In today’s wrapup of tech and life science news:

  • Several Cisco executives sell $19 million in shares;
  • Nortel’s huge bankruptcy trial nears end;
  • GSK launches two startups;
  • Salix reaches a $100M settlement;
  • AT&T’s new entertainment bundle includes Amazon Prime.

The details:

  • Barron’s Reports Cisco Insider Sales

“Eight Cisco Systems insiders served up sales, disposing of 759,851 shares for $19,114,373, an average of $25.16 each, from Sept. 11 through 19. The transactions were through open-market sales, options exercises and 10b5-1 planned sales,” reports Barron’s.

Chief Financial Officer Frank Calderoni and Chief Operating Officer Gary Moore are among the big sellers.

Check Barron’s for the details.

  • Nortel Bankruptcy Trial Nears End

“Competing groups of creditors at the Nortel bankruptcy trial are focusing on the legal interpretation of a 10-year-old agreement to determine how to divide billions of dollars in proceeds from the sale of Nortel’s patents and intellectual property,” reports the Canadian Press from Toronto.

The scramble is nearing an end for some $7.3 billion in Nortel assets.

Read more online.

  • GSK, Avalon Ventures Launch New Firms

Drug giant GSK (NYSE: GSK) is funding two startups along with San Diego-based Avalon Ventures. The firms are providing $10 million in funding and other support to each company. Both startups are based in San Diego.

Here’s the key parts of the announcement:

Avalon Ventures [on Monday] announced the launch of two new companies formed through its collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to fund and launch up to 10 early-stage life science companies. Silarus Therapeutics, Inc. and Thyritope Biosciences, Inc. each will receive up to $10 million in Series A financing and R&D support from Avalon Ventures and GSK. Both companies will be located at COI Pharmaceuticals in San Diego, the community of innovation established by Avalon Ventures to provide operational support, a fully equipped R&D facility and an experienced leadership team to its life science portfolio companies.

“Our collaboration with GSK represents a new model for driving early-stage drug discovery,” said Jay Lichter, Ph.D., managing director of Avalon Ventures. “By combining the nimble start-up mentality of Avalon with the unmatched R&D expertise and resources of a global pharmaceutical giant like GSK, in less than 18 months we have launched three new companies in diverse therapeutic areas and completed our first compound screen for drug candidate identification in a robust collaboration with GSK. This collaboration has exceeded my expectations in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish on such a short timescale.”

  • Salix reaches $100M Settlement

Raleigh-based Salix Pharmaceuticals has reached a $100 million settlement in a patent suit involving Par Pharmaceuticals, which Salix recently acquired.

The News and Observer has the details.

  • AT&T Bundles Amazon Prime

AT&T is offering a new broadband and TV package that re/code of The Wall Street Journal calls “interesting.”

“Now AT&T has made its cheap broadband+TV package even more interesting: It’s throwing a year of Amazon Prime into the mix, which means subscribers get free shipping on stuff they buy from Jeff Bezos — as well as Amazon’s Netflix-like offering of TV shows and movies,” re/code reports.

More details are online.