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Biotech / Medical : Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Icebrg who wrote (1196)	2/13/2004 6:11:19 PM
From: keokalani'nui	Respond to of 1834

Just like Gary Lyons has been saying. BTW, cool to see that NBIX is a, maybe the only, new position in BVF, though it wan't too big at 12/03. Link between Sleep, Cancer Progression Explored by Stanford Researcher Friday February 13, 5:30 pm ET STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 13, 2004--A good night's sleep may be one weapon in the fight against cancer, according to researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine. Their work is among the first of its kind to piece together the link between mental well-being and cancer recovery. Previous studies have found that cancer patients who go through group therapy or have a strong social network fare better than those with weaker social support. The question has been how psychosocial factors exert their influence on cancer cells. David Spiegel, MD, the Jack, Lulu and Sam Willson Professor and professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and Sandra Sephton, PhD, a former postdoctoral scholar now at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, suggest that a person's sleep/wake cycle might be the connection. Spiegel will present this work at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting at a Feb. 13 session titled "Biology and Behavior: New Pathways to Cancer Control?" "Psychosocial factors affect your behavior patterns, such as exercise, what you eat and drink, and your sleep," Spiegel said. Of these factors, how well you sleep can seriously alter the balance of hormones in your body. This makes the sleep/wake cycle, also called the circadian rhythm, a good candidate for linking a person's social network to his or her cancer prognosis. Spiegel suggested two possible ways in which the circadian rhythm may influence cancer progression. The first involves a hormone called melatonin, which the brain churns out during sleep. Melatonin belongs to a class of compounds called antioxidants that mop up damaging free-radical compounds. With a disrupted circadian rhythm, the body produces less melatonin and the cell's DNA may be more prone to cancer-causing mutations. Melatonin also slows the ovaries' production of estrogen. For many ovarian and breast tumors, estrogen spurs the cancerous cells to continue dividing. Shift workers on duty through the night produce less melatonin and may therefore produce more cancer-activating estrogen, the researchers said. The second link lies with a hormone called cortisol, which normally reaches peak levels at dawn then declines throughout the day. Cortisol is one of many hormones that help regulate immune system activity, including the activity of a group of immune cells called natural-killer cells that help the body battle cancer. One study found that people who are at high risk of breast cancer have a shifted cortisol rhythm, suggesting that people whose cortisol cycle is thrown off by troubled sleep also may be more cancer-prone. In past work, Spiegel and his colleagues have found that women with breast cancer whose normal cortisol cycle is disrupted -- with peak levels in the afternoon rather than at dawn -- die earlier from the disease. Those women whose cortisol cycle was shifted also tended to sleep poorly, to have lost a spouse or partner and to have cancer-fighting branches of their immune system suppressed. Other studies back up this theorized connection. Spiegel cited the recent finding that night-shift workers have a higher rate of breast cancer than women who sleep normal hours. What's more, mice whose circadian rhythm has been interrupted show much more rapid tumor growth than normal mice. Together, these studies led Spiegel to suspect that a poor night's sleep may be one link between a weak social network and a poorer cancer prognosis.

To: Icebrg who wrote (1196)	2/26/2004 5:35:34 PM
From: Icebrg	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 1834

Neurocrine Biosciences Acquires Wyeth's Indiplon Royalty Stream Thursday February 26, 5:27 pm ET Company to Host Conference Call and Webcast Friday, February 27, 2004 SAN DIEGO, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: NBIX - News) today announced it has purchased from Wyeth (NYSE: WYE - News) all of Wyeth's financial interest in indiplon, Neurocrine's late stage clinical development compound for the treatment of insomnia. Neurocrine will now retain all milestone, royalty and other payments on indiplon commercialization that would have otherwise been payable to Wyeth. The transaction also provides Neurocrine ownership and control over the indiplon composition of matter patent which expires in 2020. The transaction is valued at approximately $95 million, with $50 million payable in cash and $45 million payable in Neurocrine common stock at a 15 day average price preceding the signing of the agreement. The stock will have certain registration rights and otherwise be salable under Rule 144 upon the termination of applicable holding periods. "The acquisition of the indiplon royalty stream from Wyeth has important strategic value for Neurocrine and its shareholders. This transaction leverages our strong cash and equity currency to bolster future earnings. Our indiplon royalty obligations of six percent are now reduced to three and one-half percent and will be accretive to earnings in our first year of commercialization," said Gary Lyons, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neurocrine Biosciences. Upon approval of the transaction Wyeth will assign to Neurocrine its license agreement with DOV and all of Wyeth's right, title and interest in and to the indiplon composition patent filed by Neurocrine in Wyeth's name. Wyeth's financial interest in indiplon arises out of a 1998 license agreement between Wyeth and DOV Pharmaceutical, Inc. in which Wyeth licensed the indiplon technology to DOV Pharmaceutical in exchange for milestone payments and royalties on future sales of indiplon. Neurocrine signed an exclusive license and development agreement with DOV in 1998 for indiplon and all therapeutic indications of this compound. In 2002, Neurocrine entered a worldwide agreement with Pfizer for the development and commercialization of indiplon for the treatment of insomnia. Indiplon is a unique non-benzodiazapine agent that acts on a specific site of the GABA-A receptor. Indiplon has been shown to bind selectively to the specific subtype of GABA-A receptors within the brain believed to be responsible for promoting sleep. There are two formulations of indiplon, immediate release and modified release. Both formulations are being studied in clinical trials to address different types of sleep problems. Neurocrine is conducting one of the most comprehensive clinical programs in insomnia to address the multiple needs of younger and older adult patients with insomnia such as sleep initiation, sleep maintenance, and the need for chronic usage. Neurocrine has initiated and is completing all of its Phase III safety and efficacy trials to support a New Drug Application (NDA) for the two formulations, expected in the first half of 2004 for indiplon for multiple insomnia indications. The Phase III program alone will have data from approximately 5,000 patients with different types of insomnia. Indiplon was licensed from DOV Pharmaceutical in 1998. Insomnia is a prevalent condition in the United States, with nearly one-half of the adult population reporting trouble sleeping a few nights per week or more, according to the National Sleep Foundation's (NSF) Sleep in America Poll 2002. Approximately 35 percent of the adult population reports that they have experienced insomnia every night or almost every night within the past year. Insomnia remains a disorder with high unmet medical needs, including prolonged awakenings during the night with difficulty falling back to sleep. This transaction is contingent upon the approval of Wyeth's Board of Directors and the requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.