End of the line

The German biotechnology company whose TGN1412 drug caused severe adverse reactions in six London volunteers in March has filed for bankruptcy. A statement from Würzburg-based TeGenero said that it was going into receivership because it would be impossible to secure the investment necessary to keep the 15-person company going. Lawyers for the volunteers — who face amputations and other severe after-effects — expressed concern that the bankruptcy would limit their prospects for compensation (see Nature 440, 388; 2006).

Blind ambition

California biotechnology overlord Genentech has won approval for Lucentis, a drug to treat a common loss of vision known as wet age-related macular degeneration. Although not unexpected, positive sentiment surrounding the US Food and Drug Administration's decision on 30 June sent the company's stock soaring: on 6 July, it closed at almost US$86, up from $79 a week earlier. Investor excitement was fuelled by the company's announcement that it will sell a single injection of the treatment ranibizumab for $1,950: thousands of elderly sufferers are expected to need it five or six times a year.

Chips in

Global semiconductor sales are surging forward on the back of demand for chips used in mobile phones and other portable devices, the industry reports. Total sales in May were $19.7 billion, up 9.4% on a year earlier, says the Semiconductor Industry Association — despite a small dip in the value of chips sold for use in personal computers. Demand for analogue chips for mobile phones grew by 21%, and total chip sales in Asia, excluding Japan, went up 15%.