BayBio COO leaves after 16 months, lands in D.C.

Jeremy Leffler has quietly returned to Washington, D.C., after just 16 months as chief operating officer and CEO-to-be at the life sciences trade group BayBio.
A self-described “political junkie,” Leffler is the new director of federal policy for drug developer Sanofi-Aventis. He had spent eight years in the nation’s capital, including four as manager of federal public policy with Eli Lilly and Co., before taking the BayBio post in February 2010.

Sanofi-Aventis opts out of Metabolex diabetes drug deal

Sanofi-Aventis returned rights to a mid-stage type 2 diabetes drug to Metabolex Inc.
The Paris company said it opted to terminate its right to MBX-2982, the center of a July 2010 deal that Sanofi and Hayward-based Metabolex. A year ago, the companies said the deal could be worth up to $375 million in milestone payments.

Stanford, Sanofi-Aventis sign multi-year research deal

Stanford University and Sanofi-Aventis will work together on up to five research programs a year, according to a multi-year deal.
It is the second research collaboration between Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) and a Bay Area university this year. The University of California, San Francisco, and Sanofi inked a deal earlier this year.

Sanofi CEO Viehbacher details R&D strategy

This is from our sibling paper, the Boston Business Journal:
Sanofi-Aventis CEO Chris Viehbacher outlined the research and development strategy that led to the purchase of Cambridge, Mass-based Genzyme Corp. for $20.1 billion, and will lead the company to further expand its partnerships and acquisitions.
“My goal as CEO is never to inaugurate a new research and development center,” Viehbacher said during an MIT Enterprise Forum event, at the start of his first full week as CEO of Genzyme, now a Sanofi subsidiary.

Industry-academic linkups key to bringing medical innovation to patients, UCSF trio argues

Partnerships with industry are essential for moving academic discoveries to patient bedsides, a high-profile trio of experts with the University of California, San Francisco, argue in the latest issue of Nature Medicine.
Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann — along with professor Clay Johnston, the director of UCSF’s translational science institute, and neurology department chair Stephen Hauser — should know. UCSF has been particularly busy over the past year in constructing deals with Pfizer Inc., Bayer HealthCare and Sanofi-Aventis.

BioMarin won't seek control of Aldurazyme as Sanofi-Genzyme deal closes

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. will not seek full rights to Aldurazyme, a drug marketed by partner Genzyme Corp. to treat a rare metabolic disease, following Monday’s $20 billion acquisition of Genzyme by Sanofi-Aventis Group.
Novato-based BioMarin (NASDAQ: BMRN) could have exercised a change-of-control provision, allowing it to set its own price for full rights to Aldurazyme, a $250,000-per-year drug to treat the rare, inherited disease MPS I.

As Genzyme and Sanofi marry, BioMarin looks at big dowry

The long courtship between Sanofi-Aventis SA and Genzyme Corp. may result in a nice dowry for BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
Novato-based BioMarin (NASDAQ: BMRN) is involved because it makes Aldurazyme, a drug designed to treat a rare, inherited metabolic condition called MPS I. Genzyme sells the drug, with BioMarin receiving royalties of 39.5 percent to 50 percent.

BiPar breast cancer drug fails late-stage trial

UCSF harvesting Big Pharma deals

UCSF, Sanofi-Aventis ink research, intern deal