Amgen Inc. of Thousand Oaks and Genentech Inc. of South San Francisco — are fighting in Sacramento to keep a tight grip on some of their most lucrative drugs. At stake is a...

HIV vaccine trial shut down

2013-04-25 21:43:00

In another major setback for efforts to develop an HIV vaccine, federal researchers have shut down a key clinical trial after an independent panel of safety experts determined that volunteers who got an experimental vaccine appeared to be slightly more...

Strategies for cutting the cost of prescription drugs

2013-04-19 20:47:00

When Maggie Heim had a recurrence of ovarian cancer about a year after her initial treatment, her oncologist suggested that she take what he believed could be a lifesaving drug. There was just one problem: Her insurer wouldn't pay for it. The 59-year-...

Major corporations backed inaugural festivities

2013-04-22 18:56:00

WASHINGTON — President Obama's second inaugural committee raised a little more than $43 million to put on the official festivities surrounding his January swearing-in, backed by major donations from some of the country's biggest corporations,...

Remove Medicare's straitjacket

2013-03-29 00:00:00

Now that the budget "sequester" is in effect, Congress is shifting its attention to entitlement reform. There's simply no way to achieve long-term reductions in federal spending without touching the big health programs, particularly Medicare. Although...

Battle over 'biosimilars'

2013-03-17 00:00:00

One of the most promising frontiers in healthcare is biologic medicines — complex substances derived from living cells that can help fight chronic diseases and cancers. To encourage investment in biologics, Congress in 2010 gave drug companies...

Facebook is about to redesign News Feed: Here's what to expect

2013-03-06 14:38:00

SAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook is rolling out a radical new redesign of News Feed, the biggest since it launched the feature in 2006. The giant social network plans to unveil the redesign at a press conference Thursday at its Menlo Park, Calif.,...

Inaugural fundraisers race to meet $50-million goal

2013-01-14 14:05:00

WASHINGTON — With less than a week to go before President Obama is sworn in for his second term, fundraisers for the presidential inaugural committee were still working Monday to secure their goal of $50 million in private donations to finance the...

New Avastin tests add to confusion over use in breast cancer

2012-01-30 00:00:00

In November, following an emotional public hearing some months earlier, the Food and Drug Administration withdrew approval for the cancer drug Avastin for patients with metastatic breast cancer — the late-stage, incurable form of the disease. The...

Roche won't extend $6.8 billion bid for San Diego's Illumina

2012-04-18 14:30:00

Swiss drugmaker Roche will not extend its hostile $6.8-billion bid for Illumina Inc. after the San Diego biotech company’s shareholders rejected Roche’s attempts to appoint new board members. Roche’s current offer of $51 per Illumina...

Disney CEO Iger joins Apple board; Levinson named chairman

2011-11-15 16:36:02

Avastin: There's the truth and then there's the politics behind the cancer drug [The conversation]

2011-06-28 16:35:19

Some firms seek to make "biosimilar" drugs that would pose a threat to the market for biological drugs made by Amgen and Genentech. Above, a researcher purifies proteins at an Amgen lab in Thousand Oaks.

2013-04-25 00:00:00

A sign is displayed in front of the Genentech headquarters July 14, 2008 in South San Francisco, California. This company relied on the popularity of its cancer drug Avastin to boost profits.

2012-12-13 20:27:00

Dr. Jeffrey Bloss has joined Astellas US LLC as vice president of the scientific and medical affairs division. Bloss will be responsible for leading the U.S. medical affairs organization and also support the medical affairs function in Canada and Latin America.

2012-11-28 22:41:00