GSK execs admit Paxil-related heart defects; Bayer to invest $100M in Berkley facility;

> Officials of GlaxoSmithKline said in an email sent in 2001 that they were "almost certain" the drug Paxil was related to heart defect's in a patient's fetus, Jane Nieman, a former Glaxo drug-safety executive, told a Pennsylvania jury. Article [1]

> Bayer HealthCare will invest more than $100 million at its Berkeley facility--its largest single investment in the site--with a new manufacturing process to produce future versions of its Kogenate hemophilia therapy. Article [2]

> Millennium said the FDA has agreed to give the company an expedited review to Millennium's request to update its label for Velcade. The drug was approved as a front-line treatment for multiple myeloma in mid 2008 and Millennium wants to augment the drug's existing label with data about VELCADE'S long-term survival benefits. Article [3] l Release [4]

> Health Discovery announced that former Deputy FDA Commissioner John A. Norris has been appointed as chief operating officer of the company. Release [5]

Biotech News

> Arena Pharmaceuticals is touting the results of a major Phase III study of its weight loss drug lorcaserin. Article [6]

> Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and Ambrx have formed a discovery, development, and commercialization alliance covering protein drug candidates for three undisclosed targets in multiple therapeutic areas. Article [7]

> Bioheart (BHRT) shares are up 22 percent today on the news that a Phase II/III clinical trial of its stem cell treatment for heart failure is producing promising results. Article [8]

And Finally... A 20-year follow-up study revealed a dramatic drop in liver cancer cases among 6- to 19-year-olds who were vaccinated for the hepatitis B virus at birth, according to a study published online September 16 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Release [9]