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An unexpected drop in home construction activity weighed down the markets during the midday with the Dow falling 58 points to 10,378. Nasdaq dropped 19 points to 2184.

Boise Inc. (NYSE: BZ) fell 5% to $4.85 huge volume of 8.37 million shares after Boise Inc. announced that the previously announced secondary offering of 17 million shares of its common stock has been priced at $4.85 per share. Pursuant to the offering, all of the shares will be sold by the selling stockholders, Boise Cascade Holdings, L.L.C. and trusts affiliated with Jason Weiss, one of Boise Inc.'s directors.

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) plummeted 10% to $24.42 on 7.73 million shares after it gave a fourth-quarter earnings outlook on Tuesday that was lower than Wall Street expectations, and the software maker said that its recovery could be hindered by continued job losses in its core markets.

Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) declined 8% to $28.74 on 5.49 million shares. So far this year the stock is up over 10%.

salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE: CRM) plunged 5% to $62.23 on volume of 2.71 million shares after it reported Q3 EPS of $0.16Vs the estimate of $0.16. Revenue for the quarter was $330.5 million against the estimate of $324.20 million. It sees Q4 EPS of $0.14-$0.15, versus the consensus of $0.15, on sales of $340-$342 million, versus the Street estimate of $ million.

Nanometrics Incorporated (NASDAQ: NANO) declined 10% to $11.78 on 1.62 million shares after it filed with the SEC a registration to sell at various times in one or more offerings of up to 6,200,000 shares of our common stock. Of these shares, 1,200,000 are being offered by the selling stockholder named in this prospectus and 5,000,000 are being offered by Nanometrics.

Oncolytics Biotech, Inc. (USA) (NASDAQ: ONCY) is trading at $2.88, decreased by $0.55 or 16.04% after announced today that it has entered into an underwriting agreement for an offering of 4,250,000 units, each comprised of one common share and 0.4 of a common share purchase warrant, at a price of $3.00 per unit to raise gross proceeds of $12,750,000.

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http://cxa.marketwatch.com/TSX/en/Market/article.aspx?guid=ht... CALGARY, Nov 18, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Oncolytics Biotech Inc. ("Oncolytics" or the "Company") (ONC)(US:ONCY) announced today that it has entered into an underwriting agreement for an offering of 4,250,000 units, each comprised of one common share and 0.4 of a common share purchase warrant, at a price of US$3.00 per unit to raise gross proceeds of US$12,750,000. Each whole common share purchase warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share of Oncolytics upon payment of US$3.50, exercisable for a five year period commencing on the closing date of the offering, subject to an acceleration of the expiry date in certain circumstances. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. is acting as the sole book-running manager for the offering. Canaccord Adams Inc. and Bloom Burton & Co. are acting as co-managers for the offering. http://cxa.marketwatch.com/tsx/en/market/quote.aspx?symbol=ON... ...The risk is high to make profit over 2,80 $... Y M .

Biotech investors interested in seeing more details about these companies and a full list of their related stories can do so by typing the stock ticker symbol into the Stock Quotes box on the right side of the page.

Helix BioMedix, Inc. (OTC:HXBM), a developer of bioactive peptides, announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings (NYSE:LH) announced William B. (Brad) Hayes, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is scheduled to speak at the Credit Suisse 18th Annual Healthcare Conference in Phoenix AZ.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ:ONCY) announced updated results from a Phase II study of intravenous REOLYSIN(R) in patients with sarcomas metastatic to the lung in a poster presentation at the 15th Annual Connective Tissue Oncology Society Meeting held in Miami Beach, Florida, from November 5th to 7th.

PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq:PPDI) announced it has completed its acquisition of Excel PharmaStudies, Inc., the market leader and one of the largest contract research organizations in China.

Imagenetix, Inc. (OTC:IAGX), announced today that William Spencer, President and CEO of Imagenetix, will be presenting the Company's store at the 2nd annual LD MICRO Conference on Thursday, December 3rd, at 10:30 AM PST at the Luxe Sunset in Los Angeles.

Amarin Corporation plc (NASDAQ:AMRN) announced the appointment of John F. Thero as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.

Phase Forward (NASDAQ:PFWD), a leading provider of data management solutions for clinical trials and drug safety, today announced the Mass Technology Leadership Council, Inc. named Phase Forward Private Sector Company of the Year at the 2009 Mass Technology Leadership Awards in Boston last night.

BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. (Nasdaq:BSTC), a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class collagenase-based products, announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd. (NYSE:CPD) has launched ketorolac tromethamine ophthalmic solution, 0.5% following a final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Sun Pharma's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for generic Acular® ophthalmic solution on the first day following patent expiration.

Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTC:SLXCF), a Canadian pharmaceutical developer and marketer of high quality, cost-effective products for select health care markets, announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

Cyberonics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CYBX) announced the company will report financial results for the second quarter ended October 23, 2009 of its fiscal year ending April 30, 2010 on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 5:00 PM EST.

GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTC:GOVX), an Atlanta-based, biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for disease caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and other infectious agents, today announced its third quarter 2009 financial results and provided an operational update.

Ardea Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:RDEA), a biotechnology company focused on the development of small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of gout, cancer and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), today reported recent accomplishments and financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2009.

Covidien (NYSE:COV), a leading global provider of healthcare products, announced the successful completion of its tender offer through its subsidiary, Transformer Delaware Corp., to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Aspect Medical Systems, Inc.

PharMerica Corporation (NYSE:PMC), a national provider of institutional pharmacy and hospital pharmacy management services, announced Gregory S. Weisner, Chief Executive Officer, will make a presentation regarding the Company at the Credit Suisse 18th Annual Healthcare Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday, November 11, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Time.

Ferro Corporation (NYSE:FOE) announced it has closed on its previously announced common stock offering. The total number of shares sold was 41,112,500, including 5,362,500 shares issued in connection with the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase additional shares.

Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) announced it has reached an agreement in principle with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) related to product advisories issued by its Guidant subsidiary in 2005.The alleged conduct and product sales occurred prior to Boston Scientific's 2006 acquisition of Guidant.

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:KERX) will hold a conference call on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. EST to discuss the third quarter 2009 financial results and business outlook for the remainder of 2009.

The Quigley Corporation, (Nasdaq:QGLY), www.quigleyco.com, announced it would issue its third quarter results at 8:30 AM (ET) on Thursday, November 12, 2009.

The Dow rose 20.86 to 9,885.80, but couldn't hold the intraday high for the year and the Nasdaq slipped 0.14 to 2,139.14.

{tiny;DEPO;2}In healthcare, DepoMed, Inc.(NASDAQ:DEPO) was the biggest loser as shareholders watched the stock drop nearly 38% to $3.97 -2.39. Before the market opened, DepoMed announced top-line results from the BREEZE 1 and 2 Phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of SeradaTM, an investigational non-hormonal extended release formulation of gabapentin for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes.

The DepoMed management team organized a conference call to reassure investors that the news was not all bad, and they did a convincing job of conveying that message, but the street did not like what it saw anyway.

The drop stung even more considering that just last week, the company announced top-line results from a Phase 3 clinical trial demonstrating DM-1796 (also referred to as gabapentin ER) achieved a statistically significant reduction in pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) versus placebo using the baseline observation carried forward (BOCF) method required by FDA.

{tiny;VVUS;2}We were flooded by e-mails asking us why shares of VIVUS, Inc. (Nasdaq:VVUS) were suddenly flying off the shelf early in the day. While some attributed the rise to new price targets from analysts, others said news may have leaked, but no concrete news items could be tracked. Then someone told us that CNBC's biotech guru Mike Huckman was commenting on today on the buy out of a small bio techs, pointing out that big pharmas are cash rich and patent poor. Time is short and the big pharmas can't afford to keep spending money on failed clinical trials as they search for the next blockbuster drug.

That brings us back to Vivus, whose product pipeline includes three late-stage clinical products, each addressing specific components of the obesity, diabetes and sexual health markets. As subscribers to the BioMedReports FDA Calendar know, one of these investigational products, Qnexa, is in Phase III clinical trials for obesity and in Phase II clinical trials for diabetes. As such, the speculation is that VIVUS would make it a great takeover target.

{tiny;ONCY;2}Shares of Oncolytics Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ:ONCY) surged as the company gave it's corporate overview presentation at the 17th Annual BioPartnering Europe conference in London, U.K. on Monday. Oncolytics Biotech shares recently soared soared and hit a multiyear high after the Calgary-based company announced it had received approval to conduct a Phase 3 trial of a treatment for head and neck cancers using the company's Reolysin drug in combination with chemotherapy.

Reolysin uses a naturally occurring human reovirus in a process developed by Oncolytics.

The company is focused on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer treatments.

{tiny;RDNT;2}Shares of RadNet Inc.(NASDAQ:RDNT) have been rising steadily since their early September low of $2.01. RadNet, Inc. operates a group of regional networks comprising 164 diagnostic imaging facilities located in six states with operations in California, Delaware, Maryland, the Treasure Coast area of Florida, Kansas and the Finger Lakes (Rochester) and Hudson Valley areas of New York.

RadNet provides diagnostic imaging services, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear medicine, mammography, ultrasound, diagnostic radiology, or X-ray, and fluoroscopy. Shares of the company closed at $3.24 +0.18 (5.88%). The company's strong financials have been steadily pushing it upward as they beat street estimates the last two quarters and the guidance for the third quarter calls for continued growth.

{tiny;VION;2}Keep an eye on  Vion Pharmaceuticals (OTC: VION). After the bell, Vion announced hat it had hired the investment banking firm Merriman Curhan Ford & Co. to assist in evaluating its strategic alternatives. These alternatives include any combination of a restructuring of the Company and its debt and a sale of the Company or its assets. The Company may also consider financing options. Recently, the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), voted in favor of Vion completing a randomized study defining the efficacy and safety of the Company's lead oncology therapeutic Onrigin (laromustine) Injection prior to receiving regulatory approval from the FDA. As Vion would need to raise additional capital to finance a new randomized trial, the Company is evaluating its strategic alternatives. If Vion is unsuccessful in achieving a restructuring, sale, financing or any other strategic transaction or combination thereof, it may have to consider curtailing or ceasing operations or liquidating its assets.

Here are the rest of Columbus Day's Top Winners and Losers in healthcare:

Gainers (% price change) Close Change Oncolytics Biotech, Inc ONCY 3.48 +0.25 (7.75%) Elron Electronic ELRN 5.95 +0.38 (6.82%) Geron Corporation GERN 6.87 +0.41 (6.35%) RadNet Inc. RDNT 3.24 +0.18 (5.88%) Metabolix, Inc. MBLX 12.43 +0.69 (5.88%) Losers (% price change) DepoMed, Inc. DEPO 3.97 -2.39 (-37.58%) Sunrise Senior Living SRZ 4.16 -0.61 (-12.79%) Targacept , Inc. TRGT 18.14 -2.03 (-10.06%) AVANIR Pharmaceuticals AVNR 2.03 -0.22 (-9.78%) Novavax, Inc. NVAX 3.67 -0.35 (-8.71%) Most Actives (dollar volume) Pfizer Inc. PFE 17.10 +0.18 (1.06%) Wyeth WYE 49.25 +0.21 (0.43%) Johnson & Johnson JNJ 62.53 +0.79 (1.28%) Abbott Laboratories ABT 50.00 -0.08 (-0.16%) Merck & Co., Inc. MRK 32.86 +0.30 (0.92%)

 

US stocks retreated on Friday after weaker-than-expected payrolls data fueled fears that the pace of US economic recovery would be slow.[More...]