Pharma Roundup: Goldman Sachs Funds R&D, Novartis and Evotec, and More

Goldman Sachs funds co-development business model -- The bank will provide hundreds of millions of dollars to an as-yet-unnamed pharma company (although we know it isn't AstraZeneca) in support of a more collaborative R&D model, in which the drug maker will collaborate with outside resources to hurry drugs to market. As Ed at Pharmalot writes, "The hope is to create more flexible, transparent and cheaper drug development, freed from large bureaucracies and heavy overheads, while sharing risks with outside partners." [Source: Pharmalot]

Novartis and Evotec ink $28 million deal -- Evotec, a German concern specializing in drugs for the central nervous system, and Novartis will enjoy a three-year alliance, in which Evotec will devote its discovery resources to a target disorder of Novartis's choosing. [Source: FierceBiotech]

Genentech exec claims high morale, despite impending Roche buyout -- According to Stephen Kelsey, vice president for clinical hemotology/oncology at Genentech, employees aren't defecting or suffering low morale, even in the face of Roche's vow to acquire the South San Francisco-based biotech, announced this summer but delayed by credit troubles. Genentech did develop a retention package to avoid mass attrition. [Source: WSJ Health Blog and In the Pipeline]