Pharma CEOs more confident than peers; Genentech hails Avastin lung cancer study;

> A third of pharma CEOs are very confident that they can increase revenues over the next 12 months, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers 12th annual CEO survey, making drug industry execs among the most confident on the globe. Release

> Genentech stopped a non-small cell lung cancer study when an interim analysis found Avastin in combo with Tarceva kept cancer at bay better than Avastin alone. Report

> Shares of drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb jumped Monday amid speculation it could become an acquisition target. Report

> The country's moribund bond market has forced California's stem cell agency to delay $58 million in new grants earmarked to train researchers, moments after the group approved them. Report

> Celgene got a positive recommendation from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence for its multiple myeloma drug Revlimid, putting it one step closer to use by the U.K.'s National Health Service. Report

> GlaxoSmithKline said Monday that it has appointed James Murdoch, News Corp. Europe and Asia's chairman and chief executive, as a non-executive director. Report

> Stem cell therapy was able to reverse the neurological damage inflicted by multiple sclerosis, according to a new study. And the procedure, which relies on bone marrow cells, could offer a radically new approach to treating a notoriously drug-resistant condition. Report

> Paul Stoffels, the head of drug R&D at Johnson & Johnson, is recommending a new recipe for research. In a conversation with the Wall Street Journal, he recommends that developers adopt an 'open innovation' approach to their work. Report

> Alexion Pharmaceuticals got the nod from Health Canada for Soliris (eculizumab), its treatment for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare blood disorder. Release

> Pfizer shuttered a late-stage trial of a pancreatic cancer drug after its data monitoring board determined that the treatment--designed to shrink tumors--had failed to extend patients' survival time. Report

> The Financial Times reports that Sanofi-Aventis is in talks with bankers to line up enough money for new acquisitions. And analysts weren't shy about identifying potential takeover targets. At the top of the list: Amgen, Biogen Idec and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Report

> An FDA advisory committee decision tomorrow on Eli Lilly's blood-thinning drug Prasugrel will be closely studied by developers looking for some insights into how the agency will handle potential blockbusters that are linked to dangerous adverse events. Report

> Shares of the UK's Minster Pharmaceuticals went into free fall, losing 63 percent of their value after the developer announced that its migraine drug tonabersat failed a Phase IIb trial. Report

> Synta Pharmaceuticals has reached a key point in its development of the cancer therapy elesclomol. The developer is set to announce today that it has completed enrollment in a confirmatory Phase III trial, setting the stage to declare their success or failure in the coming weeks or months. Report

> Pfizer shuttered a late-stage trial of a pancreatic cancer drug after its data monitoring board determined that the treatment--designed to shrink tumors--had failed to extend patients' survival time. But Pfizer says it will continue to study axitinib's ability to treat kidney cancer. Pfizer report

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And Finally... Insulin or drugs that boost its effect may help Alzheimer's patients, a new study shows. Report