(Raleigh, N.C.) Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (NASDAQ:SLXP) today announced that the Company will present at The 30th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, CA on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. PT (7:30 p.m. ET). (more…)

(Cary, N.C.) Cornerstone Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRTX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing proprietary products for the hospital and respiratory markets, today announced that it has acquired Cardiokine Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing hospital products for cardiovascular indications. The merger was effective Dec. 30, 2011. (more…)

(Wilmington, N.C.) AAIPharma Services Corp., a leading provider of contract pharmaceutical product development services, announced a more than 9% increase in revenue over any previous operating quarter for the third quarter in fiscal year 2011. (more…)

(Raleigh, N.C.) BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDSI) responded to the approval and announcement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that a Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy (REMS) covering all transmucosal fentanyl products has been approved.  The program, which will be referred to as the Transmucosal Immediate Release Fentanyl (TIRF) REMS Access Program, was designed to ensure informed risk-benefit decisions before initiating treatment with a transmucosal fentanyl product, and while patients are on treatment, to ensure appropriate use. (more…)

(Durham, N.C.) A Duke study aimed to identify which individuals are most likely to suffer dangerous blood clots despite regular aspirin therapy is about to head overseas. The parallel study soon to begin on patients of Chinese descent is a joint venture of the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP) and the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore. (more…)

(Wilmington, N.C.) AAIPharma Services Corp., a leading provider of pharmaceutical product development services, announced today that it has appointed Kevin Flanagan to vice president of packaging services, where he will oversee the company’s Packaging and Distribution functions at the Wilmington headquarters. Flanagan joins the firm from Compass Pharma Services, a ventured-backed pharmaceutical contract packaging firm, where he served as president. (more…)

(Raleigh, N.C.) Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (NASDAQ:SLXP) and Oceana Therapeutics, LLC today closed a transaction whereby Salix acquired all of the outstanding stock of Oceana Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held global provider of gastroenterology and urology therapeutics. (more…)

(Raleigh, N.C.) BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDSI) announced results from its confirmatory study, BNX-102, assessing the pharmacokinetics of its BEMA Buprenorphine/Naloxone (BNX) formulation compared to Suboxone.  The results confirm the final formulation and provide the basis for moving forward into the pivotal comparative pharmacokinetic study versus Suboxone. (more…)

(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Mustard Tree Instruments®, the leader in analytical instrumentation for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, has strengthened its executive team with the promotion of Peter Cregger to the position of Chief Operations Officer. Cregger will be responsible for manufacturing, engineering, software development, and project management for hardware and software products such as the VTT-1000 multi-variant testing device. (more…)

(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Tranzyme Pharma (Nasdaq:TZYM) and Norgine B.V. today announced completion of patient enrollment in ULISES 007, the first of two Phase 3 pivotal trials of ulimorelin for the acceleration of gastrointestinal (GI) recovery in patients undergoing partial bowel resection. There are an estimated 1 million patients in the U.S. at high risk each year for delayed GI recovery after surgery, including approximately 385,000 bowel resection surgeries. (more…)

(Wilmington, N.C.) Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc. today announced the completion of its acquisition by affiliates of The Carlyle Group and affiliates of Hellman & Friedman in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $3.9 billion. As previously announced, the transaction was approved by PPD shareholders at a special meeting of shareholders held November 30, 2011. Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, PPD’s shareholders are entitled to receive $33.25 in cash, without interest, less any applicable withholding taxes, for each share of PPD common stock owned by them. As a result of the merger, PPD’s common stock will no longer be listed for trading on NASDAQ. (more…)

(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Mustard Tree Instruments®, an innovator in analytical instrumentation for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, is pleased to announce that Science Officer Brisco Harward Ph.D. addressed members of the NY Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (NYSAS) on November 9, 2011. Dr. Harward was invited to address the group by a leading spectroscopist who was attending a demonstration of the Mustard Tree Verifier™ Tri-Test 1000 (VTT-1000) analytical testing device earlier this fall. (more…)