BioWorld International articles from April 2005

BioWorld International archives from April 2005

PharmaMar's Yondelis Phase III trial started in ovarian cancer.(trabectedin)
April 6, 2005... Taking aim at relapsed ovarian cancer patients considered incurable, Madrid, Spain-based PharmaMar SA is starting a Phase III trial with Yondelis (trabectedin), a compound first isolated from marine tunicates. The study, to be conducted...

Rosetta Genomics brings in $4m for preclinical studies.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... ZICHRON YA'AKOV, Israel -- Rosetta Genomics Ltd. completed its third financing round with $4 million from private investors led by Kadima High Tech, under Yossi Ben-Yosef. CEO Isaac Bentwich founded the start-up in 2000, his second...

Identifying pre-eclampsia Gene could bring diagnostic testing.
April 6, 2005... LONDON -- The discovery in Dutch women of a mutant gene that causes pre-eclampsia--a common disease of pregnancy that threatens the health of both mother and fetus--might soon provide clinicians with the means to test newly pregnant women to...

Nautilus Biotech gets 7.25m [euro] in third round of financing.
April 6, 2005... PARIS -- Nautilus Biotech closed a third funding round in which it raised [euro]7.25 million from a group of venture capital funds led by Auriga Partners. Paris-based Auriga is a new investor in Nautilus, and the round brought in two other...

Ark, Boehringer Ingelheim form collaboration over IP.(intellectual property )
April 6, 2005... LONDON -- Ark Therapeutics Group plc agreed to a multimillion euros license with Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH centered on Ark's renin-angiotensin system knowledge, and claimed the scope of its intellectual property could lead to...

Affymetrix Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., and bioMerieux, of Marcy l'Etoile, France, signed a new agreement granting the French company comprehensive, longterm access to the GeneChip technology of Affymetrix for the development and marketing of...

Alchemia Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Alchemia Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, was notified of its successful application for a grant worth up to A$7.8 million (US$6.3 million) under the government's Pharmaceutical Partnerships Program. The grant entitles Alchemia to funding over...

Syngenta slip-up causes red faces across European Union.(European Union Roundup)
April 6, 2005... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Union health authorities desperately are trying to untangle the confusion over unauthorized release in Europe of Syngenta's Bt10 genetically modified maize, which has entered Europe labeled as if it were authorized...

Israeli chief scientist designates biotech, Nanotech high priorities.
April 6, 2005... ZICHRON YA'AKOV, Israel -- Chief Scientist Eli Opper will preferentially implement the highest levels of support and financing for biotechnology, following the recommendations of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor research committee. ...

Antisoma plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Antisoma plc, of London, said it will list its shares on Nasdaq. The London-listed company will set up a Level 1 American depository receipt program to enable its shares to be traded in dollars prior to the listing. There are no plans at...

BioTie Therapies Oyj, of Turku, Finland, and Sanofi-Aventis Group, of Paris, extended their year-long research and option agreement, originally signed by Aventis SA, of Strasbourg, France, to evaluate the Finnish company's bioheparin project.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... BioTie Therapies Oyj, of Turku, Finland, and Sanofi-Aventis Group, of Paris, extended their year-long research and option agreement, originally signed by Aventis SA, of Strasbourg, France, to evaluate the Finnish company's bioheparin project....

Chroma Therapeutics Ltd., of Oxford, UK, and Discovery Partners International Inc., of San Diego, entered a collaboration focused on the discovery of lead compounds against several selected targets.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Chroma Therapeutics Ltd., of Oxford, UK, and Discovery Partners International Inc., of San Diego, entered a collaboration focused on the discovery of lead compounds against several selected targets. Under the terms of the agreement, Chroma will...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, Netherlands, signed a PER.C6 research license agreement with Tel Aviv, Israel-based Vascular Biogenics Ltd., which will use the PER.C6 cell line for the preparation and evaluation of gene therapeutics based on adenoviral vectors.(Other News To Note)
April 6, 2005... Crucell NV, of Leiden, Netherlands, signed a PER.C6 research license agreement with Tel Aviv, Israel-based Vascular Biogenics Ltd., which will use the PER.C6 cell line for the preparation and evaluation of gene therapeutics based on adenoviral...

Cytos Biotechnology AG, of Zurich, Switzerland, and Medarex Inc., of Princeton, N.J., expanded the scope of their agreement for new drug targets.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Cytos Biotechnology AG, of Zurich, Switzerland, and Medarex Inc., of Princeton, N.J., expanded the scope of their agreement for new drug targets. Medarex will acquire the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize monoclonal antibody...

ExonHit Therapeutics SA, of Paris, added a nuclear receptor and co-regulator array to its SpliceArray Service business unit.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... ExonHit Therapeutics SA, of Paris, added a nuclear receptor and co-regulator array to its SpliceArray Service business unit. The service provides ExonHit's splice variant content, probe design and customized analysis with Palo Alto,...

Gamida-Cell Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Gamida-Cell Ltd., of Jerusalem, was awarded orphan drug designation to the company's flagship product, StemEx, for hematopoietic support in patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies who are receiving high dose therapy.

Genmab A/S.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, completed enrollment in the HuMax-CD20 Phase I/II study to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. A total of 33 patients are enrolled in the study, with 27 patients included in the highest dose...

Helsinn Healthcare SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, said the European Commission granted marketing authorization for Aloxi to prevent acute nausea and vomiting associated with moderately and highly emetogenic cancer chemotherapy. Aloxi belongs to...

InKine Pharmaceutical Co. Inc., of Blue Bell, Pa., earned a $1 million milestone payment from Zeria Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... InKine Pharmaceutical Co. Inc., of Blue Bell, Pa., earned a $1 million milestone payment from Zeria Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, its licensee in Japan for sodium phosphate tablets for use as a colonic purgative, bowel cleansing agent or...

Ipsat Therapies.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Ipsat Therapies, of Helsinki, Finland, closed a EUR7 million (US$9 million) private placement, bringing the total amount raised since inception to EUR19 million. The round was led by Bio Fund Management Oy, with Finnish Industry Investment...

IsoTis OrthoBiologics SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... IsoTis OrthoBiologics SA, of Lausanne, Switzerland, received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its DynaGraft II product family for orthopedic applications. DynaGraft II is derived from demineralized bone matrix and delivered in a reverse phase...

Mitra Medical AB.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Mitra Medical AB, of Lund, Sweden, raised SEK30 million (US$4.2 million) from Inter Ikea and Industrifonden to fund a Phase II trial of its Tagged Antibody Therapy in patients with B-cell lymphoma. The technology is designed the reduced the...

NicOx SA, of Sophia-Antipolis, France, received a payment of EUR1 million from New York-based Pfizer Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... NicOx SA, of Sophia-Antipolis, France, received a payment of EUR1 million from New York-based Pfizer Inc. in connection with their August 2004 agreement. The deal granted Pfizer an option to acquire an exclusive worldwide license to NicOx's...

Oxford BioMedica plc.(Other News To Note)
April 6, 2005... Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, said it received notice of allowance on a U.S. patent covering genetic modification of lentiviruses that improve their safety and reliability as gene-delivery systems. The claims cover modifications that...

Oxford Genome Sciences UK.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Oxford Genome Sciences UK, of Oxford, UK, closed a second round of venture capital investment. The South East Growth Fund led the round, following an initial investment in July, and Oxford Capital partners joined as a new investor. The second...

OxyPharma AB.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... OxyPharma AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, selected a small-molecule candidate multiple sclerosis drug, Rob 895, from its autoimmune disease drug discovery program and that it now intends to commence a full-scale preclinical program before seeking...

Phytopharm plc, of Godmanchester, UK, said Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co Ltd. confirmed it is terminating the licensing agreement for Cogane (PYM50028) for treating Alzheimer's disease, and has paid a pounds 4 million milestone (US$7.2 million).(Other News To Note)
April 6, 2005... Phytopharm plc, of Godmanchester, UK, said Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co Ltd. confirmed it is terminating the licensing agreement for Cogane (PYM50028) for treating Alzheimer's disease, and has paid a pounds 4 million milestone (US$7.2 million)....

Proteome Sciences plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Proteome Sciences plc, of Cobham, UK, raised pounds 4.7 million (US$8.5 million) in a placing with an institutional investor. The company placed 8.1 million shares, representing 6.6 percent of the existing share capital, at 59.5 pence per...

Proximagen Neurosciences plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Proximagen Neurosciences plc, of London, raised pounds 12.6 million net (US$24.68 million) in its flotation on the Alternative Investment Market in London, giving it a market capitalization of pounds 29.7 million. The proceeds will be used to...

pSivida Ltd., of Perth, Australia, said its UK manufacturing partner, Atomising Systems Ltd., reached a key milestone in the manufacture of BrachySil.(Other News To Note)
April 6, 2005... pSivida Ltd., of Perth, Australia, said its UK manufacturing partner, Atomising Systems Ltd., reached a key milestone in the manufacture of BrachySil, its lead product, by completing construction of a dedicated cleanroom facility to GMP...

Serologicals Corp., of Atlanta, said its wholly owned subsidiary, Chemicon International Inc., and OctoMethylome Sciences SA, of Leige, Belgium, entered an agreement in which OMS licensed Chemicon's patented fluorescent detection technology.(Other News To Note)
April 6, 2005... Serologicals Corp., of Atlanta, said its wholly owned subsidiary, Chemicon International Inc., and OctoMethylome Sciences SA, of Leige, Belgium, entered an agreement in which OMS licensed Chemicon's patented fluorescent detection technology,...

Sigma-Aldrich Corp., of St. Louis, completed its acquisition of the Proligo Group from Degussa AG, of Dusseldorf, Germany.(Other News To Note)
April 6, 2005... Sigma-Aldrich Corp., of St. Louis, completed its acquisition of the Proligo Group from Degussa AG, of Dusseldorf, Germany. Terms of the proposed purchase were not disclosed. Proligo, a global supplier of key genomics research tools including...

Sinovac Biotech Ltd.(Other News To Note)(product launch)(Bilive )(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Sinovac Biotech Ltd., of Beijing, launched Bilive, its combined hepatitis A and B vaccine during a meeting held March 25-27 in Huang Mountain, Anhui Province, China. The company expects to record the first sales of Bilive by May. Sinovac...

Vernalis plc, of Reading, UK, said it acquired rights to an oncology target, Pin1, from Pintex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Watertown, Mass.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2005... Vernalis plc, of Reading, UK, said it acquired rights to an oncology target, Pin1, from Pintex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Watertown, Mass., and will pay up to $6.5 million in milestone payments to the point of marketing approval, and give Pintex...

XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.(Other News To Note)
April 6, 2005... XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, appointed Michael Weiss interim nonexecutive chairman. Weiss became a nonexecutive director of XTLbio in November and also is chairman and CEO of Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, of New York. Weiss said...

Toxicity issues halt PBT1 program in Alzheimer's; Prana's stock falls.
April 13, 2005... Prana Biotechnology Ltd.'s dreams of becoming a late-stage drug development company in 2005 suffered a blow Monday with the company's decision to cancel an upcoming Phase II/III trial of PBT1, a disease-modifying compound for Alzheimer's...

Karo Bio falls as Merck drops second compound from deal.
April 13, 2005... Shares in Karo Bio AB slid by more than 29 percent on the Stockholm Stock Exchange Monday on news that Merck & Co. Inc. halted clinical development of a candidate estrogen receptor modulator, following adverse findings in parallel animal...

Cannabis provides clues for atherosclerosis therapeutics.
April 13, 2005... LONDON -- New drugs might be available for the treatment of atherosclerosis in eight years, said researchers who have discovered that a derivative of cannabis can prevent atherosclerosis from building up in the blood vessels of mice. The...

Trigen, ProCorde to merge across country boundaries.
April 13, 2005... LONDON -- Trigen Holdings plc and ProCorde GmbH are to merge in an Anglo-German alliance that the parties claim will create Europe's first broad-based cardiovascular biotechnology company. The value of the all-paper merger was not...

Ipsat Therapies raises 7m [euro] for beta lactam antibiotic.
April 13, 2005... Ipsat Therapies Oy raised 7 million [euro] (US$9 million) in a funding round that will enable it to move its lead development candidate, the antibiotic therapy P1A, into a Phase IIb trial. The Helsinki, Finland-based company also appointed...

4SC AG, of Martinsried, Germany, entered a research cooperation agreement with Schwarz Pharma AG, of Monheim, Germany.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... 4SC AG, of Martinsried, Germany, entered a research cooperation agreement with Schwarz Pharma AG, of Monheim, Germany. The aim is to identify a pre-development candidate for the prevention or treatment of a urological disorder. As part of the...

Phytopharm rebounds with fund raising worth 10.1m [pounds sterling].
April 13, 2005... LONDON -- Phytopharm plc announced a 10.1 million [pounds sterling] (US$19.1 million) placing and open offer six weeks after being forced to pull a 23.9 million [pounds sterling] fund raising when a partnership deal fell through. Since...

7TM Pharma A/S, of Horsholm, Denmark, entered a joint research project with Procter & Gamble Co., of Cincinnati, to identify development candidates for vascular indications.(Other News To Note)
April 13, 2005... 7TM Pharma A/S, of Horsholm, Denmark, entered a joint research project with Procter & Gamble Co., of Cincinnati, to identify development candidates for vascular indications. The collaboration will draw on 7TM's Y peptide platform. P&G will have...

Arakis Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Arakis Ltd., of Little Chesterford, UK, said its rheumatoid arthritis drug, AD 452, recently completed a Phase IIa trial. Results showed that AD 452, a smallmolecule, disease-modifying drug designed to reduce joint inflammation and destruction...

Australian Cancer Technology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Australian Cancer Technology, of Sydney, Australia, said it will proceed with a pro-rata renounceable rights issue to raise A$5.7 million (US$4.4 million) for the company. The rights issue has been fully underwritten by BBY Ltd. Eligible...

Bavarian Nordic A/S.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Bavarian Nordic A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said its quality-control laboratory at the Kvistgard site has been granted authorization by the Danish Medicines Agency to perform its own analysis and release on production batches of Imvamune...

Pharmexa acquiring GemVax for up to DKK73m in shares.
April 13, 2005... Pharmexa A/S stands to gain a late-stage clinical asset--a peptide cancer vaccine targeting the telomerase enzyme--for an initial outlay of just 1.4 million in shares, if shareholders agree to its proposed acquisition of Norwegian biotechnology...

Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., and Fumapharm AG, of Lucerne, Switzerland, said a Phase III trial of the oral fumarate BG-12 for psoriasis met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement over placebo.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., and Fumapharm AG, of Lucerne, Switzerland, said a Phase III trial of the oral fumarate BG-12 for psoriasis met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement over placebo. The multicenter,...

CellCentric.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... CellCentric, of Cambridge, UK, received new funding of 250,000 [pounds sterling] (US$467,379) from the Rainbow Seed Fund. The investment enabled a new commercial relationship with the Babraham Institute, also of Cambridge. CellCentric has...

CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, of Cambridge, UK, said recent clinical data on its lead morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) by an academic group at King's College in London further supported the potential of M6G as a treatment for post-operative pain,...

Centre for Human Genetics.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... The Centre for Human Genetics, at the University of Bremen in Germany, reported in a recent issue of American Journal of Pathology their findings on a signaling molecule called "High Mobility Group Protein B1," which appeared to be a signal...

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, launched a multicenter Phase II study of Ceflatonin (homoharringtonine) in combination with Gleevec (imatinib mesylate, Novartis AG) in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia who have...

Cryptome Pharmaceuticals Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Boston's Northeastern University )(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Cryptome Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, signed an agreement with Boston's Northeastern University for it to use technology that identifies and isolates low abundance human proteins. Also, the company signed an agreement with...

CureTech Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... CureTech Ltd., of Yavne, Israel, completed its Phase I trial of CT-01 1, a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against a B7 family-associated protein, in patients with advanced hematological malignancies. The purpose of the study was to...

Enzo Biochem Inc., of Farmingdale, N.Y., said the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has declared an interference between a patent application for the interferon protein, interleukin-6, owned by the company's subsidiary, Enzo Therapeutics Inc., and four U.S. patents owned by Israel's Yeda Research & Development Co. Ltd.(Other News To Note)
April 13, 2005... Enzo Biochem Inc., of Farmingdale, N.Y., said the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has declared an interference between a patent application for the interferon protein, interleukin-6, owned by the company's subsidiary, Enzo Therapeutics Inc.,...

Gilead Sciences Inc., of Foster City, Calif., received early termination of the required waiting period with respect to the licensing agreement announced on March 22 granting Gilead exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Tokyo-based Japan Tobacco Inc.'s HIV integrase inhibitor, JTK-303.(Other News To Note)
April 13, 2005... Gilead Sciences Inc., of Foster City, Calif., received early termination of the required waiting period with respect to the licensing agreement announced on March 22 granting Gilead exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Tokyo-based...

Icon Genetics AG.(Other News To Note)(Bavarian Research Foundation )(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Icon Genetics AG, of Munich, Germany, received undisclosed funding from the Bavarian Research Foundation to fund a three-year research collaboration between Icon Genetics, Research Center Freising, and the University of Munich. The project aims...

IntegraGen.(Other News To Note)(appointment of Gerald Wagner )(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... IntegraGen, of Bonn, Germany, appointed Gerald Wagner nonexecutive director. Wagner has held a number of senior roles at Agfa Corp. and Bayer Corp. IntegraGen is developing informative and predictive genetic tests for several common diseases.

Isolagen Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Isolagen Inc., of Houston, acquired a two-building corporate campus in Neuchatel, Switzerland, for $10 million. The facility will serve continental Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific Rim, and will be operational by the end of 2006....

Living Cell Technologies Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Living Cell Technologies Ltd., of Adelaide, Australia, reported the long-term survival of encapsulated pig islets in a man with Type I diabetes. The cells were retrieved after being in the patient's abdomen for almost nine years. A 40-year-old...

Mologen AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Mologen AG, of Berlin, received an order to set up a cell and gene therapy center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The contract covers equipment, materials, operating procedures and employee training. The agreement also includes provisions for two more...

Mutabilis SA, of Paris, and Chiron Vaccines, a unit of Emeryville, Calif.-based Chiron Corp., announced a license agreement to use Mutabilis' research to develop a new prophylactic vaccine.(Other News To Note)
April 13, 2005... Mutabilis SA, of Paris, and Chiron Vaccines, a unit of Emeryville, Calif.-based Chiron Corp., announced a license agreement to use Mutabilis' research to develop a new prophylactic vaccine. Terms of the agreement provide for the payment of...

Neuro3d.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Neuro3d, of Mulhouse, France, reported positive results from a Phase II trial of its atypical antipsychotic agent, ocaperidone, in schizophrenia. It said the drug demonstrated "robust antipsychotic activity" that was "comparable to an approved...

PharmaMar SA, of Madrid, Spain, said its marine-derived cancer drug, Yondelis (trabectedin), was granted orphan drug designation by the FDA in ovarian cancer.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... PharmaMar SA, of Madrid, Spain, said its marinederived cancer drug, Yondelis (trabectedin), was granted orphan drug designation by the FDA in ovarian cancer. The drug is partnered with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development...

pSivida Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... pSivida Ltd., of Perth, Australia, initiated full development of its BrachySil product in a second cancer indication, pancreatic cancer. A clinical program should begin before the end of this year. BrachySil, a micron-sized particle in which...

Regenera Ltd., of Perth, Australia, granted an exclusive global license to Alcon Manufacturing Ltd., an affiliate of Alcon Inc., of Fort Worth, Texas.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Regenera Ltd., of Perth, Australia, granted an exclusive global license to Alcon Manufacturing Ltd., an affiliate of Alcon Inc., of Fort Worth, Texas. The license involves a product that is used to assist in visualization of the vitreous fluid...

Syngenta AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... Syngenta AG, of Basel, Switzerland, agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its unintended release of a limited amount of Bt10 corn. Investigations by the Environmental Protection Agency and the USDA have concluded...

UK Gene Therapy Advisory Committee.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2005... UK Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC) published its 1 1th annual report, showing that in 2004 it considered applications to conduct 12 gene therapy trials, granting approval to 1 1. It also approved more than 60 amendments to existing...

Arakis, Vectura enter potential $375M Novartis deal for AD 237.
April 20, 2005... LONDON -- Two UK companies with a jointly developed product signed one of the biggest deals to date in European biotechnology, agreeing to a potential $375 million license with Novartis AG for their treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary...

Investor interest wanes for Australia's biotech stocks.
April 20, 2005... A fall in the Nasdaq biotech stocks and a change in investor attitude has resulted in a sharp drop in Australian biotech indices since November. Analysts contacted by BioWorld International had a range of explanations for the change, with...

DNA-repair inhibitors poised to cut swath in breast cancer.
April 20, 2005... LONDON -- A new class of drugs to treat up to one in five cases of breast cancer, and possibly some cases of prostate and ovarian cancer, will enter Phase I trials in patients within a few months. The drugs, which inhibit DNA-repair enzymes,...

EU imposes panic measures to block importing of Bt10.(European Union Roundup)
April 20, 2005... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- As European Union health authorities continued to panic over unauthorized Bt10 maize having been imported from the U.S., the 25 member states agreed on April 15 to emergency measures requiring all imports from the U.S. of...

French parliamentary committee in favor of field trials for GMOs.(genetically modified organisms)
April 20, 2005... PARIS -- A report produced by a French parliamentary committee studying the pros and cons of researching and using genetically modified organisms showed that a large majority of the 31 members are in favor of full-field trials of transgenic...

ReOx gaining $9M via deal with unnamed U.S. biotech.
April 20, 2005... LONDON -- Start-up ReOx Ltd. signed a $9 million exclusive deal with an unnamed U.S. biotech for the co-development of drugs targeting cellular oxygen regulation through the transcription factor hypoxia inducible factor (HIF). In addition...

Abiogen Pharma.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2005... Abiogen Pharma, of Pisa, Italy, began a Phase I/II trial using ABIO 05/01 cells for the treatment of peritoneal carcinosis. It will enroll about 18 patients with advanced tumors who have not responded to existing therapies to evaluate ABIO...

Affectis Pharmaceuticals AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2005... Affectis Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, closed a 4 million [euro] (US$5.2 million) Series B financing round led by EMBL Ventures, of Heidelberg, Germany. The company said proceeds will be used to advance its drug development programs...

Amarin Corp. plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2005... Amarin Corp. plc, of London, said the audit opinion of its accounting firm contained a going concern explanatory paragraph. The company, which is focused on the development of drugs for central nervous system disorders, said the announcement...

Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, and LG Life Sciences Ltd., of Seoul, South Korea, reported positive data from an ongoing Phase II trial of ANA380 (LB80380) in patients with lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus infection at the European Association for the Study of the Liver meeting in Paris.(Other News To Note)
April 20, 2005... Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, and LG Life Sciences Ltd., of Seoul, South Korea, reported positive data from an ongoing Phase II trial of ANA380 (LB80380) in patients with lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus infection at the...

Ark Therapeutics Group plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2005... Ark Therapeutics Group plc, of London, announced initial results from a Phase II study of EG005 in lipodystrophy in HIV-positive patients. The mean improvement in patients treated with EG005 after three months was approximately twice that of...

DNage spun out to develop therapies for aging diseases.
April 20, 2005... DNage BV, a start-up focused on discovering drugs for diseases associated with aging raised 1.5 million [euro] in a seed funding round. The company, a spinout from the Erasmus Medical Center (EMC) at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the...

Benitec Ltd., of St. Lucia, Australia, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., formed a licensing agreement covering intellectual property in RNA interference.(Other News To Note)
April 20, 2005... Benitec Ltd., of St. Lucia, Australia, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., formed a licensing agreement covering intellectual property in RNA interference. Alnylam will provide Benitec and its licensees an option to...

CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, of Cambridge, UK, and Tripos Inc., of St. Louis, reached milestones in their joint research partnership on catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors and entered a new agreement to continue their collaboration.(Other News To Note)
April 20, 2005... CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, of Cambridge, UK, and Tripos Inc., of St. Louis, reached milestones in their joint research partnership on catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors and entered a new agreement to continue their collaboration....

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc., of Bethesda, Md., and Galapagos Genomics NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, initiated a two-year target discovery alliance.(Other News To Note)
April 20, 2005... Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc., of Bethesda, Md., and Galapagos Genomics NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, initiated a two-year target discovery alliance. They will apply Galapagos' adenoviral siRNA and cDNA collections and expertise in...

Diatos SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2005... Diatos SA, of Paris, expanded its operations with the opening of a new subsidiary, Diatos USA Inc., in Palo Alto, Calif. Diatos has been operating in the U.S. for some time, with a business representative in the San Francisco Bay Area, but said...