By Dennis M. "Mickey" Flynn
President
Pennsylvania Bio

Earlier this week, I announced that I will be stepping down as president of Pennsylvania Bio at the end of June and that the Board of Directors has named Chris Molineaux, our current senior vice president of membership services, as my successor. I have had an incredibly fulfilling four-plus years at the helm of this association, and I'm very proud of the accomplishments we've made as a community. I know that Chris -- with your continued support, energy and commitment -- will be able to lead Pennsylvania Bio into the next decade.

Register online now for Pennsylvania Bio's 2010 Annual Dinner & Awards Celebration, the networking event for the statewide bioscience industry, which will be held on Thursday, March 11, 2010.

Join Pennsylvania Bio and a panel of experts for an engaging discussion on how reimbursement issues directly impact bioscience companies across a variety of markets, products, and services.

This exclusive networking site for employees of Pennsylvania Bio member companies is a great place to connect with other professionals from the commonwealth's bioscience continuum. If you are not yet a member on Pennsylvania Bio Community, sign up today.

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, unveiled its new clinical-grade, miniaturized electroporation device designed to be an easy-to-use, portable delivery product for DNA vaccines.

Medrad, Inc. has announced that it has entered into a co-marketing and trademark license agreement with B. Braun Melsungen AG to promote the Paccocath technology, a unique and clinically tested technology used to treat blocked vessels without stenting.

Absorption Systems has announced the results of a study demonstrating the unique power of the company's CellPort Technologies to predict the potential for pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions.

MedImmune has announced that clinical results of its pivotal multinational, randomized, double-masked trial for motavizumab have been published in the current issue of the peer-reviewed publication, Pediatrics: Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Pfizer Inc. and Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have announced that Pfizer received notification from the European Medicines Agency that the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for XIAFLEX™ (collagenase clostridium histolyticum), a novel, first-in-class, biologic for the treatment of Dupuytren's contracture (a condition resulting in the contracture of the fingers into the palm), has completed the validation phase successfully.

TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals has announced that the company has completed dosing of the first cohort in a Phase 1 clinical trial of its selective SMAC mimetic, TL32711.

YM BioSciences Inc. has announced that the FDA has advised the Company that it may now enroll patients at US clinical sites into two ongoing randomized, double-blind Phase II trials of its lead product, nimotuzumab.

Zelos Therapeutics, Inc. has initiated dosing in a seven day clinical study of a nasal spray formulation of ZT-034 (teriparatide) that is being developed in collaboration with development partner Aegis Therapeutics, LLC.

CSL Behring, a global leader in the plasma-protein biotherapies industry and a subsidiary of CSL Limited, has awarded four advocacy grants totaling $87,000 to patient organizations in the United States through the Local Empowerment for Advocacy Development (LEAD) program.

The Fund for Philadelphia has been awarded a $135,000 grant from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Ambulatory Health Service's (AHS) Breast Health Outreach and Counseling Program.

The Pennsylvania Biotech Center in Doylestown held a groundbreaking ceremony on January 8, 2010, as the cutting-edge research facility in the Philadelphia suburbs makes room for some new scientific opportunities for the region.

Cohera Medical Inc., which is developing a tissue adhesive for use in tummy-tuck surgeries, received a $10 million investment commitment, the first of what it hopes will lead to a $25 million Series C round.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has formed a partnership with Animas Corp. to develop an artificial pancreas to help people with type 1 diabetes.

Catheters are supposed to help save lives, but each year 30,500 patients die from bacterial infections acquired through the devices. Erie's PSI Medical Catheter Care has created a sterilization process that cuts that risk, which costs $2.4 billion in treatment each year.

Representative Scott Petri
178th Legislative District

I remember proudly standing in the Pennsylvania Pavilion at the BIO 2005 International Conference in Philadelphia when we announced that the PA House of Representatives was launching a Life Sciences and Biotechnology Caucus. It was an important step for us to recognize the importance of the industry to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and provide a forum to discuss the policy issues that will affect this industry. But it's what we have done since, and what we"ll continue to do as a caucus, that will mean even more.

Pennsylvania Bio thanks the more than 35 companies and organizations from our membership that participated in our fifth annual State Legislative Day on January 26th.

Governor Edward G. Rendell will deliver his annual budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the chamber of the House of Representatives.

The members of the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus elected William Adolph (R-Delaware County) as Republican Appropriations Chairman for the rest of the 2009-2010 legislative session.

Acting Secretary of Revenue C. Daniel Hassell reported that Pennsylvania collected $2.1 billion in General Fund revenue in January, which was $120.2 million, or 5.4 percent, less than anticipated. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $14.5 billion, which is $374.4 million, or 2.5 percent, below estimate.