Biotech Business Week articles from February 2003

Biotech Business Week archives from February 2003

Company announces new developments on ricin toxin vaccine.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- DOR BioPharma, Inc., announced that it has executed an exclusive option with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) in Dallas to license patent applications pending in the...

Study: Decline in use ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers anticipated.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A potential shift in prescriptions for major antihypertensive drugs is possible in 2003, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the marketing informatics firm marketRx. In the study,...

Glivec now available in Scotland.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Glivec (imatinib) is now available in Scotland for all newly diagnosed adults and children with the life threatening blood cancer CML, following a recommendation made by the Scottish Medicines...

Exclusive rights to develop cancer targets acquired.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eos Biotechnology and Aventis Pasteur announced that a 2-year collaboration to identify unique cancer vaccine targets has resulted in Aventis Pasteur exercising its options to develop up to five of...

Remicade granted priority review by FDA for use in maintaining fistula closure.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Centocor, Inc., announced that Remicade (infliximab) has been designated for priority review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in maintaining fistula closure in patients with...

Development of ETRX 101 discontinued.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Essential Therapeutics, Inc., (ETRX) announced that it has completed its phase I trial for ETRX 101, and that based upon its review of the phase I data and the data from recently completed nonclinical...

Morphotek enters agreement to develop high-titer antibody cell lines.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Morphotek, Inc., announced that it has signed a research agreement with Abgenix, Inc., of Fremont, California, for use of its proprietary Morphodoma technology in the development of high-titer cell...

Medarex enters collaboration to develop fully human antibody therapeutics.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medarex, Inc., (MEDX) and Ability Biomedical Corp., a privately held Canadian biotechnology company, announced a collaboration for the development of fully human antibody therapeutics to inflammation...

TriPath Oncology inks agreement to commercialize melanoma gene assay.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- TriPath Oncology, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of TriPath Imaging, Inc., (TPTH) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with AmeriPath, Inc., (PATH) to commercialize a novel gene...

Senior medical informaticist added to staff.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Adding to its team of informatics, medical, and life sciences experts, AnVil, Inc., a pioneer in life sciences discovery, announced the hire of Steven A. Henry, MD, MS, as senior medical informaticist....

Triad Therapeutics announces research collaboration.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Triad Therapeutics announced the initiation of a research collaboration with Schering-Plough Research Institute (SPRI) to discover novel compounds with antifungal activity. The collaboration will...

$13.7M equity financing closed.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aton Pharma, Inc., announced that it has closed an equity financing of $13.7 million. Participants in the financing included new investors Perseus-Soros Biopharmaceutical Fund and The Wellcome...

Survey looks at perceptions of brand in the life-science market.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Like most consumers, scientists want the products they buy for their labs to perform consistently, deliver reliable results, and offer the best possible value for money. And, like most consumers,...

Vice president of medical affairs named.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biopure Corporation (BPUR) announced that Douglas M. Hansell, MD, MPH, has joined the company as vice president of Medical Affairs. An anesthesiologist from Massachusetts General Hospital, Hansell...

$5M raised in venture financing.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biotica Technology Limited announced the completion of a $5 million Series A round of financing, led by Biotechnology Value Fund (San Francisco, CA) with co-investor Nordic Biotech (Copenhagen). ...

Record 4Q revenues, backorders predicted for 2003.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cell Robotics International, Inc., (CRII) announced estimated record revenues for the fourth quarter and record backorders exceeding total 2002 revenues. The company expects to report product sales...

Hein named president, CEO.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chromatin, Inc., announced that its board of directors has appointed Mich Hein as president and CEO effective January 1, 2003. Prior to assuming his position with Chromatin, Hein founded Epicyte...

Agreement with Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Immunicon announced.
February 3, 2003... 2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Impath, Inc., (IMPH) announced an agreement with the Advanced Diagnostic and Cellular Systems (ADCS) division of Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, and Immunicon Corporation....

Gene expression used to gain better understanding of plant growth stages.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- DuPont will gain a better understanding of genes responsible for triggering and controlling complex plant processes through a new relationship with Agilent Technologies, Inc., and Rosetta Biosoftware....

SBIR grant received from NCI to develop therapeutic proteins.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bolder BioTechnology, Inc., announced that it has been awarded a $111,802 phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. National Institutes of...

SkyePharma makes strategic investment in micro-encapsulation technology.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SkyePharma, PLC, (SKYE) announced a strategic investment in Micap, PLC, a private company providing patented micro-encapsulation technology to the food, cosmetic, agrochemical, and pharmaceutical...

Positive results reported from phase II trial on MC-1.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medicure, Inc., (MPH), a cardiovascular biotechnology company, announced positive results with treatment from its lead compound MC-1 in the recently completed phase II MEND-1 clinical study managed by...

Research, development lab established at Cedar-Sinai.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CeMines, Inc., a privately held company that is developing proprietary "molecular fingerprinting" technology for early detection and treatment of cancer, announced that it has established a research...

Mike Hesler joins nutraceutical company.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nutraceutical Clinical Laboratories International, Inc., (NCCL), a company that develops, manufactures, and markets preservatives and nutraceutical products, announced the appointment of Mike Hesler as...

Plateau selected to manage learning, comply with federal regulations.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Plateau Systems, a provider of enterprise software that manages all of an organization's learning and knowledge, announced that Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, one of the nation's largest community...

Plexxikon's drug discovery platform to integrate ARTHUR Technology.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Synthematix, Inc., a software and informatics provider for synthetic chemists, and Plexxikon, Inc., a structure-based drug discovery company, announced that they have signed an agreement in which...

Strategic alliance could lead to acquisition.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) announced that it has entered into a series of agreements with TriVascular, Inc., including an investment in the company, exclusive international distribution...

New York state gives grant to device maker.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CardioMag Imaging, Inc., (CMI), located in Schenectady, New York, announced the receipt of a $500,000.00 investment in the company from the New York State Urban Development Corporation d/b/a Empire...

Systems Xcellence announces US$7.6 million debt refinancing.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Systems Xcellence, Inc., (SXC) a provider of healthcare information technology solutions throughout the pharmaceutical benefits supply chain, announced a US$7.6 million debt agreement with detachable...

Uroplasty reports third quarter financial results.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Uroplasty, Inc., (UPST) reported its worldwide financial results for the third quarter and the 9 months ended December 31, 2002. For the quarter, the company had worldwide net sales of $1,264,742,...

OmniViz announces renewal of data analysis and visualization collaboration.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- OmniViz, Inc., has renewed a multiyear collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, LLC, (J&JPRD) for their ongoing work in data analysis and visualization. "We are...

Two executive promotions announced.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cellular Genomics, Inc., (CGI) has announced two executive promotions on the senior management team. Thomas Gerson, vice president of finance and operations, has been named the company's chief...

Device companies merge.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Effective January 1, 2003, CardioTech International LLC of Rockville, Maryland, and Lifeclinic.com Corp. and Vita-Stat Medical Services, Inc., both of Redmond, Washington, merged, forming a new...

Langer, Inc., completes acquisition of Bi-Op, Inc.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Langer, Inc., (GAIT) announced that it has completed the acquisition of Bi-Op, Inc. Based outside of Montreal, Canada, Bi-Op designs, manufactures, and distributes foot and gait-related...

Automated external defibrillator distribution agreements announced.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Access CardioSystems, Bound Tree Medical, LLC, and Matrx Medical announced that they have signed distribution agreements for the supply of automated external defibrillators to the prehospital market....

Sheiner named chairman of scientific advisory board, Weiner becomes consultant.
February 10, 2003... 2003 FEB 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pharsight Corp. (PHST) announced that Dr. Lewis Sheiner, chairman of the company's scientific advisory board, has joined Pharsight while on sabbatical from the University of California San Francisco...

ACP-103 trial initially targets treatment-induced dysfunction.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Acadia Pharmaceuticals announced that it has initiated phase I clinical trials for ACP-103, a small molecule drug candidate that represents an important new approach to amelioration of...

New topical hyperbaric treatment study initiated.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Advanced Hyperbaric Technologies, Inc., (AHT), a subsidiary of Advanced Healthcare Technologies, Inc., (AVHC), has announced the commencement of a new topical hyperbaric treatment study using its U.S....

Generic florinef acetate tablets approved.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Barr Laboratories, Inc., (BRL) announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Fludrocortisone Acetate Tablets USP, 0.1 mg the generic equivalent of King...

Collaboration targets lung cancer using microarrays.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Affymetrix, Inc., (AFFX) and Boston University Medical Center (BUMC), a premier academic medical research center, announced a collaboration using Affymetrix GeneChip brand technology to develop a less...

New oncology tools available for drug companies.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Strategic Answers Inc. (SAI) announced the availability of a unique, one-stop shopping information package for providing a competitive advantage for companies with an interest in novel oncology drugs....

Follow-on financing round completed for AMD diagnostics company.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dr. Barak Azmon, CEO of Tel Aviv-based Notal Vision Ltd., announced the successful completion of a $4 million follow-on financing round by Elron Electronic Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ:ELRN); InnoMed, the...

Biotech organization creates new science and regulatory department.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Carl B. Feldbaum, president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), announced the establishment of a new Science and Regulatory Affairs Department at BIO with Gillian R. Woollett, MA, DPhil,...

Eye care company names chief information officer, technology division president.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- OptiCare Health Systems, Inc. (AMEX:OPT) announced that James Carmona, Jr., has joined OptiCare, effective January 22, 2003, as chief information officer and technology division president. As head...

Center in Japan chooses computer servers for genomic analysis.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sun Microsystems Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW) announced that the Human Genome Center (HGC), a branch of the Institute of Medical Science of The University of Tokyo, has deployed Sun Fire 15K servers as the basis...

Report: Shortfall in manufacturing capacity expected.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Drug & Market Development (D&MD) Publications reports that there will be a serious shortfall in manufacturing capacity in the next 3 years. The biotechnology industry has been growing at a rapid...

Global advertising agency named for diabetes treatment Lantus.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aventis has awarded Euro RSCG Worldwide the global advertising account for the diabetes treatment Lantus, according to the agency. The assignment includes advertising and interactive and medical...

Company restructures to focus on anticancer compound.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ONXX) announced that the company is restructuring its operations to reflect an increased priority on the development of BAY 43-9006, a novel small molecule anticancer...

2003, 2004 drug-eluting stent market opportunities addressed.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) addressed at a meeting with Wall Street analysts and investors in New York the unprecedented market opportunities it foresees in 2003 and 2004 across its businesses,...

Company advances 10% in fourth quarter.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Baxter International, Inc., (BAX) reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2002, with sales from continuing operations advancing 10% in the quarter and for the year. ...

Diagnostics developer reports net loss of $0.06 per share.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biomerica, Inc., (BMRA) reported consolidated net sales of $4.23 million for the first 6 months of fiscal 2003 compared with $4.14 million in the same period the previous year. For the second...

Fourth quarter 2002 earnings reported by supplier of human health, bioscience products.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cambrex Corporation (CBM) reported fourth quarter 2002 earnings of $3.0 million, or $10.4 million excluding special items recorded in the quarter, compared with $11.9 million in the fourth quarter...

Record revenues reported for year end.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ARNA) reported record revenues of $6.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2002, a 9% increase over revenues of $5.9 million for the quarter ended December 31,...

Company becomes first master agent for 3-D ultrasound rental program.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NuWay Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:NMED) announced that it has signed a definitive Master Agent Agreement with KMB Medical Marketing to assist the company to recruit, train, and supervise a national network...

Pharmaceutical company introduces redesigned web site.
February 17, 2003... 2003 FEB 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:NPSP) announced that it has completed a comprehensive redesign of its corporate web site, www.npsp.com. The new site provides visitors with in-depth insight into...

Transcript amounts controlled by translation in Streptococcus pneumoniae.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Infectious disease researchers with Eli Lilly & Co. have reported results of their investigation of "the effects of sublethal concentrations of four different classes of translation inhibitors...

Anastomotic assist device cleared for multiple-vessel CABG.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Novare Surgical Systems, Inc., announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its Enclose Cardiac Anastomosis Assist Device for use with multiple vessels...

FLIPR Calcium 3 Assay Kit launched.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Molecular Devices Corp. (MDCC), a leader in innovative solutions for drug discovery and life-sciences research, announced the launch of the FLIPR Calcium 3 Assay Kit. This kit, using technology...

Gene identified that induces autoinducer 2 synthesis in Streptococcus gordonii.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare report identifying the luxS gene, which apparently is "responsible for the synthesis of autoinducer 2 in Streptococcus gordonii, a major component of...

FDA approval of new drug signals new era of care.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Psoriasis Foundation has issued a statement in support of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of the first biologic drug to treat psoriasis. The FDA has approved...

Immunoaffinity removal of xenoreactive antibodies is feasible.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists with Baxter Healthcare Corp., Illinois, say "immunoaffinity removal of xenoreactive antibodies using microfiltration hollow fiber membranes is feasible and has potential advantages of...

Collaborators sought for trial of drug to treat sudden loss of kidney function.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GenoMed, Inc. (GMED) announced that it is seeking collaborators in a trial to treat acute kidney failure with an intravenous drug, rather than with the kidney machine. This trial is for patients...

Dr. Paul S. Anderson named to scientific advisory board.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Kosan Biosciences, Inc., (KOSN) announced that Paul S. Anderson, PhD, has been appointed to the company's scientific advisory board. During his 38-year career with Merck, Dupont-Merck, and, most...

Eckert named to board of directors.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Connetics Corporation (CNCT) announced the appointment of R. Andrew Eckert to its board of directors. Eckert, CEO, of Docent, Inc., is a long-time executive who brings substantial expertise in the...

New member named to board of directors.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Introgen Therapeutics, Inc., (INGN) announced the appointment of Robert L. Moore to its board of directors. Moore will serve on the audit committee as a "financial expert" as defined under the...

Senior management change announced.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- InterMune, Inc., (ITMN) announced that David A. Cory is leaving his post as senior vice president of sales and marketing to pursue other opportunities. Scott Harkonen, president and CEO of...

New cyclic glycopeptide antibiotics studied.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Microbiologists with Wyeth Ayerst Research have described their study of the activities of mannopeptimycins, cyclic glycopeptide antibiotics produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus LL-AC98. Five...

President's vaccine funding announcement gets positive reception.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antex Biologics, Inc., (ANX) commented on president Bush's proposal, outlined in his recent State of the Union address, to appropriate almost $6 billion to "quickly make available effective vaccines...

Agreement to facilitate mechanism-of-action determination for metabolic disease compounds.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GPC Biotech AG (GPC; Prime Standard Segment) announced that it has signed a drug discovery technology collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company. Under the terms of the agreement, GPC Biotech will...

Assay kit maker reports revenues and earnings.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Molecular Devices Corp. (MDCC) announced its revenues and earnings for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2002. Revenues and earnings per share for the quarter were within management's...

Pharmaceutical company reports net loss of $8.7M.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Durect Corporation (DRRX) announced financial results for the 3 months and year ended December 31, 2002. Durect's net loss for the 3 months ended December 31, 2002, was $8.5 million or 17 cents...

Distribution rights obtained for two patented surgical instruments.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Haemacure Corporation (HAE) announced that it has concluded a 3-year exclusive distribution agreement with Instruments medicaux G.B., Inc., whereby Haemacure will distribute two innovative patented...

Company secures $4 million credit facility from Silicon Valley Bank.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- LifeCell Corp. (LIFC) announced that it has secured a $4 million credit facility through Silicon Valley Bank. The credit facility consists of a $2 million revolving line of credit and an equipment...

Biotech companies merge to form Nuvelo.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hyseq Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (HYSQ) and Variagenics, Inc., (VGNX) announced that they have completed the merger of the two companies. The combined company will be named Nuvelo, Inc., and will begin...

Statins' bone resorption inhibition related to inhibitory effect on enzyme.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In rats and in vitro studies, researchers with Bristol Myers Squibb Co.'s osteoporosis group tested their hypothesis "that statins could affect bone metabolism in vivo through effects on osteoclastic...

B cell scaffolding protein BLNK signals activation by tyrosine phosphorylation.
February 24, 2003... 2003 FEB 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Assembly of intracellular macromolecular complexes is thought to provide an important mechanism to coordinate the generation of second messengers upon receptor activation. We have previously...