Pharma Marketletter articles from May 2005

Pharma Marketletter archives from May 2005

Advancis completes PULSYS trial enrollment.(Advancis Pharmaceutical)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The USA's Advancis Pharmaceutical, which focuses on developing and commercializing novel anti-infectives, says it has completed enrollment ahead of schedule in a pediatric Phase III clinical trial of Amoxicillin PULSYS for the treatment of...

Cerylid's blood-thinner superior to aspirin?(product development by Cerylid Biosciences Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... A drug promoted as safer and more effective than aspirin in preventing heart disease and stroke has been developed by a team of researchers at Monash University's Australian Center for Blood Diseases in Melbourne. The drug has been under...

Curis lifted by findings presented at AACR.(American Association for Cancer Research)(securities of Curis Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Shares in US group Curis closed up 1.7% at $3.50 on April 21, as investor confidence swelled on the firm's announcement that several new reports presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting in Anaheim, California,...

PTC gets $1.5 million grant from MDA.(PTC Therapeutics Inc., Muscular Dystrophy Association)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... New Jersey, USA-headquartered PTC Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical group focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of small-molecule drugs targeting post-transcriptional control mechanisms, says it has been awarded a $1.5...

FDA OKs Lannett's phentermine ANDA.(Lannett Company Inc., abbreviated new drug application )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... USA-based generic drugmaker Lannett has obtained clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for its Abbreviated New Drug Application on phentermine hydrochloride, a copycat version of Teva Pharmaceutical's Adipex-P, indicated for the...

Enrollment in Ph IIb trial of darusentan ends.(Myogen Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Denver, Colorado, USA-headquartered group Myogen says that enrollment in a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase IIb study of darusentan, a type-A selective endothelin receptor antagonist, in patients with resistant systolic hypertension is now...

Scientists uncover how malaria deceives the immune system.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... A six-year research project at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, has discovered how the malaria parasite utilizes a complex masking device to deceive the human immune system. A team of researchers, led by...

Study finds link between calcium intake and colon polyps reduction.(American Association for Cancer Research)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Data presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, California, USA, show that patients who took 1,200mg of calcium daily had a 36% reduction in colon polyps at five-year follow-up. However, John...

Xceleron welcomes FDA's new guidelines for microdosing.(pharmaceutical industry)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... UK group Xceleron says that it welcomes the US Food and Drug Administration's new report on microdosing, Exploratory Investigational New Drug Studies, published April 13, which allows for a more flexible approach to early Phase I clinical...

"Govt needs to keep promises or sector will implode," says Spanish generics group.(prescriptions bill)
May 2, 2005... The Spanish generic drugs industry has attacked the socialist government's new plan to sharply lower generics' minimum prices, as it struggles to find new ways to curb the nation's ballooning prescriptions bill. The Asociacion Espanola de...

New support measures for French pharma.(pharmaceutical industry)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... In France, the Strategic Council for the Health Industries has launched a series of proposed measures to improve the flow of pharmaceutical clinical trials and provide access to a production platform for the biotechnology industry. The...

US workers' comp Rx costs rate of rise slows, but expensive new drugs boost spending.(markets)
May 2, 2005... The rate of pharmacy inflation in US workers' compensation is moderating for the second straight year, with costs up 6% in 2004 compared to 13% in 2003, according to a study by The Hartford Financial Services Group. The Hartford's medical...

Philippines: "the future will be generics".(generic drugs)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Proper and strict implementation of the Philippines' 18-year-old generic drug law is the way to control the cost of medicines, says Leo Wasmer, chief executive of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines. The...

Poorer nations "taxing their people to death".(reports of American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research)
May 2, 2005... Now that India has moved to the fore of global efforts against HIV/AIDS, the world may begin to notice that its government has erected extremely onerous tariffs and taxes on the very products that can save its citizens' lives, says a new report...

Poor take-up of ARVs at S African mining firm.(antiretroviral drugs, AngloGold Ashanti Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... South African gold-mining firm AngloGold Ashanti says that an estimated 30% of its 36,000 employees are HIV-positive and around 2,700 need treatment. However, by the end of March, just 730 were receiving antiretroviral drugs which the company...

Study of Medicure's MC-1 continues.(Medicure)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... US cardiovascular drug discovery and development firm Medicure says that, following a meeting of an independent data monitoring board, the company has received a recommendation to continue the Phase II/III trial of its flagship drug MC-1, a...

Upstate launches new precipitation system.(The Upstate Group, Catch and Release v2.0. )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Atlanta, USA-headquartered Serologicals Corp says that its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Upstate Group, has launched a new immunoprecipitation product called Catch and Release v2.0. According to the firm, the system is faster, simpler and...

SCOLR to develop three new CDT drugs.(controlled-delivery technology platform)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Washington, USA-based biopharmaceutical company SCOLR Pharma says it will proceed with the internal development of three additional drug targets harnessing its controlled-delivery technology platform. The targets include a 24-hour...

Shire launches Equetro in USA.(Shire Pharmaceuticals Group PLC)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... UK-headquartered Shire Pharmaceuticals has launched Equetro (carbamazepine extended-release capsules), its carbamazepine medication for bipolar disorder in the USA. Equetro received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration last...

MerLion and Sankyo sign drug R&D deal.(MerLion Pharmaceuticals Private Ltd. signs contract with Sankyo Company Ltd.)(research and development)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Privately-held Singapore-based MerLion Pharmaceuticals says it has agreed to a three-year drug discovery and development collaboration with Japanese drugmaker Sankyo. Under the terms of the deal, Sankyo will provide selected...

Insmed's SomatoKine granted priority review by US FDA.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... US biopharmaceutical firm Insmed says it has received priority review notification from the US Food and Drug Administration for its drug candidate SomatoKine (mecasermin rinfabate), for the treatment of growth-hormone insensitivity. The...

Operation Cyber Chase smashes international Rx e-traffic ring: 20 arrested.
May 2, 2005... Results of Operation Cyber Chase, a year-long investigation by five nations into international Internet pharmaceutical traffickers operating in the USA, India, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean, have been announced by US Drug Enforcement...

Baxter sees 8% sales growth in 1st qtr.(Baxter International Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... US firm Baxter International has reported a 20% first-quarter increase in earnings per share to $0.36, from $0.30 in the like period of 2004. Worldwide sales in the quarter totalled $2.38 billion, up 8%, with a 2% increase in domestic...

Affymetrix swings to 1st-qtr profit.(quarter)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... US bioassay specialist Affymetrix has reported net income of $16.2 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2005 versus a net loss of $1.8 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, in the like period of 2004. Revenue for...

MedImmune reaches $0.45 quarter-year EPS.(earnings per share)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... US drugmaker MedImmune has posted net earnings for the 2005 first quarter of $114.0 million, or $0.45 diluted earnings per share, from $111.0 million and $0.43 EPS in the 2004 first-quarter. Revenues for the period reached $510.0 million...

Endo's 1st-qtr earnings drop 66%.(ENDO Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Endo Pharmaceuticals, a US specialty drugmaker focused on pain management, has reported net sales of $137.8 million for the first quarter of 2005 compared with $153.5 million in the like quarter of 2004, with net income down 65% to $13.8...

USA's TMC posts 39% sales growth.(The Medicines Co.)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The Medicines Company of the USA has announced 39% first-quarter revenue growth on the back of strong sales for its thrombin-specific anticoagulant, Angiomax (bivalirudin). Net income reached $2.3 million, or 0.05 per share, continuing the...

ArQule slows down 1st-qtr losses.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... US biotechnology firm ArQule has posted a net loss of $1.44 million, or $0.04 per share, for the first quarter of 2005, compared with a net loss of $5.25 million, or $0.18 per share, for the like 2004 period, which includes a restructuring...

Novartis delivers strong 1st-qtr figures, in line with analysts forecasts.
May 2, 2005... Novartis, Switzerland's leading drugmaker, has posted first-quarter 2005 group sales of $7.34 billion, a rise of 11% on the like, year-earlier period, or up 7% in local currency terms. The overall figures, and pharmaceutical turnover of $4.79...

One-time provisional charge blights Serono's 1st-qtr results, putting firm into a loss.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Switzerland's Serono, Europe's leading biotechnology firm has presented a basically good set of first-quarter 2005 results that were impacted by a one-time exceptional charge of $725.0 million relating to a previously-reported US investigation...

Schering-Plough back in profit for 1st-qtr.
May 2, 2005... "Out of the severe challenges that we have faced, we are emerging stronger," noted Schering-Plough's chief executive, Fred Hassan, presenting the firm's first-quarter 2005 results, which showed that it had returned to profit. News of the...

Vioxx loss drags on Merck & Co results.(company sales and revenues)
May 2, 2005... US pharmaceutical major Merck & Co has posted a 5% decline in first-quarter 2005 sales, which were $5.4 billion, having been pulled lower by the voluntary withdrawal last fall of the firm's blockbuster COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx (rofecoxib;...

AEterna signs research deal with German univ.(AEterna Zentaris, Julius-Maximilians University)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Nasdaq-traded shares of Canadian drugmaker AEterna Zentaris closed up 1.2% on April 21 at $5.09, as investors welcomed the news that the firm has formed a research alliance with Wurzburg, Germany-headquartered Julius-Maximilians University. The...

AstraZeneca's Crestor 5mg available in EU.(marketing )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The 5mg version of Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca's cholesterol-lowerer Crestor (rosuvastatin) should soon be available in the European Union, as the firm has reached agreement under the EU arbitration procedure on the label...

Biomira/Merck KGaA start Ph II of cancer vacc.(BLP25 liposome vaccine)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Canada's Biomira and Germany-based Merck KGaA have initiated a single-arm, multicenter, open-label Phase II trial of BLP25 liposome vaccine, designed to assess the safety of its formulation for upcoming Phase III evaluation. Alex...

Guilford restarts Aquavan program.(Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., Aquavan Injection )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Guilford Pharmaceuticals of the USA says that it can continue clinical development of its lead candidate, Aquavan Injection (GPI 15715), a novel sedative/hypnotic under investigation for use in procedural sedation, after reaching agreement on a...

Telik/Mount Sinai in deal.(Research alliance)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... USA-based Telik has formed a research alliance with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, which will utilize the firm's proprietary drug-discovery technology, TRAP (Target-Related Affinity Profiling), to discover and assess novel,...

40% of US seniors "not taking meds as Rxed".(Prescription drug surveys)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... 40% of 17,685 US seniors have told a nationwide poll that they did not take all the drugs their doctors prescribed for them in the past year, because the costs were too high, they did not feel the drugs were helping them or they did not think...

Kessler backs Dorgan/Snowe US import bill, but its constitutionality is questioned.(David Kessler)
May 2, 2005... Former US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler has announced his support for the Prescription Market Access and Drug Safety Act (S 334), which is co-sponsored by Senators Byron Dorgan (Democrat) and Republican Olympia Snowe....

US FDA reform plans inadequate, says CU.(US Consumers Union)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The US Consumers Union has told the Food and Drug Administration Science Board that proposed agency reforms are inadequate. Significant internal changes are needed, plus new laws to beef up its ability to ensure drugs do not pose unreasonable...

Strong results for Anadys' drug-resistant hep B drug.(Anadys Pharmaceuticals )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Anadys Pharmaceuticals, a US drugmaker focused on anti-infectives, has reported positive data from an ongoing Phase II trial of ANA380 (LB80380) in patients infected with lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus. The results, presented at...

Eon Labs wins US FDA approval for generic Agrylin.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... USA-based Eon Labs says it has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for its thrombocythemia therapy, anagrelide HCl capsules, the generic equivalent of Shire Pharmaceutical's Agrylin, in the same strengths as the...

CancerVax advances its anti-angiongenesis program.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... CancerVax of the USA says its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cell Matrix, has presented preclinical data on a new approach in anti-angiogenesis therapy that selectively targets sites of tumor neovascularization. The presentations were made at the...

Kosan reports promising results for anticancer candidate.(Kosan Biosciences)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... USA-based Kosan Biosciences has presented promising results from preclinical studies of its anticancer drug candidate KOS-1584 (9,10-didehydroepothilone D), a second-generation epothilone. The compound is a spin-off of an agent, KOS-862...

Corcept's Corlux shows good weight loss result.
May 2, 2005... Corcept Therapeutics has released promising data from two preclinical studies investigating whether Corlux (mifepristone) can induce weight loss following weight gained by treatment with Eli Lilly's antidepressant Zyprexa (olanzapine) and...

NeoPharma's brain tumor drug shows promise.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... NeoPharm has posted positive results from a Phase I clinical trial of cintredekin besudotox (interleukin-13-PE38QQR) in brain cancer patients. According to the company, the agent demonstrated potent cytotoxicity against malignant glioma...

Abbott Labs launches blood-monitoring device for Wyeth's Rapamune.(Abbott Laboratories manufacturing partner Axis-Shield Ltd received FDA clearabce)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The USA's Abbott Laboratories says that its manufacturing partner, Axis-Shield, received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for an automated test for monitoring the therapeutic levels of Wyeth's anti-rejection drug, Rapamune...

Alfacell's Onconase shows activity against NSCLC.(Alfacell Corp)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Alfacell Corp, a US biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for cancer and other life-threatening diseases, says that recent study data show Onconase (ranpirnase), its lead...

Dendreon explores Trp-p8 ion channel anticancer strategy.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The USA's Dendreon Corp says that the modulation of the Trp-p8 tumor target with small molecules may represent a new approach to cancer therapy, according to data presented by the firm at the American Association for Cancer Research annual...

Viragen's Multiferon cleared in Philippines.(Viragen Inc)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Viragen of the USA has announced the approval of Multiferon (a natural human alpha interferon) for sale in the Philippines for the second-line treatment of any and all diseases in which recombinant interferon therapy failed or the patient was...

Leiner launching phenylephrine products.(Leiner Health Products Inc)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... To ensure that US retailers can continue to offer consumers access to effective cold and sinus remedies, Leiner Health Products says it is introducing new products with phenylephrine, a safe and effective decongestant. Shipments begin in June....

UK Queen's Award for Delta Biotech.
May 2, 2005... UK company Delta Biotechnology has been recognized with a Queen's Award for Enterprise, a prestigious award for companies in the country. Delta notes that it employs approximately 100 people in Nottingham, UK, and has spearheaded the...

VaxGen secures space for Anthrax vacc production.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... US firm VaxGen has entered into an amended lease agreement to secure space to support the production of its recombinant anthrax vaccine. The new lease replaces VaxGen's previous sub-lease for around 50,000 square feet and provides an additional...

Schering AG sees 1st-qtr net profit rise 11%, with strong sales growth in USA.
May 2, 2005... Berlin, Germany-headquartered drugmaker Schering AG posted sales of 1.21 billion euros ($1.58 billion) for the first quarter of 2005, up 4%, or a currency-adjusted rise of 6% on the like, year-earlier period. Net profit increased 11% to 144.0...

India's Glenmark boosts South American business with product acquisition.(Glenmark Farmaceutica acquires Uno-Ciclo harmonal contraceptive brand)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Glenmark Farmaceutica, the wholly-owned Brazilian subsidiary of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals of India, has acquired a hormonal contraceptive brand, Uno-Ciclo (150mg dihydroxyprogesterone acetophenide and 10mg estradiol enanthate), which generated...

Forest Labs' sales hit by Celexa competition.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... US drugmaker Forest Laboratories suffered a sales setback in the first quarter of 2005 as a result of generic competition for its selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant Celexa (citalopram), which caused group turnover for the...

Amgen posts 26% EPS hike, raises forecast.
May 2, 2005... The world's largest biotechnology company, the USA's Amgen, posted a 24% rise in sales to $2.7 billion for the first quarter of 2005, with adjusted net income up 23% at $924.0 million and earnings per share 26% higher at $0.72. The firm also...

Genzyme's 1st-qtr revenues up 28%.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Massachusetts, USA-based Genzyme, a leading global biotechnology group, reported a 28% rise to $629.9 million in first-quarter 2005 revenues. Net income, under generally-accepted accounting principles calculations, was $95.6 million, or $0.36...

Truvada lifts 1st qtr for Gilead Sciences.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Gilead Sciences of the USA reports that first-quarter 2005 revenues increased 39% to $430.4 million, while net income rose 37% to $157.1 million, or $0.34 a share. Net revenues from product sales were up 45% at $400.2 million, driven...

Advances in fight against liver disease presented at EASL meeting.(European Association for the Study of the Liver)
May 2, 2005... With a record 4,500 participants from Europe, the USA and Asia, the 40th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, which was held in Paris, France, last month, was marked by a series of significant reports on the...

Merck KGaA's Erbitux drives 1st-qtr sales.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... German drugs and chemicals maker Merck KGaA has reported a 7.6% rise in first-quarter 2005 sales, which reached 1.38 billion euros ($1.78 billion). Operating profit rose 17.0% to 198.1 million euros and earnings before tax and interest were up...

Novartis to relocate Sandoz to Germany.
May 2, 2005... As part of its update on progress to acquire the generic drugmakers Hexal of the USA and Germany's Eon, in a deal valued at $5.1 billion (Marketletter February 28), Swiss pharmaceuticals major Novartis has said it will relocate the headquarters...

Biotech Holdings gets first Sucanon order from Wal-Mart.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Canadian group Biotech Holdings has reported that the firm has received its first purchase order for its diabetes drug Sucanon from Wal-Mart in Mexico. The firm's president, Robert Rieveley, added: "our Mexico office is also currently...

Study shows genes predict how well diabetes drug will work.(Diabetes Care report on Type 2 diabetes responce)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... How well a person with type 2 diabetes responds to a diabetes drug may well depend upon his or her genetic make-up, according to a study published in the May issue of Diabetes Care. The study found that people who carried certain genotypes...

Bayer diagnostics unit joins Global Healthcare Exchange.(Bayer HealthCare )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Bayer HealthCare, Diagnostics Division, a part of the German Bayer group, has said that it has entered into an agreement with Global Healthcare Exchange, which offers an open and neutral electronic trading exchange to improve supply chain...

Cisbio debuts GOCR-Gq assay.(Cisbio international)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Cisbio international, a French biotechnology company, has announced the release of its novel and homogeneous assay for GPCR-Gq high-throughput drug screening applications, the IP-One Assay System. IP-One is the first high-throughput system that...

Vion closes recruitment in Ph II Cloretazine trial.(VION Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The USA's Vion Pharmaceuticals says that the Phase II single-agent trial of its anticancer drug Cloretazine (VNP40101M) in acute myeloid leukemia and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes has been closed to new patient accrual. The trial,...

Positive data for Idenix' hepatitis C drug.(Idenix Pharmaceuticals)
May 2, 2005... USA-based Idenix Pharmaceuticals, which focuses on the development of treatments for human viral and other infectious diseases, has reported encouraging preliminary results from a Phase IIa clinical trial of its valopicitabine (NM283) in...

Astellas/Wyeth's InductOs OK'd in EU for degenerative disc disease.(Astellas BV of Astella and InductOs of Wyeth get EU approval)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The European Commission has approved Japan-based Astellas' Dutch subsidiary Astellas BV and US drugmaker Wyeth's InductOs (recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2/absorbable collagen sponge) for the treatment of single-level anterior...

Three firms get US appro to sell generic Agrylin.(Barr Pharmaceuticals)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... The USA's Impax Laboratories, IVAX Corp and Barr Pharmaceuticals have obtained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to market their 1mg and 0.5mg generic versions of UK group Shire Pharmaceuticals' Agrylin (angrelide HCl). ...

Cardiome completes 2nd Ph I trial.(Cardiome Pharma Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Vancouver, Canada-based Cardiome Pharma has successfully completed a Phase Ib study of its controlled-release oral formulation of RSD1235 as a function of fed and fasted states in normal and poor metabolizers. Results have confirmed that the...

Roche's CoaguChek can save lives; new study.
May 2, 2005... A new study which compared self-management of oral anticoagulant therapy with clinic management has revealed that patient self-management using Swiss drugmaker Roche's diagnostic division's CoaguChek S system cuts the to risk of major...

Roche's Cobas AmpliScreen HBV Test approved in USA.(Roche Diagnostics)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Roche Diagnostics, a division of Swiss drugmaker Roche, says that the US Food and Drug Administration has cleared its Cobas AmpliScreen HBV Test for use as a screening test for the detection of hepatitis B in donated whole blood, blood...

Icoria in research deal with ADMET.(Icoria)(ADMET Technologies)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Icoria says that it has entered into a partnership with fellow USA-based ADMET Technologies, under which it will utilize its metabolomics and gene expression methodologies to characterize the latter firm's human adult hepatocytes, with the aim...

Alizyme's full-year 2004 loss slashed.(Alizyme PLC)
May 2, 2005... UK group Alizyme, which is focused on the development of drugs for diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and obesity, has posted a 57% cut in net loss to L4.3 million ($8.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2004. Loss per share was...

Actelion sees 1sr-qtr net profit leap 52%.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Swiss biopharmaceutical group Actelion saw its first-quarter 2005 net profit jump 52% to 42.1 million Swiss francs ($35.4 million) from 27.7 million francs recorded for the like, year-earlier period, as results were propelled by strong sales...

Karo Bio's sales rocket for 1st-qtr 2005.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Sweden-based Karo Bio saw its revenues more than triple for the first quarter of 2005, as an undisclosed milestone payment from US drugmaker Merck & Co (Marketletter January 31) drove a 340.6% increase from the year-ago period to 44.5 Swedish...

Renovo planing to float stock on LSE?(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... UK biotechnology firm Renovo is planning to float its shares on the London Stock Exchange, according to the Financial Times, which reports that the aim of this is to finance the development and commercialization of a potential blockbuster drug...

German govt funding for GPC Biotech and Ingenium.(GPC Biotech AG and Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG receive German funding)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... GPC Biotech AG, focused on discovering and developing new anticancer drugs, and Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, whose therapeutic focus is on pain, have announced the joint receipt of a grant totaling 2.2 million euros ($21.9 million)) in...

Advancis Pharma raises $27M.(Advancis Pharmaceutical)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Advancis Pharmaceutical, a US company focused on developing and commercializing novel anti-infective products, says that it has entered into definitive purchase agreements for the private placement of 6.8 million shares of common stock, raising...

BioAlliance Pharma's doxorubicin Transdrug gets orphan drug status in USA.(BioAlliance Pharma)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... French privately-held biopharmaceutical company BioAlliance Pharma, which focuses on the field of drug resistance, says that its doxorubicin Transdrug has been granted Orphan Drug status for the treatment hepatocellular carcinoma by the US Food...

Affymetrix in strategic alliance with CapitalBio.
May 2, 2005... US firm Affymetrix and CapitalBio Corp, a life science company based in Beijing, China, have entered into a strategic relationship. The non-exclusive agreement initially includes joint development of a proprietary, advanced GeneChip-compatible...

Japan stock market week to April 25.
May 2, 2005... Tokyo saw a rebound in the reporting period to April 25, following a steep correction in the previous week. The Nikkei 225 went up 1.2%, recovering the 11,000 mark at the close, while the Topix index rose 2.0%. However, the investor sentiment...

EMEA warning over SSRIs, SNRIs in children.
May 2, 2005... At the completion of its review of the serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor classes of antidepressants (Marketletters passim), the European Medicines Agency has said they should not be used in...