Biogen Idec Inc. said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration is reviewing its experimental drug Eloctate as a treatment for hemophilia A. Its shares rose almost 4 percent by midday. Weston-based Biogen Idec asked the FDA to review the drug in March, and the FDA has accepted that application. Eloctate is intended to be injected once or twice a week. Other treatments are taken three or four times a week. Hemophilia is a rare, inherited disease that affects blood clotting. Hemophilia A occurs in approximately one out of every 5,000 male births. Those with the disease don’t have enough of a blood clotting protein called factor VIII. In March, the FDA started a review of Biogen’s drug Alprolix as a treatment for hemophilia B, which is less common. Amtrak plans to start replacing its fleet of locomotives in the Northeast this fall, eventually phasing out all but its high-speed units by 2016. The 70 new electric locomotives, built by Siemens Rail Systems in Sacramento, Calif., use 20 percent less energy than the existing fleet, with a projected savings of $300 million over a span of 20 years, said Michael Cahill, president of Siemens Rail Systems. The new ride along the Northeast and Keystone corridors will be quieter and more reliable, said Joe Boardman, president of Amtrak, noting that the old locomotives have been in service for up to 35 years, each traveling an average of 3.5 million miles. Amtrak plans to start looking for a manufacturer to replace its high-speed locomotives this year. Just in time for Father’s Day, the Yankee Candle Co. of Deerfield is unveiling some new offerings for its Man Candles collection, including one that is redolent of bacon and another that emits the fragrance of movie-house popcorn. As many candle buffs know, the Man Candles collection launched last year on the theory that a man’s den, basement, or garage could benefit from pleasing scents. According to the company, the line’s debut produced such a “tremendous response” that a Man Candles II collection was in order. Officially, the line’s two new fragrances are titled, “MMM, Bacon!” and “Movie Night.” (In describing “Movie Night, the company says: “It doesn’t matter what’s playing … the enticing aroma of hot, freshly buttered popcorn is the feature attraction.”) The average price for gas in Massachusetts was $3.48 a gallon in the latest weekly AAA survey, up 6 cents from the previous week’s average, AAA Southern New England said. Prices locally are up a cent over the past month. The Massachusetts average price is 10 cents less than the national average of $3.58 a gallon, AAA Southern New England said. A year ago at this time, the Massachusetts average price was 23 cents higher at $3.71 a gallon. In the latest AAA survey, the range in prices was 34 cents, from a low of $3.35 to a high of $3.69. AAA’s weekly surveys focus on self-serve, regular unleaded gas. The Hyatt Harborside near Logan International Airport has changed its name to the Hyatt Boston Harbor, effective Monday. The 20-year-old, 270-room hotel, which recently renovated its meeting space, is hoping to play up its location on the water. “Hyatt Boston Harbor boasts one of the most spectacular and panoramic settings in New England,” general manager Michael Hickey said in a statement. “The new name evokes a sense of place while capturing the hotel’s matchless position in the city.” Renovations included adding to the hotel’s meeting and convention space, the hotel said. According to the hotel, it is a seven-minute water taxi ride to the center of Boston’s business district, and the hotel is only two minutes from Logan. Dunkin’ Donuts, the Canton-based coffee-and-baked-goods chain, said that its New England customers have donated $467,884.61 to The One Fund Boston to help the people most affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. More than 2,000 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Upstate New York, and Maine collected donations from customers from April 22 - 28, the chain said in a press release. In addition to the week-long Dunkin’ Donuts in-store fundraising campaign, Dunkin’ Brands, the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts, and the Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation together donated an additional $200,000 to The One Fund Boston. ‘‘We are grateful to our franchisees, employees, and guests who came together to support The One Fund Boston,’’ Dunkin’ Brands chief executive Nigel Travis said. Athenahealth Inc., which provides electronic record and billing systems to hospitals and other medical industry clients, said that it has finalized its previously announced purchase of the Watertown “Arsenal on the Charles,” a 29-acre, multi-building property situated on the Charles River. In December, the company disclosed that it had agreed to pay $168.5 million to acquire the parcel from Harvard University, which is expanding in nearby Allston. The campus already serves as Athenahealth’s headquarters, but executives said buying the property will allow them to expand the business in coming years. The complex, whose historic buildings date back 200 years, is located about 10 miles from downtown Boston, the company said in a press release. athenahealth entered into a new $325 million senior credit facility to finance the purchase. | | |
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