Biotech Week articles from November 2001

Biotech Week archives from November 2001

Treatment Now Widely Available After Four-Year Limited Access.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it began shipping HP Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) to wholesalers after a four-year period during which limited supplies were available....

Novel Anticancer Drugs Selectively Activate Apoptosis.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc. has discovered a novel drug target for the treatment of a broad range of cancers and has initiated lead optimization with a series of compounds that selectively kill cancer cells....

Cyclacel's CDK Inhibitor Candidate Meets Safety Objectives.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cyclacel Limited, a United Kingdom-based cancer therapeutics company, has announced that CYC202, its lead CDK-inhibitor drug candidate, has completed Phase Ia evaluation in humans and is entering...

Hybrigenics Expands Alliance With Institut Pasteur.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hybrigenics and Institut Pasteur have announced that they have signed an exclusive collaboration in the field of functional proteomics applied to infectious diseases. The new agreement provides an...

Odyssey Awarded Second Patent for Target Validation and Drug Discovery Platform.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A U.S. patent has been issued for Odyssey Pharmaceuticals' "Protein fragment complementation assays for the detection of biological or drug interactions". The issued claims cover methods, compositions,...

First National Data Registry On Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Launched.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scios, Inc., announced that it has launched a first-of-its-kind nationwide registry to collect and analyze demographic and treatment data about patients hospitalized due to acutely decompensated heart...

360-Degree Display Aids Firm In Defining Protein Structures.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Actuality Systems, Inc. has announced that the first beta customer for its spherical 3-D display is Structural GenomiX, Inc., (SGX) in San Diego, California. SGX transforms genomic information into...

FDA Fast Tracks Antigenics' Oncophage For Kidney Cancer.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated Oncophage, a cancer vaccine candidate developed by Antigenics, Inc. (AGEN), a Fast Track Product for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. In...

Extended DNA Sequence Analysis Contract Covers Human Pathogenic Organisms.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Commonwealth Biotechnologies Inc. (CBTE), a life sciences contract research organization, has signed a new contract with a government sponsor to perform detailed DNA sequence analyses of particular...

Primary Endpoint Reached In Pivotal Phase III Trial Of Daptomycin.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced preliminary results from Study 9801, the second of two pivotal Phase III clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of its investigational drug Cidecin...

Avant Licenses Vaccine Technology To U.S. Department of Defense Contractor.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc. has signed a license agreement with DynPort Vaccine Co. LLC (DVC) for exclusive rights to use certain components of Avant's vaccine technology. Financial terms of the...

Next-Generation Endovascular Graft System Gets CE Mark.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CE Mark approval has been granted to Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (EW) has received to market its next-generation Lifepath AAA Endovascular Graft System within the European Community. The Lifepath AAA...

Entomed Gains Access To Insects From Shanghai Institute.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Entomed, which develops medicines derived from the biology of insects, has announced a new collaboration with the Shanghai Institute of Entomology from the Institutes for Biological Sciences of the...

CTLM System Installed In Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Imaging Diagnostic Systems Inc. (IMDS) has installed its CTLM system into the Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, the foremost cancer institute in Mexico. Founded in 1946, Instituto Nacional de...

FDA Accepts Module 4 Of PMA Application For CTLM System.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Imaging Diagnostic Systems Inc., (IMDS) has received the letter of acceptance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for module 4 of its premarket approval (PMA) application. Module 4 contained...

TheraMed Changes Name to Reflect Strategic Direction.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- TheraMed Inc. has changed its name to MaxCyte, a privately held biotechnology company focused on the development of therapeutic products based on its "gemocytic" cell loading technology platform. ...

Intranasal Human Growth Hormone Phase I Clinical Trial Initiated.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nastech Pharmaceutical Company, Inc. announced that it has commenced a Phase I clinical trial in the United States to evaluate the nasal administration of somatropin (recombinant human growth hormone,...

Nasal Morphine Phase II Trial Initiated In Cancer Patients.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nastech Pharmaceutical Company, Inc. announced in October (2001) that it has commenced enrollment in a Phase II clinical trial in the United States to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel, patent...

Investigational New Drug Application Filed For AIT-034.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NeoTherapeutics, Inc. has announced that it has filed an investigational new drug application (IND) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin human clinical studies of AIT-034. ...

OC-1016 Stimulates Bone and Tissue Regeneration.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- OraPharma, Inc. announced that Sven Glindemann, DMD, of Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Department of Periodontology, presented data from a preclinical study of OraPharma's compound OC-1016 for bone...

PharmaNet Names Senior Medical Director, Medical And Scientific Affairs.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PharmaNet, an international drug development company has appointed Mark Tolpin, MD, senior medical director, medical and scientific Affairs. Dr. Tolpin will be based in the company's Princeton office....

Sunesis And Chiesi Enter Drug Discovery Agreement Partnership.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA have entered into a research collaboration to discover and develop small molecules that inhibit a well-validated protein-protein target involved...

Clinical Trials Of Topical VEP/PC Biotechnology Commencing In Virginia.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Phlo Corporation (Phlo) has announced that it plans to conduct clinical trials at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Virginia, related to the use of its...

Phase III Study Under Way To Evaluate Fluorescence Cystoscopy.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patient enrollment has begun for a European multicenter Phase III study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PhotoCure ASA's Hexvix fluorescence cystoscopy for detection of bladder cancer. About 300...

Phylos, Lawrence Livermore Lab To Develop High Throughput Methods.
November 7, 2001... 2001 NOV 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Phylos, Inc. has partnered with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to develop high throughput methods for protein production to create research reagents and microarrays that may be used to design...

Novel Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor Suitable For Further Study.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The novel HIV drug currently dubbed GW420867X warrants further study in human clinical trials, according to researchers in North Carolina. K.H. Moore and...

Impotence Drug Improves Function In Men With Type 2 Diabetes.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A few years ago, the impotence drug Viagra (sildenafil citrate) was introduced to the market with great fanfare. New studies suggest this drug might benefit...

Botox Approved In 14 European Countries For Use In Adults.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Allergan, Inc. announced that Botox botulinum toxin type A has been granted a positive opinion in Europe for focal spasticity of the wrist and hand in adult poststroke patients. This positive...

CDC Seeks Access To Vaccine Currently Reserved For Military Personnel.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Federal health officials are lining up access to the military's anthrax vaccine in case it's needed for a civilian who is allergic to antibiotics and thus needs some other protection after exposure to...

NIH Uses Bioject's Needle-Free Injection System For DNA AIDS Vaccine Study.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Biojector 2000 (B-2000) has been chosen by the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center (VRC) as the delivery device for its first AIDS vaccine in human clinical testing. The B-2000 was...

Insulin Lispro Recommended During Ramadan Fasting.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Individuals with type 1 diabetes who fast during the month of Ramadan may want to consider using insulin lispro instead of regular human insulin. In the...

Inhibiting Enzyme Reverses Endothelial Dysfunction In Diabetic Models.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichol, senior medical writer - Enzymatic inhibition can reverse endothelial dysfunction related to diabetic pathogenesis. Reportedly, oxidants induce diabetic endothelial dysfunction....

Novel Intravenous Protectant To Undergo Phase I Trial.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AtheroGenics, Inc. announced that it has begun a Phase I clinical trial with AGIX-4207 I.V. as an intravenous treatment for people with rheumatoid arthritis. The Phase I trial is designed to assess...

Viragen Confirms Anticancer Potential Of Chicken Egg Cells.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Viragen Inc. and the Roslin Institute in Scotland have announced the successful production of the world's first humanized antibody using chicken cells. The humanized antibody, GD3, is designed for the...

BioReliance Reports Surge In Quarterly Earnings On Record Revenue.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Third quarter earnings were encouraging for BioReliance Corp. (BREL), which reported net income of $2.2 million, or $0.26 per share (diluted), compared with net income of $0.4 million, or $0.04 per...

Diagnostic Urine Test To Be Evaluated In Clinical Trials.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Disease Sciences Inc. (DISE) has signed a clinical trials agreement with BioTec Global Ltd. for a urine diagnostic test for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, (commonly known as mad cow...

Positive Phase III Results For Nitroglycerin Ointment.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cellegy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that a preliminary analysis showed positive results of a pivotal Phase III clinical trial conducted with its lead drug, Anogesic (nitroglycerin ointment), for...

Companies Seek Patent Protection For Virus Analysis Technology.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vigen Inc., a Wisconsin-based company that specializes in commercialization of antiviral technologies, and Commonwealth Biotechnologies Inc. (CBI), a contract research organization, have filed for...

Final Patient Completes Pivotal Study Ahead Of Schedule.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cyberonics, Inc. announced that the 235th and final patient has completed the 20-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, acute depression pivotal study. In June 2001, Cyberonics received approval...

Biosearch Italia Signs Licensing Agreement For Ramoplanin.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biosearch Italia SpA (BIO.MI), a biotechnology company focused on developing novel antibiotics, has signed a licensing agreement for North American rights to its Phase III product Ramoplanin with...

Antisense Therapy Enhances Chemotherapy Efficacy.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genta Incorporated has announced the publication of preclinical data that showed its lead antisense compound Genasense, markedly increased the anticancer activity of cisplatin (Platinol; Bristol Myers...

Advanced Biosystems Gets NIH Grant To Study New Medical Defenses.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Advanced Biosystems Inc., a subsidiary of Hadron Inc. (HDRN), has been awarded a grant by the National Institutes of Health to focus on very specific aspects of medical defenses against anthrax. ...

ICN Pharmaceuticals Acquires Hep B Compound.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc., a research-based global pharmaceutical company, has licensed a promising liver-targeting hepatitis B compound from Metabasis Therapeutics of San Diego, California. This...

Insomnia Patients Respond To NBI-34060 In Clinical Trial.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. announced positive results with NBI-34060 in achieving both primary and secondary endpoints of sleep initiation in a Phase II clinical trial in subjects with transient...

Bio-Terrorism.Info Database and Weekly Report Launch Powered by NewsRx Artificial Intelligence Technology.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NewsRx has leveraged its technology platform to create Bio-Terrorism.Info, a new database and weekly report. NewsRx is the leading provider of life science databases and daily and weekly health news....

Promising Results Observed In Topical Alprostadil Cream Trial.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NexMed, Inc. announced that Phase I clinical trial data from the use of Femprox (active ingredient alprostadil) in women with female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) were encouraging. The study was...

FDA Issues Split Decision On New Indication For Diovan.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a four-to-four split decision about whether to recommend approval of Diovan (valsartan)...

Spirodiketopiperazine Derivatives Block R5 HIV Infection.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Low-molecular-weight spirodiketopiperazine derivatives can prevent cell entry by R5 strains of HIV, according to researchers in Japan and the United States....

Vaccine Fund Will Allow Research With Prime-Boost Technology.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The director of the Malaria Vaccine Initiative has announced a two-year, $1.5 million partnership for research and testing of a malaria vaccine. Dr. Regina Rabinovich said the Maryland-based...

New Drug Blocks Opioid Side Effects In Cancer Patients.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that it has entered into an agreement with UR Labs, Inc., to obtain worldwide exclusive rights to methylnaltrexone (MNTX), an investigational drug in...

Alpha Innotech Collaborates With Proteome Systems On New Platform.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Alpha Innotech and Proteome Systems have formed an agreement under which Alpha Innotech will manufacture its AlphaImager and FluorChem imaging systems for incorporation with Proteome Systems'...

Grant Will Further Improvement Of Test To Detect Illegal Erythropoietin.
November 14, 2001... 2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Proteome Systems has secured funding under Australia's Biotechnology Innovation Fund (BIF) to use its Gelchip technology to improve and simplify the methods used to test for detection of the drug...

Angiogenic Patches Repair Cardiac Tissues After Infarction.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Collaborators at Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc., and the University of Arizona have designed a patch that stimulates angiogenesis in cardiac tissues damaged by...

New Details About Epitope Targeted By Potent Monoclonal Antibody.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States and Europe say that they have shed new light on a potential HIV vaccine target. In a multi-institutional study, Carol E....

Pentavalent Vaccine As Effective As Individual Vaccines In Pediatric Study.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Investigators at the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Vaccine Research have established that a new combination vaccine produced by...

Rituximab Safe, Effective For Posttransplant B-lymphoproliferative Disorder Treatment.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in France say that humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, also known as rituximab, can be used to treat lymphoproliferative disorders seen after...

Isoniazid Hepatotoxicity Not Increased In Hepatitis C Patients.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Liver damage associated with the tuberculosis drug isoniazid is not exacerbated in patients who are also infected with hepatitis or HIV, researchers say. ...

Athersys, 3-Dimensional Form Drug Discovery Collaboration.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Athersys Inc., and 3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals Inc., (DDDP) will collaborate to discover, develop, and commercialize novel, small-molecule pharmaceuticals by screening against therapeutically...

Maine Medical Center Joins National Clinical Genomics Initiative.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Maine Medical Center has joined the National Clinical Genomics Initiative, a strategic collaboration between Ardais Corp. and leading medical institutions around the country. The National Clinical...

Escalating Single Dosing Trial Of AGIX-4207 Completed.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AtheroGenics, Inc., announced that it has completed the escalating single-dose segment of its Phase I clinical trial for AGIX-4207, a novel oral agent being developed for the treatment of rheumatoid...

Vaccine Manufacturer Reaches Milestone In Licensing Process With FDA.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BioPort Corp. has reached a milestone in its licensing process with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by shipping required documentation for its manufacturing facility renovations to the FDA....

Infliximab Clinical Program Placed On Hold.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Following evaluation of the preliminary results of an ongoing Phase II clinical trial Centocor, Inc., has announced that further development of Remicade (infliximab) for the treatment of patients with...

Cell Therapeutics Signs Licensing Agreement For PG-TXL With Chugai.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CTI Technologies, Inc., (CTIT) a wholly owned subsidiary of Cell Therapeutics, Inc., (CTIC) has entered into a licensing agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., for the development and...

Ibis Therapeutics Awarded Contract To Develop Detection Device For Defense.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ibis Therapeutics, a division of Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ISIP) has received an additional two-year contract with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a sensor to...

MorphoSys Issued U.S. Patent For HuCAL Antibody Library.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MorphoSys AG (MOR), has received a new U.S. patent covering its Human Combinatorial Antibody Library (HuCAL). The U.S. patent, "Protein/(poly)peptide libraries" covers methods for the construction of...

Debacterol Gains OTC Status.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Debacterol, a topical treatment for canker sores that relieves pain and speeds healing, will soon be available for sale to consumers, according to Northern Research Laboratories, the product's...

Oxymorphone Extended-Release Formula Successful In Trial.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Penwest Pharmaceuticals Co. announced the successful completion of a clinical trial on the oxymorphone extended-release product it is jointly developing with Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The product is...

Xenon Genetics Acquires Lipid Metabolism Drug Discovery Program.
November 28, 2001... 2001 NOV 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Xenon Genetics, Inc., has acquired all assets of QuantaNova Canada, Ltd., and Scotia Holdings, PLC, relating to their lipid metabolism drug discovery program. The lipid metabolism program is...