Biotech Business Week articles from June 2003

Biotech Business Week archives from June 2003

TLC ELL-12 in rats is well tolerated and may be therapeutically active.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- TLC ELL-12 in rats is well tolerated and may be therapeutically active. "TLC ELL-12 is a liposomal formulation of the antineoplastic L-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine...

Molecular analysis of early lesions may be key to choosing best treatment.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the biotechnology company Arcturus has discovered molecular changes occurring in early stages of breast cancer that characterize the...

Tissue bank lowers cost of materials.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Detroit-based research company Asterand announced that it is lowering costs of research materials for breast cancer to help draw attention to a charity event called "The Race for the Cure." ...

Genomics company works to treat injured in Turkey.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GenoMed, Inc., (GMED) a St. Louis, Missouri-based medical genomics and next generation disease management company, announced that it is working with Turkish medical authorities caring for victims the...

Novel molecular assay detects low levels of Norwalk-like viruses.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel molecular assay can detect low levels of Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs). The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based test "is highly sensitive to a broad range of NLVs,"...

Medical institute breaks ground for new research campus.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) officially broke ground for its Janelia Farm Research Campus that will be built on a 281-acre parcel that lies along the Potomac River near Leesburg. ...

Regulatory issues, divestiture analysis detailed in report.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical Strategic Planning, Inc., (MSP) has announced immediate availability of its new MSP-2312 report, "Regulatory Issues and Divestiture Opportunities." This new report provides updated...

Neurochem licenses its diabetes technology.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Neurochem, Inc., (NRM) and Innodia, Inc., announced the conclusion of an agreement whereby Neurochem has licensed to Innodia, Inc., its intellectual property rights relating to Neurochem's preclinical...

Panacea enters collaborative research agreement for MF20 system.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that it has entered into a collaborative research agreement with Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, Japan, to develop an array of assays utilizing Olympus'...

Net losses reported at $0.15 per share for biotech company.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Epimmune, Inc., (EPMN) announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2003. During the quarter, cash and cash equivalents declined $2.2 million to an ending balance of $7.6...

Sales and marketing company reports first quarter 2003 results.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PDI, Inc., (PDII), a commercial sales and marketing provider to the biopharmaceutical and medical devices and diagnostics industries, announced its first quarter 2003 financial results. Net total...

New drug discovery tool released.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ChemAxon, a software solutions provider for biotechnology, announced the release of JChem 2.0, the latest version of the Java database engine enabling chemical communication across networks. The...

25 Capital Connection companies receive funding.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Twenty-five (49%) of the 51 emerging technology and biotech companies that were selected to present at the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association's (MAVA) Capital Connection 2002 venture fair have reported...

A year of revaluation and restructuring for biotech.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty, a pending war with Iraq and a bear market, the U.S. biotech industry underwent massive revaluation and restructuring to survive in 2002, according to...

Building pharma blockbusters requires huge marketing expenditures.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Successful blockbuster pharmaceutical commercialization demands resource support that quickly climbs into the hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a study by pharmaceutical research firm...

Cardiology device company appoints new subsidiary president.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CardioTech International, Inc., (CTE) announced that Douglas E. Whittaker has been named president of Gish Biomedical, Inc., a fully owned subsidiary of CardioTech International, Inc. Most...

Chief financial officer resigns at biotech company; financial results released.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Exelixis, Inc., (EXEL) announced that Glen Y. Sato, senior vice president, chief financial officer, and general counsel, is leaving the company to assume the position of chief financial officer at...

Company announces two key appointments in its United States medical department.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Novo Nordisk (NVO) announced the appointment of two key executives in the company's United States medical department. Lynn Baer has been promoted to senior director and head of clinical trial...

NMT Medical expands board of directors with addition of Daniel F. Hanley, MD.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NMT Medical, Inc., (NMTI) announced the increase in the size of its board of directors to eight and the election of Daniel F. Hanley, MD, to fill the added position. Since 1996, Hanley has been a...

SICOR acquires oncology products, names biotech division president.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SICOR. Inc., (SCRI) announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire seven oncology products from Pharmacia Corp. (now part of Pfizer, Inc.). The acquisition includes two branded and five...

Arizona Board of Pharmacy urges BBB to warn consumers.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Arizona Board of Pharmacy (BOP) issued a letter to the Arizona Better Business Bureau asking it to warn consumers about the risks of purchasing prescription drugs illegally from Canada and other...

Pharma pipeline includes more biotech; future looks bright for innovation.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pharma companies must incorporate more biotech products into their product pipelines, according to a pharmaceutical intelligence report from Cutting Edge Information. Smart deal management, better...

Study: Microarray technology drives the toxicogenomics market.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As in other areas where DNA microarrays have been applied, this remarkable technology is now playing a major role in defining the field of toxicogenomics. Looking for faster and more accurate ways...

Remodulin maker reports first quarter 2003 financial results.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- United Therapeutics Corp. (UTHR) announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2003. "We are pleased to report that United Therapeutics' total revenues for its first quarter in 2003...

Blood supply company reports first quarter financial results.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- V.I. Technologies (Vitex), Inc., (VITX), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing products that improve the safety of the transfusion blood supply, announced its financial results for the first...

Over $3 billion spent on wound management products in Europe in 2002.
June 2, 2003... 2003 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medtech Insight, LLC, reported that in 2002, more than $3 billion was spent on professional wound management products in Europe; this figure is expected to approach $5 billion in 2007. Wound...

Company provides guidance on timing of MBI 226 phase III results.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Micrologix Biotech, Inc., (MGIXF) issued its quarterly CEO message in which Dr. Jim DeMesa, president and CEO, provided comments on various company activities, including an update on the timing of...

Defective signaling of Akt-2 and -3 promotes insulin resistance.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Defective signaling through Akt-2 and -3, but not Akt-1, may promote insulin resistance in human skeletal muscles. "Recent evidence has shown that activation of phosphatidyinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)...

Vaccine research for Alzheimer disease should continue despite setbacks.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Despite the problems that have occurred in vaccine trials for Alzheimer disease, research should continue. "Active or passive immunization against the beta-amyloid peptide (A-beta) has been...

FDA clears rapid test for diagnosis.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for marketing the first rapid laboratory test for a life-threatening invasive fungal infection that occurs in leukemia patients, organ and bone marrow...

Genomics company provides update of company progress.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Human Genome Sciences, Inc., (HGSI) announced that it is advancing a number of its products to their next stage of clinical development in 2003 and expects to file two or three investigational new drug...

Analysis methods for yeasts and molds in foods compared.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Methods used for the analysis of yeasts and molds in foods were compared. "The relative effectiveness of the SimPlate Yeast and Mold-Color Indicator method (Y&M-CI) was compared to the U.S. Food...

Strattera will face low reimbursement from HMOs.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Decision Resources finds that Eli Lilly's Strattera will face low or nonexistent reimbursement from HMO pharmacy directors for the treatment of Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ...

GlaxoSmithKline receives certification in disease management.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- URAC announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is the first company to receive certification in Disease Management. GSK's HealthCare Management Group received Core Accreditation and was certified in...

Alliance targets development of therapeutics for congestive heart failure.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Evotec OAI (EVT) and Artesian Therapeutics, Inc., announced that they have entered into a 3-year drug discovery service agreement to optimize small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of congestive...

Deal with U.K. company targets commercial manufacture of biologics.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chromos Molecular Systems, Inc., (CHR) announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive license agreement with Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) of Cambridge, U.K., to develop protein expressing...

Genedata enters collaboration on proteomics-based cancer diagnostics.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genedata and the National Cancer Center Japan (NCC) have entered into a collaboration for proteomics-based cancer research. Under the terms of the agreement, the NCC has licensed Genedata...

Letter to shareholders give corporate update on virus drugs.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The following is a letter from Geert Kersten, CEO, and Maximilian de Clara, president, of Cel-Sci Corporation (CVM) to its shareholders: In our March 12, 2003, shareholder letter we outlined our...

Market awaits newer transdermal drug delivery technologies.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The launch of newer technology products with a wide range of applications and the ability to deliver proteins, peptides, and large molecules is expected to rake in market revenues. The active...

Patent to protect invention of antisense antimicrobial drugs.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Lorus Therapeutics, Inc., announced that the United States Patent Office has allowed a patent that protects the antimicrobial component of the company's antisense drug development program. The...

Drug maker reports net loss of $5.2M for first quarter.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Alteon, Inc., (ALT) announced a net loss of $5,223,057 for the 3 months ended March 31, 2003. This compares to a net loss of $3,741,585 for the same period in 2002. The net loss applicable to...

Oncology biotech reports 25% decrease in revenues.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cytogen Corporation (CYTO) reported its consolidated financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2003. Total revenues were $2.48 million in the first quarter of 2003, representing a decrease...

Pharmaceutical company announces 2003 first quarter results.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., reported a net loss of $166,197 or $0.04 per share for the first quarter 2003, compared to a net loss of $191,019 or $0.05 per share in the same period in 2002. ...

Therapeutics company reports 2003 first quarter results.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Protein Polymer Technologies, Inc., reported a net loss of $1,744,000 or $.06 per share for the first quarter of 2003, compared to a net loss of $536,000, or $.02 per share for same period in 2002. ...

Trimeris announces 2003 first quarter results.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Trimeris, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRMS) has reported a loss of $15.9 million or $.75 per share, compared with a loss of $17.7 million or $.97 per share in the comparable 2002 period. The decrease in net loss...

FDA acceptance of ciprofloxacin ANDA filing triggers strategic investment.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPPI) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acceptance of the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for ciprofloxacin by the company's NeoJB...

Researchers find potential new treatment for children.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and five other institutions have found that a drug recently approved for adults with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) also may be a safe and effective...

New FOCIS centers to advance clinical immunology research.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new international outreach effort, developed by the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS), will assist institutions throughout the world that focus on clinical immunology to provide...

Biotech fund clarifies identity.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biotechnology Value Fund, L.P., headquartered in San Francisco, California, stated that neither Biotechnology Value Fund, L.P., nor any of its affiliated entities are related to, or associated with,...

Dr. Charles Homcy named to board of directors.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Kosan Biosciences, Inc., (KOSN) announced that Charles Homcy, MD, has been appointed to the company's board of directors and will serve as a member of the newly created strategic advisory committee of...

Class action lawsuit filed over diet drug.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is the target of a securities class action lawsuit from investors claiming the company and its leadership made misleading and false statements regarding AXOKINE, a diet drug....

E-detailing yields increasing ROI in pharmaceutical sales.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Forty-three percent of scheduled rep visits get canceled and 87% of doctor-rep conversations last less than 2 minutes, according to recent research. E-detailing and other new technologies enable...

E-health executive's cash compensation climbs in 2002.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- While most publicly traded e-health companies continued to show big net losses in 2002, that didn't prevent many of their top executives from enjoying big cash compensation increases, according to...

Partner of choice status still up for grabs in pharma-biotech alliances.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pfizer has established itself as the "partner of choice" in pharma-pharma alliances, but that title has yet to be claimed in the pharma-biotech arena. First-moving companies stand to gain a great...

Nascobal maker reports solid first quarter 2003 financial results.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nastech Pharmaceutical Co. (NSTK) announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2003. Total revenue for the first quarter of 2003 was $2.3 million, an increase of 53%, or...

Foundation commits $10 million to new LEAPS research program.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) has announced a new Parkinson's research program, LEAPS (Linked Efforts to Accelerate Parkinson's Solutions), designed to have a practical...

BIO offers message to congress: keep the care in Medicare.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- If Congress doesn't fix a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) reimbursement rule, Medicare beneficiaries with various cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis, and multiple sclerosis may soon...

Isotechnika earns CDN$21,900,000 drug development milestone payment.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Isotechnika, Inc., announced that the company had achieved a significant development milestone pursuant to the terms of its collaboration agreement with Roche. In accordance with the agreement, the...

Blood products company receives NASDAQ notice.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- V.I. Technologies, Inc., (NASDAQ:VITX) (Vitex) announced receipt of a notice from Nasdaq on May 13, 2003, indicating that V.I. Technologies has failed to comply with the $1.00 minimum bid price and with...

Equity analyst upgrades opinion on Bristol-Myers Squibb.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Standard & Poor's announced that it has upgraded its equity Stock Appreciation Ranking System (STARS) ranking on Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) from an "Avoid" to a "Hold" at $26.01 per share. ...

Semi-annual changes to the NASDAQ biotechnology index.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc., announced the semi-annual changes to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NASDAQ:NBI), which became effective on May 19, 2003. The following issues were added to the...

Hepatitis C drug market to grow to $9 billion in 2012.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Decision Resources, Inc., one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug market will grow from $2.5...

Report looks at role of nitric oxide in drug development.
June 9, 2003... 2003 JUN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Jain PharmaBiotech announced the release of the new report titled "Nitric Oxide: Therapeutics, Markets And Companies." This report describes the latest concepts of the role of nitric oxide (NO) in...

Report: Too many firms chasing drug discovery, too few pursuing diagnostics.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More life-science informatics vendors target drug R&D than the market can support, while few target diagnostic applications that could quickly scale up to the larger point-of-care market. That is...

Studies examine a monotherapy for acute mania associated with bipolar disorder.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An analysis of two studies presented at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual meeting examined the use of Seroquel as a monotherapy for acute mania in patients suffering from bipolar...

Kendle CEO addresses European pharmaceutical outsourcing community.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Kendle International, Inc., (KNDL) Chairman and CEO Candace Kendle, PharmD, addressed more than 200 senior-level pharmaceutical and biotechnology executives at the 2003 European "Partnerships in...

Lucrative Japanese market opens for heart-lung device maker.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CardioTech International, Inc., (CTE) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Gish Biomedical, Inc., has completed contract negotiations with Heiwa Bussan Co., Ltd. to distribute its heart-lung...

DNA, protein, tissue, arrays market expected to reach $1.6B by 2008.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The worldwide arrays market is projected to experience a 15% overall compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next 5 years as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seek more efficient and cost...

Pharma companies partner with biotechs to reduce R&D costs.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biotechnology companies bear the brunt of alliance R&D costs, spending an average 64% of their total alliance budgets on research compared to pharmaceutical companies' 30%, according to a recent study...

Diverse group is major allergy source that will soon be specifically diagnosable.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Grass pollen antigens are a large group of significant allergens, and will soon be cloned and used in diagnostics and may even pave the way for specific immunotherapy. "Grass pollens are one of...

Advisor: Smaller, focused mutual funds may offer benefits in current climate.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The biotech sector, along with the rest of the market, has jumped recently, but as biotech investors get their feet wet again, they may want to rethink their investment strategy, according to Libbe...

Medical science liaisons need greater research and marketing resources.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have boosted their investments in thought leader management over the last 5 years. But critical opportunities are still being starved, according to...

NIH awards grant to develop test for biowarfare agents.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genomic Profiling Systems, Inc., announced that it has received a phase I small business innovation research grant (SBIR) from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) for $119,820 to develop its...

Oncolytics announces issuance of seventh U.S. patent.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Oncolytics Biotech, Inc., (ONCY) announced that it has been granted U.S. patent 6,565,831 entitled "Method of Preventing Reovirus Recognition for the Treatment of Cellular Proliferative Disorders." ...

International alliance extended with Italian distribution company.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bradley Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (BDY) announced a long-term contract extension with Difa Cooper SpA for the exclusive distribution rights of Trans-Ver-Sal in Italy. Trans-Ver-Sal is the wart...

Cardiology company holds annual shareholders' meeting.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CardioGenesis Corporation (CGCP) announced that it held its annual meeting of shareholders. A quorum of shareholders was present in person or by proxy. All proposals submitted to the shareholders...

Drug manufacturer sees continuing positive momentum for 2003.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dan K. Wassong, chairman, president, and CEO of Del Laboratories, Inc., (DLI) spoke at the company's Annual Meeting about the company's outstanding performance in 2002, and discussed the company's...

Medical Services gets distributor and manufacturing plant in Mexico.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical Services International announced it has agreed to appoint Comerita, SA, based in Mexico, as its distributor for its VScan Rapid Diagnostic Test Kits for Mexico. Comerita will manufacture...

Licenses acquired for novel cholesterol drugs.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- QuatRx Pharmaceuticals Company, a private biopharmaceutical development company focused on endocrine, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases, announced that it has acquired exclusive worldwide rights...

Auditor resigns; accounting policies scrutinized.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cryo-Cell International, Inc., (CCELE) announced that Ernst & Young LLP resigned as the company's independent auditor. Mercedes Walton, the company's chairman and Interim CEO stated, "While the...

Dermatology company to raise $80M from offering of convertible notes.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Connetics Corporation (CNCT) announced that it has entered into an agreement for the sale of $80 million of convertible senior notes ($90 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full)...

Downgraded opinion issued for ImClone Systems.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Standard & Poor's downgraded its equity STARS ranking on Imclone Systems (NASDAQ:IMCLE) from a three-STARS "Hold" to a one-STARS "Sell" at $20.31 per share. "Standard & Poor's feels that the...

Isotopes company announces first quarter 2003 financial results.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- International Isotopes, Inc., announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2003. For the 3 months ended March 31, 2003, International Isotopes, Inc., reported sales of...

Small molecules company completes $9M equity deal.
June 16, 2003... 2003 JUN 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- EntreMed, Inc., (ENMD) announced it has completed the sale of 3.0 million shares of common stock to institutional investors for approximately $9.0 million in gross proceeds. The shares were...