BioWorld International articles from August 2004

BioWorld International archives from August 2004

Zeltia subsidiary Neuropharma brings in 16M [euro] for Alzheimer's.
August 4, 2004... Neuropharma SA, a subsidiary of Zeltia Group, raised 16 million in its first external funding round to progress several preclinical programs in Alzheimer's disease. The transaction, managed by Banco Banif SA, of Madrid, Spain, is a private...

Gearing up to crack down on 'animal terrorism' in UK.
August 4, 2004... LONDON -- The UK is cracking down on animal rights activists, promising to beef up policing and enforcement of existing laws against a range of intimidation tactics. It also will introduce legislation to outlaw protests outside people's homes...

Researchers: genome sequence to hasten new acne therapies.
August 4, 2004... LONDON -- The culprit responsible for teenage hours spent agonizing in front of the bathroom mirror before a date--the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes--might be defeated by the time today's babies start worrying about acne. Last week, a...

EU looking ahead to better conditions for biotech sector.
August 4, 2004... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Promises of more attention to biotechnology were offered last week by one of the European Union's new group of senior officials. Setting out his view to the European Parliament, recently appointed European Commissioner...

Axaron AG.(Other News To Note)(beginning Phase II trials of drug AX200)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Axaron AG, of Heidelberg, Germany, is beginning Phase II trials of its stroke therapy drug candidate, AX200. The company said the compound prevents the death of nerve cells after stroke, and it promotes regeneration of damaged brain tissue....

Biomira Inc., of Edmonton, Alberta, said a Phase II trial is under way to test its immunotherapy technology in patients with progressive ovarian cancer.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Biomira Inc., of Edmonton, Alberta, said a Phase II trial is under way to test its immunotherapy technology in patients with progressive ovarian cancer. The study is being conducted under the watch of CancerVac, a subsidiary of Prima BioMed...

Bionomics Ltd.(Other News To Note)(signed research agreement with Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Bionomics Ltd., of Adelaide, Australia, agreed to a collaborative study of its BNO69 gene, which shows promise in treating cancer, with the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. Under the agreement, the school's...

BioOne Corp., of Tokyo, has entered an agreement with Cerus Corp., of Concord, Calif., and Baxter International Inc., of Deerfield, Ill., through their subsidiaries, to commercialize the Intercept Blood System for platelets in parts of Asia.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * BioOne Corp., of Tokyo, has entered an agreement with Cerus Corp., of Concord, Calif., and Baxter International Inc., of Deerfield, Ill., through their subsidiaries, to commercialize the Intercept Blood System for platelets in parts of Asia....

BioSight Ltd., of Karmiel, Israel, said that Coastal Holdings Inc., of Houston, signed a draft investment agreement to purchase an equity interest in the company.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * BioSight Ltd., of Karmiel, Israel, said that Coastal Holdings Inc., of Houston, signed a draft investment agreement to purchase an equity interest in the company. Terms were not disclosed. BioSight uses its S2DOT (Seek to Destroy Only Target)...

Cenix BioScience GmbH, of Dresden, Germany, and Ambion Inc., of Austin, Texas, launched an RNA interference library targeting the Drosophila genome.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Cenix BioScience GmbH, of Dresden, Germany, and Ambion Inc., of Austin, Texas, launched an RNA interference library targeting the Drosophila genome. It consists of more than 13,000 double-stranded RNA molecules for experimental use without...

Chemoprojekt a.s., of Prague, Czech Republic, bought the raw materials and manufacturing operations of Valeant Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Costa Mesa, Calif., in the Czech Republic.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Chemoprojekt a.s., of Prague, Czech Republic, bought the raw materials and manufacturing operations of Valeant Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Costa Mesa, Calif., in the Czech Republic. The operations previously were reported as discontinued...

Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, and ActivBiotics Inc., of Lexington, Mass., entered a drug discovery project.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, and ActivBiotics Inc., of Lexington, Mass., entered a drug discovery project. Evotec OAI will apply its rational drug design platform, EVOrationale, to one of ActivBiotics' anti-infective lead optimization...

Flamel Technologies SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Flamel Technologies SA, of Lyon, France, started construction of a new pilot plant and manufacturing facility adjacent to its existing research, development and production center at Pessac, in western France. The new facility is expected to...

Ireland moving to strengthen biomanufacturing capabilities.
August 4, 2004... DUBLIN, Ireland -- IDA Ireland, the industrial development agency responsible for attracting overseas investment into Ireland, has invited Ireland's universities to tender for a contract to establish a national institute for bioprocessing...

Gamida-Cell Ltd.(Other News To Note)(trial of StemEx)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Gamida-Cell Ltd., of Jerusalem, completed enrollment in its Phase I/II trial of StemEx for leukemia. The company expects initial results within the next six months. It also said preclinical data published in this month's issue of Cytotherapy...

Genome Express, of Grenoble, France, and Paris-based Institut Pasteur signed an agreement giving Pasteur access to Genome Express's functional genomics platform, especially in the field of bacterial genomics.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Genome Express, of Grenoble, France, and Paris-based Institut Pasteur signed an agreement giving Pasteur access to Genome Express's functional genomics platform, especially in the field of bacterial genomics. The agreement also provides for...

Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, achieved a milestone in its Ingenotyping agreement under which it develops specific genetic mouse models for Bayer HealthCare AG, a subgroup of Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, Germany.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, achieved a milestone in its Ingenotyping agreement under which it develops specific genetic mouse models for Bayer HealthCare AG, a subgroup of Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, Germany....

Innate Pharma SAS.(Other News To Note)(raised 15 million )(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Innate Pharma SAS, of Marseille, France, raised 15 million [euro] in a third round of financing. The company said the funds would be used to continue its clinical development programs and begin developing newly identified molecules. Innate,...

Lectus Therapeutics Ltd., of Bristol, UK, announced a collaboration with Evotec OAI, of Hamburg, Germany, in which Evotec will provide medicinal chemistry services for Lectus' ion channel drug discovery and development program.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Lectus Therapeutics Ltd., of Bristol, UK, announced a collaboration with Evotec OAI, of Hamburg, Germany, in which Evotec will provide medicinal chemistry services for Lectus' ion channel drug discovery and development program. Lectus is...

Lonza Group Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, and Codexis Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., entered an agreement to commercialize a new process for the synthesis of an undisclosed chiral pharmaceutical compound.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Lonza Group Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, and Codexis Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., entered an agreement to commercialize a new process for the synthesis of an undisclosed chiral pharmaceutical compound. Codexis has developed a biocatalytic...

MWG Biotech AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, said it signed a global supply contract for oligonucleotides with an unnamed international pharmaceutical firm. MWG added that it expects an annual turnover of about 1 million to result from the...

NV Organon, of Oss, the Netherlands, has agreed to use Gaithersburg, Md.-based Gene Logic Inc.'s platform of toxicogenomics services to assist in the assessment and prioritization of a preclinical pipeline.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * NV Organon, of Oss, the Netherlands, has agreed to use Gaithersburg, Md.-based Gene Logic Inc.'s platform of toxicogenomics services to assist in the assessment and prioritization of a preclinical pipeline. Over the next 18 months, Gene Logic...

Peplin Biotech Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Peplin Biotech Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, said its lead molecule, PEP005, has shown selective activity against acute myelogenous leukemia in preclinical studies. Based on that and other preclinical data, the company plans to file an...

Proteome Sciences plc, of Cobham, UK, fell from 1.09 [pounds sterling] to 62.25 pence on July 30 after partner Biosite Inc., of San Diego, announced it would not be including Proteome's stroke biomarkers in its first-generation, point-of-care stroke diagnostic machine.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Proteome Sciences plc, of Cobham, UK, fell from 1.09 [pounds sterling] to 62.25 pence on July 30 after partner Biosite Inc., of San Diego, announced it would not be including Proteome's stroke biomarkers in its first-generation, point-of-care...

Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, entered a global supply agreement with Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, entered a global supply agreement with Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland. Qiagen will be its global supplier for consumable products for nucleic acid stabilization, separation, purification,...

ScheBo Biotech AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * ScheBo Biotech AG, of Giessen, Germany, said findings published in the British Journal of Cancer detail the use of a test that detects cancer cells in the stool through the enzyme Tumor M2-PK. Researchers from the University Clinic of Giessen...

Sigma-Tau SpA, of Rome, is in an oral understanding with BioDelivery Sciences International Inc., of Newark, N.J., to out-license BioDelivery's formulation and delivery technology in connection with different compounds, particularly in oncology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Sigma-Tau SpA, of Rome, is in an oral understanding with BioDelivery Sciences International Inc., of Newark, N.J., to out-license BioDelivery's formulation and delivery technology in connection with different compounds, particularly in...

Syngenta AG, of Basel, Switzerland, is in an expanded agreement with Diversa Corp., of San Diego, in the area of animal feed enzymes on an exclusive basis in exchange for an exclusivity fee and continued research and development funding.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Syngenta AG, of Basel, Switzerland, is in an expanded agreement with Diversa Corp., of San Diego, in the area of animal feed enzymes on an exclusive basis in exchange for an exclusivity fee and continued research and development funding....

German Ministry of Research and Education.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * The German Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF) reported on the effects of the first 18 months--July 2002 through December 2003--of Germany's law regulating research with stem cells. The law permits only stem cells harvested before Jan....

TranXenoGen Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * TranXenoGen Inc., of Shrewsbury, Mass., which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market in London, is axing its research activities, becoming the latest company to fail in the field of producing human proteins in transgenic animals. The...

Vernalis plc, of Reading, UK, said positive results from the preliminary Phase III trial of Frova in the treatment of menstrually associated migraine (MAM), were published in Neurology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2004... * Vernalis plc, of Reading, UK, said positive results from the preliminary Phase III trial of Frova in the treatment of menstrually associated migraine (MAM), were published in Neurology. The study, carried out at the Thomas Jefferson...

Vernalis, Novartis collaborate on Hsp90 program in cancer.(Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research Inc., Vernalis Group PLC)
August 11, 2004... LONDON -- Vernalis plc completed a trilogy of deals, announcing an Hsp90 cancer research collaboration with the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research to add to recent agreements with Biogen Idec Inc. and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. ...

Proteome Sciences optimistic following setback with Biosite.(Proteome Sciences plc, Biosite Inc.)
August 11, 2004... LONDON -- Proteome Sciences plc explained why partner Biosite Inc. declined to use Proteome's biomarkers in its first stroke diagnostic machine, and gave an optimistic assessment of prospects for commercializing its proteomics markers before...

UK researchers develop test to detect esophageal cancer.
August 11, 2004... LONDON -- A new and simple test for esophageal cancer could be in general use within five years, allowing much earlier treatment and improving the outlook for patients. An initial evaluation has shown that it may allow accurate detection of the...

CropDesign bucks agribusiness trend, completes 16m[euro] funding.(CropDesign NV )(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... CropDesign NV raised 16 million[euro] in new funding and lifted some of the gloom besetting Europe's beleaguered agricultural biotechnology sector. The Ghent, Belgium-based company raised the money from existing investors, which,...

Co.don AG.(patents )(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Co.don AG, of Berlin, was awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,713,269 on a process for the creation of primary cell cultures from a patient's bone materials. The patent also covers test methods for the early diagnosis of osteoporosis and for assessing...

Eiffel Technologies Ltd.(securities)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Eiffel Technologies Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, placed about 36.4 million ordinary shares at A82.5 cents each, raising A$3 million (US$2.1 million). About 8.6 million shares will be subject to approval at a shareholder meeting. The balance,...

Erasmus University Medical Center/Sophia Children's Hospital.(research results of tolerance for cancer drugs )(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Erasmus University Medical Center/Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., said their researchers published findings in the Aug. 4, 2004, issue of the New England...

Lonza Biologics plc, of Slough, UK, and Transkaryotic Therapies Inc., of Cambridge, Mass. entered an agreement in which Lonza will manufacture Dynepo, TKT's gene-activated erythropoietin product.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Lonza Biologics plc, of Slough, UK, and Transkaryotic Therapies Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., entered an agreement in which Lonza will manufacture Dynepo, TKT's gene-activated erythropoietin product. Lonza will do the work at its production...

NeuroSearch A/S, of Ballerup, Denmark, and Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill.(Abbott Laboratories Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * NeuroSearch A/S, of Ballerup, Denmark, and Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., reported that Abbott initiated Phase I studies with the compound ABT-894 for the treatment of neuropathic pain. In preclinical models, ABT-894 demonstrated...

Nippon Genetics Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and NeoPharm Inc., of Lake Forest, Ill. entered a nonexclusive worldwide distribution and marketing agreement for NeoPharm's NeoPhectin and NeoPhectin-AT.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Nippon Genetics Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and NeoPharm Inc., of Lake Forest, Ill., entered a nonexclusive worldwide distribution and marketing agreement for NeoPharm's NeoPhectin and NeoPhectin-AT. Nippon Genetics will market and promote the...

Nonlinear Dynamics Ltd., of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, entered a collaboration with Matrix Science Ltd., of London, to integrate Nonlinear Dynamics' protein informatics system into Matrix's Mascot Server.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Nonlinear Dynamics Ltd., of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, entered a collaboration with Matrix Science Ltd., of London, to integrate Nonlinear Dynamics' protein informatics system into Matrix's Mascot Server. The goal of the agreement is to provide...

Phares Drug Delivery AG, of Muttenz, Switzerland, signed a binding letter of intent to out-license an inhalation platform technology to Inyx Inc., of New York.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Phares Drug Delivery AG, of Muttenz, Switzerland, signed a binding letter of intent to out-license an inhalation platform technology to Inyx Inc., of New York. Phares said the technology would enable its licensee to develop inhalation therapy...

Pierre Fabre Medicament, of Castres, France, and Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., formed an agreement for F50035, Pierre Fabre's recombinant humanized antibody targeted against the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) receptor.(Pierre Fabre Medicament SA, Merck and Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Pierre Fabre Medicament, of Castres, France, and Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., formed an agreement for F50035, Pierre Fabre's recombinant humanized antibody targeted against the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) receptor....

Prana Biotechnology Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, appointed Jonas Alsenas CEO.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Prana Biotechnology Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, appointed Jonas Alsenas CEO. Alsenas, who has served as a board member and an investor in the company, will be based in Connecticut. Prana decided to appoint a U.S.-based CEO as part of its...

Qiagen NV.(securities)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, priced $150 million worth of senior unsubordinated convertible notes due 2024. They will be convertible into common stock at a conversion price of about $12.64, subject to adjustment, and will pay a...

Sinovac Biotech Ltd.(clinical trials of inactivated SARS vaccine )
August 11, 2004... * Sinovac Biotech Ltd., of Beijing, said all 36 subjects in its Phase I trial of its inactivated SARS vaccine have been vaccinated with either the vaccine or placebo. Half of the patients have been injected with either high-dose vaccine or...

SkyePharma plc, of London, said partner Astralis Ltd., of Fairfield, N.J., presented positive Phase I results from a trial of Psoraxine in the treatment of moderate psoriasis.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * SkyePharma plc, of London, said partner Astralis Ltd., of Fairfield, N.J., presented positive Phase I results from a trial of Psoraxine in the treatment of moderate psoriasis. The treatment was well tolerated and some efficacy trends were...

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, and partner Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc., of East Brunswick, N.J., intend to proceed with plans to bring Savient's human growth hormone to the U.S. market later this year following a favorable court ruling.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, and partner Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc., of East Brunswick, N.J., intend to proceed with plans to bring Savient's human growth hormone to the U.S. market later this year following a...

Trinity Biotech plc.(approval of Captia HSV IgG Type Specific ELISAs)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Trinity Biotech plc, of Dublin, Ireland, received clearance from the FDA to market its Captia HSV IgG Type Specific ELISAs in the U.S. The products are approved for the detection of IgG antibodies to HSV 1 and HSV 2 in human serum. The Captia...

Vivascience AG, of Hannover, Germany, and PerkinElmer Inc., of Boston, entered a partnership and distribution agreement in biomarker screening and discovery.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Vivascience AG, of Hannover, Germany, and PerkinElmer Inc., of Boston, entered a partnership and distribution agreement in biomarker screening and discovery. Vivascience will supply its membrane adsorber chromatography technology for...

Wilex AG.(Niels Ackermann appointed)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2004... * Wilex AG, of Munich, Germany, appointed Niels Ackermann chief financial officer and a member of its executive board. Ackermann had been acting CFO since April, when he joined from Cardion AG, of Erkrath, Germany, where he had been CFO. His...

Pharming Group acquires PPL's protein production IP.
August 25, 2004... Pharming Group NV purchased the remaining intellectual property assets of PPL Therapeutics plc from London-based Innovation Development Ltd., for what Chief Science and Technology Officer Frank Pieper called "a relatively small sum." The...

Endo licenses cancer pain product rapinyl from Orexo.(ENDO Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
August 25, 2004... Upon disclosing the completion of one licensing deal for a migraine drug, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it has entered another--the second, an agreement for development and marketing rights to a breakthrough cancer pain product. The first...

Heparin's crystal structure shows anti-clotting method.(anticoagulants-usage)
August 25, 2004... LONDON -- The first "snapshots" of how a synthetic version of the anticoagulant drug heparin stops blood from clotting show that it holds a key blood protein in close proximity to its inhibitor. Details of that interaction should illuminate...

Swedish researchers examining human proteome for therapies.(genome-research)
August 25, 2004... AARHUS, Denmark -- While the mapping of the human genome provided scientists with a blueprint for understanding disease, Swedish researchers are trying to take the knowledge one step further, with the human proteome. Mathias Uhlen, a...

On bacteriophage platform, Phico raises second round.(Phico Therapeutics Ltd.-product development)
August 25, 2004... LONDON -- Phico Therapeutics Ltd. raised 750,000 [pounds sterling] (US$1.4 million) from business angels in a second-round funding, which should enable it to progress its bacteriophage antibiotic platform technology and get the lead product...

More data analysis helps shape Amarin's Miraxion Phase III plans.(Amarin Corp.'s plan to use drug for treatment of Huntington's Disease)
August 25, 2004... Amarin Corp. plc's plans for Phase III trials with a Huntington's disease product, Miraxion, have been aided by further analysis of data from a prior Phase III study. After analyzing gene variant data from the earlier trial, which failed...

Biomax Informatics AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and Siemens AG, of Munich, Germany, entered an alliance for gene-expression modeling and simulation.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Biomax Informatics AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and Siemens AG, of Munich, Germany, entered an alliance for gene-expression modeling and simulation. Siemens' BioSim product, which recognizes interrelated dependencies within gene-expression...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, and allied contract manufacturer DSM Biologics, of Sittard, the Netherlands, signed a PER.C6 research license agreement with San Francisco-based Synergenics LLC and Synco Bio Partners Investments, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.(Other News To Note)(Synergenics LLC and Synco Bio Partners Investments)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, and allied contract manufacturer DSM Biologics, of Sittard, the Netherlands, signed a PER.C6 research license agreement with San Francisco-based Synergenics LLC and Synco Bio Partners Investments, of...

Genmab A/S.(Other News To Note)(drug research)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said the FDA labeled HuMax-CD4 an orphan drug for mycosis fungoides, which constitutes 75 percent of all cutaneous Tcell lymphomas. The human antibody, which targets the CD4 receptor on T lymphocytes, has...

Henderson Morley plc.(Other News To Note)(ionic contraviral therapy-usage)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Henderson Morley plc, of Birmingham, UK, applied for permission to start a U.S. clinical study of its ionic contraviral therapy (ICVT) in Molluscum contagiosum, a skin condition caused by poxvirus, for which there is no antiviral treatment....

Icon Genetics AG, of Munich, Germany, entered a collaborative agreement to evaluate the expression levels and quality of preclinical pharmaceutical proteins belonging to Berlex Inc., the U.S. affiliate of Schering AG, of Berlin.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Icon Genetics AG, of Munich, Germany, entered a collaborative agreement to evaluate the expression levels and quality of preclinical pharmaceutical proteins belonging to Berlex Inc., the U.S. affiliate of Schering AG, of Berlin. Icon will...

Novosom AG, of Halle, Germany, and Nucleonics Inc., of Horsham, Pa., entered an agreement to develop Nucleonics' expressed RNA interference-based (eiRNA) therapeutics with Novosom's delivery technology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Novosom AG, of Halle, Germany, and Nucleonics Inc., of Horsham, Pa., entered an agreement to develop Nucleonics' expressed RNA interference-based (eiRNA) therapeutics with Novosom's delivery technology. Specifically, the companies will...

Odyssey Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Pliva d.d., of Zagreb, Croatia, and Indevus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lexington, Mass., launched Sanctura (trospium chloride tablets).(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Odyssey Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Pliva d.d., of Zagreb, Croatia, and Indevus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lexington, Mass., launched Sanctura (trospium chloride tablets). The product recently received FDA approval for the treatment of...

PARI GmbH.(Other News To Note)(drug-product development)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * PARI GmbH, of Starnberg, Germany, said its inhaled cyclosporine product received European orphan designation. The company plans to develop it to minimize the risk of graft rejection in lung transplants. It is the first drug the company will...

Phytopharm plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Phytopharm plc, of Godmanchester, UK, is setting up a Level 1 American depository receipt program as a prelude to listing on Nasdaq. Each ADR will be equivalent to two of the company's shares on the London Stock Exchange. Phytopharm does not...

Porton International Inc., of London, sold its interest in DynPort Vaccine Co. LLC, which is focused on the development of biodefense biologics, to Computer Sciences Corp., of El Segundo, Calif.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Porton International Inc., of London, sold its interest in DynPort Vaccine Co. LLC, which is focused on the development of biodefense biologics, to Computer Sciences Corp., of El Segundo, Calif. Terms were not disclosed. DVC formerly was a...

Sanofi-Aventis.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Sanofi-Aventis, of Paris, was formed following the closure of the merger of Sanofi-Synthelabo SA, of Paris, and Aventis SA, of Strasbourg, France. The deal closed Friday following the settlement of the tender offers, after which...

Vernalis plc, of Reading, UK, said all the conditions of its $400 million North American licensing deal for the migraine treatment Frova with Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Chadds Ford, Pa., were satisfied, and the deal now is completed.(Other News To Note)(Vernalis Group plc)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2004... * Vernalis plc, of Reading, UK, said all the conditions of its $400 million North American licensing deal for the migraine treatment Frova with Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Chadds Ford, Pa., were satisfied, and the deal now is completed. Endo...