BioWorld International articles from December 2007

BioWorld International archives from December 2007

$1 billion deal with Novartis opens options for Morphosys.
December 5, 2007... During the first half of 2008, Morphosys AG plans to set out the shape of its future drug development strategy, following its mega-scale antibody discovery and development deal with Novartis AG, which the company estimates will deliver $1...

Addex inks $170m Merck deal for CNS drug development.
December 5, 2007... Shares in Addex Pharmaceuticals SA (SWX:ADXN) gained 12.33 percent Monday on news that it was entering a drug discovery and development alliance with Merck & Co. Inc., in Parkinson's disease and potentially other central nervous system (CNS)...

Rare disease holds clues to cause of Alzheimer's.
December 5, 2007... LONDON -- Genetic analysis of two families with a rare neurodegenerative disease, one from England and one from Pakistan, has allowed researchers to identify the mutation that causes their condition, which is a type of spinocerebellar ataxia....

Alizyme seals license deal, says several more coming.
December 5, 2007... LONDON -- After a long hunt, Alizyme plc sealed its first U.S. commercialization deal, granting rights for its ulcerative colitis treatment Colal-pred to Prometheus Laboratories, of San Diego. "We're off to the races," CEO Tim McCarthy told...

ReNeuron back on track with stroke stem cell trial.
December 5, 2007... LONDON -- ReNeuron plc submitted the additional data requested in the investigational new drug file for its stem cell treatment for stroke, keeping it on track to be the first to carry out an FDA-approved trial of neural stem cells in a major...

European biotech industry goes on GMO offensive.
December 5, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European biotech industry has thrown the first punch in a developing row over genetically modified products. Perturbed by rumors that the European Union is planning to ban genetically modified corn seeds, the European...

Meristem, SBH collaborating on recombinant proteins.
December 5, 2007... From Staff Reports PARIS -- Meristem Therapeutics and SBH Sciences entered an agreement to co-develop recombinant proteins produced in genetically-engineered tobacco for research and development and diagnostics applications. The...

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics BV (AMT), of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, licensed from Digna Biotech SL, of Pamplona, Spain, the right to commercialize gene therapy products developed at the Center for the Study of Applied Medicine at the University of Navarra, Spain.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics BV (AMT), of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, licensed from Digna Biotech SL, of Pamplona, Spain, the right to commercialize gene therapy products developed at the Center for the Study of Applied Medicine at the...

European generic firms mount biosimilars push.
December 5, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European generic medicines association EGA has launched a public campaign to win wider acceptance of biosimilars--generic versions of biotech medicines. In the latest stage of a battle against resistance from...

France Biotech condemns research tax 'scandal'.
December 5, 2007... PARIS -- France Biotech has condemned the government's reform of the research tax credit regime as a "scandal" and described the statements made in the National Assembly by the Ministers of Research and of Industry and Small and Medium-Sized...

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Anavex Life Sciences Corp., of Geneva, said preclinical studies of ANAVEX 1-41, its lead drug candidate for Alzheimer's disease, showed the compound prevented oxidative stress, which damages and destroys cells and is believed to be a primary...

Avexa Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said a series of in vitro experiments showed that its lead product, ATC, maintains potent antiviral activity against HIV strains that are resistant to integrase inhibitors, including raltegravir, the recently approved integrase inhibitor from Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck & Co. Inc.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Avexa Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said a series of in vitro experiments showed that its lead product, ATC, maintains potent antiviral activity against HIV strains that are resistant to integrase inhibitors, including raltegravir, the...

Bavarian Nordic.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Bavarian Nordic, of Kvistgard, Denmark, said it will receive a $25 million milestone payment from the Department of Health and Human Services as part of a contract to manufacture and deliver 20 million doses of Imvamune smallpox vaccine. The...

Binex Co. Ltd., of Busan, South Korea, and MaxCyte Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., signed a sponsored research agreement to evaluate MaxCyte's GMP-compliant cell-loading technology for use in the closed-system manufacturing of Binex's cell-based cancer immunotherapies.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Binex Co. Ltd., of Busan, South Korea, and MaxCyte Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., signed a sponsored research agreement to evaluate MaxCyte's GMP-compliant cell-loading technology for use in the closed-system manufacturing of Binex's cell-based...

BioAlliance Pharma SA.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, extended its ongoing Phase III clinical trial of acyclovir Lauriad in the indication of oral herpes to the U.S. Ten clinical centers have been opened there and will join the 40 or so in Australia and Europe...

Celgene International Sarl.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Celgene International Sarl, of Boudry, Switzerland, said Revlimid (lenalidomide) was granted orphan drug status by the European Commission in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. That designation provides for regulatory assistance and 10 years of...

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said it received shareholder approval of its previously announced plan to de-merge its metabolic disease business, Autogen Research Ltd., and merge it with Queensland, Australia-based Adipogen Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said it received shareholder approval of its previously announced plan to de-merge its metabolic disease business, Autogen Research Ltd., and merge it with Queensland, Australia-based...

Chroma Therapeutics Ltd.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Chroma Therapeutics Ltd., of Oxford, UK, reported efficacy data from a Phase I trial of its oral, once-daily aminopeptidase inhibitor CHR-2797 in treating acute myeloid leukemia at the American Society of Hematology meeting. The company also...

Evotec AG, of Hamburg, Germany, has completed the sale of its chemical development business to Aptuit Inc., of Greenwich, Conn., for 31.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$65 million) effective Nov. 30.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Evotec AG, of Hamburg, Germany, has completed the sale of its chemical development business to Aptuit Inc., of Greenwich, Conn., for 31.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$65 million) effective Nov. 30. Evotec said it will focus more on discovery...

Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, said it is collaborating with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc., of Bethesda, Md., to discover new therapies for cystic fibrosis in a deal worth up to 5.5 million [euro] (US$8.1 million).(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, said it is collaborating with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc., of Bethesda, Md., to discover new therapies for cystic fibrosis in a deal worth up to 5.5 million [euro] (US$8.1 million). The...

Graffinity Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Heidelberg, Germany, entered a second collaboration with New York-based Pfizer Inc. focused on Graffinity's fragment-based drug discovery technology.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Graffinity Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Heidelberg, Germany, entered a second collaboration with New York-based Pfizer Inc. focused on Graffinity's fragment-based drug discovery technology. Specific terms were not disclosed, though Graffinity will...

GW Pharmaceuticals plc.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... GW Pharmaceuticals plc, of Salisbury, UK, said it started the new Phase III trial of Sativex in multiple sclerosis spasticity requested by the UK regulator when it refused approval for the cannabis-based treatment in July. The Medicines and...

Immutep SA.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Immutep SA, of Orsay, France, reported positive interim results from a Phase I/II clinical trial of ImmuFact IMP321 in the indication of metastatic breast cancer. ImmuFact IMP321 is a natural human T-cell immunostimulatory factor that amplifies...

Innovex UK Ltd., of Bracknell, UK, the marketing arm of Quintiles Transnational Corp., , entered an agreement with Zeltia SA subsidiary PharmaMar SA, of Madrid, Spain, to recruit, train and deploy a specialized oncology sales team in Western Europe to promote Yondelis, PharmaMar's treatment for soft-tissue sarcoma.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Innovex UK Ltd., of Bracknell, UK, the marketing arm of Quintiles Transnational Corp., entered an agreement with Zeltia SA subsidiary PharmaMar SA, of Madrid, Spain, to recruit, train and deploy a specialized oncology sales team in Western...

LipoNova AG.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... LipoNova AG, of Hanover, Germany, signed a memorandum of understanding with an unnamed, non-European pharmaceutical company for development and marketing of Reniale, LipoNova's autologous vaccine for renal cell carcinoma. The partner will...

MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and Celltrion Inc., of Munich, Germany, signed a binding memorandum of understanding for co-development and commercialization of an anti-L1 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of cancer in humans covering major cancer indications.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and Celltrion Inc., of Munich, Germany, signed a binding memorandum of understanding for co-development and commercialization of an anti-L1 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of cancer in humans covering...

Oasmia Pharmaceutical, of Sweden, and Orion Corp., of Finland, have entered a license and distribution agreement for marketing and sales of Paclical (micellar paclitaxel) in the Nordic region, encompassing Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Oasmia Pharmaceutical, of Sweden, and Orion Corp., of Finland, have entered a license and distribution agreement for marketing and sales of Paclical (micellar paclitaxel) in the Nordic region, encompassing Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and...

Onyvax Ltd.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Onyvax Ltd., of London, said it has been issued a U.S. patent on Onycap23, a prostate cancer cell line. Onycap23 is a key component of Onyvax-P, the company's prostate cancer vaccine that is currently in two Phase IIb clinical trials.

Pronova BioPharma ASA, of Lysaker, Norway, said the Federal Patent Court in Munich, Germany, declared the company's patent covering the active pharmaceutical ingredient of Omacor invalid.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Pronova BioPharma ASA, of Lysaker, Norway, said the Federal Patent Court in Munich, Germany, declared the company's patent covering the active pharmaceutical ingredient of Omacor invalid. That decision follows the nullity action brought by KD...

S*BIO Pte Ltd.(Other News To Note)(S*BIO Pte Ltd. has developed SB1317 for treatment of acute leukemias)(Brief article)
December 5, 2007... S*BIO Pte Ltd., of Singapore, said it expanded its pipeline with a third development candidate, SB1317, an oral, small molecule for acute leukemias. SB1317, which is designed to selectively inhibit major signaling pathways involving FLT3 and...

Speedel Holding Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, said it received from Novartis AG, also of Basel, the revenue report regarding SPP100, confirming that it earned CHF621,000 (US$555,274) for the third quarter, which was higher than the projected CHF571,000 the company previously announced with its financial results.(Other News To Note)(Financial report)
December 5, 2007... Speedel Holding Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, said it received from Novartis AG, also of Basel, the revenue report regarding SPP100, confirming that it earned CHF621,000 (US$555,274) for the third quarter, which was higher than the projected...

Starpharma, of Melbourne, Australia, has signed a collaborative research agreement with Stiefel Laboratories Inc., of Coral Gables, Fla., to apply Starpharma's dendrimer nanotechnology to certain drugs used dermally.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Starpharma, of Melbourne, Australia, has signed a collaborative research agreement with Stiefel Laboratories Inc., of Coral Gables, Fla., to apply Starpharma's dendrimer nanotechnology to certain drugs used dermally. The collaboration applies...

Tripos Discovery Research Ltd.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Tripos Discovery Research Ltd., of Bude, UK, said it changed its name to Exelgen Ltd. The firm said that the new name is a hybrid that reflects the firm's real value proposition of excellence in the genesis of new and innovative drug discovery...

Xenome Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, signed a joint research collaboration agreement with Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, focusing on discovery and development of novel peptide therapeutics for metabolic and musculoskeletal diseases.(Other News To Note)
December 5, 2007... Xenome Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, signed a joint research collaboration agreement with Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, focusing on discovery and development of novel peptide therapeutics for metabolic and musculoskeletal diseases....

Proximagen deal with B-I removes the 'For Sale' sign.
December 12, 2007... LONDON -- Investors in Proximagen Neurosciences plc resisted the lure of offers to buy the company and settled, for now, on a licensing agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim. No details of the agreement were given--not even which of...

ProBioGen closes first human vaccine deal.(Cell Culture Platform)
December 12, 2007... ProBioGen AG entered its first human vaccine development deal involving its avian cell line, AGE1.CR, with an undisclosed U.S. biotechnology company. Financial terms were not disclosed but the deal covers the use of AGE1.CR in vaccines against...

Microtubules hold the key to cancer drug resistance.
December 12, 2007... LONDON -- A new understanding of why some ovarian cancers are resistant to the commonly used drug, paclitaxel, could allow clinicians to channel treatment in future to those patients who will definitely benefit from it, and may lead to new...

Pantec gets $5.6m for transdermal technology.
December 12, 2007... Pantec Biosolutions AG raised CHF6.3 million (US$5.6 million) in a first closing of a Series A round to fund development of its laser microporation technology, which is designed to boost delivery of large molecular weight drugs across the skin....

Start-up pharnext raises 2.5m [euro] for drug repositioning effort.
December 12, 2007... PARIS -- Pharnext, a start-up that is developing new treatments for severe neurological diseases, raised 2.5 [euro] million (US$3.68 million) in seed funding from the French venture capital firm Truffle Capital. Pharnext, which is based at...

Abcellute Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
December 12, 2007... Abcellute Ltd., of Cardiff, UK, raised an additional 400,000 [pounds sterling] (US$816,717) to accelerate development of its non-freezing cell preservation technology. The techniques are intended for use in cell therapies. Working with...

Ablynx, of Ghent, Belgium, has extended its drug discovery and development alliance with Novartis AG, of Basel, Switzerland.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... Ablynx, of Ghent, Belgium, has extended its drug discovery and development alliance with Novartis AG, of Basel, Switzerland. The 2-year-old agreement, covering work on Ablynx's antibody-derived Nanobody therapeutic proteins for disease targets...

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... Anavex Life Sciences Corp., of Geneva, said that data from preclinical animal studies demonstrated that ANAVEX 273 and its active metabolite ANAVEX 19-144 have potent anticonvulsive, antiamnesic, neuroprotective and antidepressant properties....

BioAlliance acquires rights to Immtech's pafuramidine.
December 12, 2007... PARIS -- BioAlliance Pharma SA and Immtech Pharmaceuticals Inc. signed an exclusive licensing agreement granting the French company European commercialization rights to pafuramidine maleate. Immtech Pharmaceuticals, of New York, is...

Lithuania under fire for biogeneric drug.(Brief article)
December 12, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Lithuania, one of the European Union's newest member countries, is under attack for failing to comply with EU rules on authorization of generic biotech medicines--"biosimilars," in EU jargon. EU officials have decided...

Antisoma plc.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... Antisoma plc, of London, said it presented positive preclinical data supporting its ongoing Phase II trial of AS1411 in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in Atlanta. Researchers from the Medical...

BioInvent International.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... BioInvent International, of Lund, Sweden, designated a new clinical candidate, BI-505, from its research program in the area of apoptosis. BI-505, which targets ICAM-1, a protein expressed heavily on tumor cells, is ready to enter preclinical...

Centocor Inc., of Horsham, Pa., and Janssen-Cilag International NV, of Beerse, Belgium, said regulatory applications have been submitted requesting the approval of ustekinumab (CNTO 1275) in the U.S. and Europe for the treatment of adult patients with chronic moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... Centocor Inc., of Horsham, Pa., and Janssen-Cilag International NV, of Beerse, Belgium, said regulatory applications have been submitted requesting the approval of ustekinumab (CNTO 1275) in the U.S. and Europe for the treatment of adult...

CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, of Cambridge, UK, said it has completed preparations for the U.S. Phase III program for M6G its morphine derivative, with the Phase I pharmacokinetic study showing a favorable profile of linear pharmacokinetics with...

Gentium SpA.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
December 12, 2007... Gentium SpA, of Villa Guardia, Italy, said, as a corollary to its Phase III trial of Defibrotide in veno-occlusive disease with multiple organ failure (severe VOD), it also initiated an expanded access program to treat severe VOD. That program...

GlaxoSmithKline, of London, and Galapagos, of Mechelen, Belgium, announced a multiyear strategic alliance to develop anti-infective drug candidates.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... GlaxoSmithKline, of London, and Galapagos, of Mechelen, Belgium, announced a multiyear strategic alliance to develop anti-infective drug candidates. The alliance will use the natural product compound collection and chemistry capabilities of...

Henderson Morley plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
December 12, 2007... Henderson Morley plc, of Birmingham, UK, said it started preclinical toxicity, immunogenicity and dose-ranging studies on its vaccine candidate for herpes simplex virus. The studies, being carried out by a U.S.-based CRO will be completed by...

Ipsen SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
December 12, 2007... Ipsen SA, of Paris, submitted a biologics license application for Dysport for injection in cervical dystonia. The product has been granted orphan drug status and its BLA is based on data from two pivotal Phase III studies in 252 patients...

Janssen-Cilag.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... Janssen-Cilag, of Stockholm, Sweden, said it has submitted a marketing authorization application (MAA) for dapoxetine, a treatment for premature ejaculation in men ages 18-64. The MAA was submitted under the so-called decentralized procedure,...

Medgenics.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
December 12, 2007... Medgenics, of Karmiel, Israel, said that its shares have been admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange AIM. The firm said it has raised a total of 3.27 [euro] million (US$4.83 million). The company is at the clinical trial stage of...

Neurochem Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
December 12, 2007... Neurochem Ltd., of Ecublens, Switzerland, said it has been informed that its response to the FDA July 2007 approvable letter for its application for Kiacta (eprodisate) for the treatment of Amyloid A amyloidosis, a progressive and fatal...

Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, said the independent data safety monitoring board for the Phase III TRIST study of its gene therapy TroVax in renal cancer completed its second planned interim analysis and concluded that the trial should continue as planned without modification.(Other News To Note)(Clinical report)
December 12, 2007... Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, said the independent data safety monitoring board for the Phase III TRIST study of its gene therapy TroVax in renal cancer completed its second planned interim analysis and concluded that the trial should...

Pharmaxis.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... Pharmaxis, of Sydney, Australia, has established a subsidiary company based in Philadelphia to serve the North American market. The goal is to strengthen Pharmaxis' U.S. clinical and regulatory program, and prepare for the commercialization of...

Symphogen AS.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... Symphogen AS, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said that preclinical data revealed that Sym003 exhibited superior potency and efficacy in a validated animal model of syncytial virus infection. In addition, the firm said the data demonstrated enhanced...

ThromboGenics, of Leuven, Belgium, confirmed that it is to move into Phase II clinical development of its TB-402 recombinant human monoclonal antibody, after promising results from Phase I trials announced Dec. 10.(Other News To Note)
December 12, 2007... ThromboGenics, of Leuven, Belgium, confirmed that it is to move into Phase II clinical development of its TB-402 recombinant human monoclonal antibody, after promising results from Phase I trials announced Dec. 10. The product showed beneficial...

Pharming shares sink on CHMP rebuff for Rhucin.
December 19, 2007... Shares in Pharming Group NV sank by more than 65 percent on news that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a negative opinion on a marketing authorization application for its lead drug,...

Fovea raises 30m [euro] in Series B financing for ocular products.(Company overview)
December 19, 2007... PARIS -- Fovea Pharmaceuticals SA closed a Series B funding round in which it raised 30 million [euro] (US$44 million) from a group of six European venture capital firms led by first-time investor Forbion Capital Partners, of Naarden, the...

Light-activated cancer therapy could have glowing prospects.(Zapping The Tumors)
December 19, 2007... LONDON -- The long-awaited goal of being able to selectively treat tumors by putting a light-activated anticancer agent into the bloodstream and then zapping the tumor with laser light to activate the drug is coming closer. To date, this...

Santaris raises 20m [euro] for LNA-based drug portfolio.
December 19, 2007... Santaris Pharma A/S raised 20.4 million [euro] (US$29.4 million) in a new investment round led by Gilde Healthcare Partners BV, of Utrecht, the Netherlands, which contributed 7.5 million [euro] of the total. Gilde is the sole new addition...

Oxford BioMedica gearing up for Phase I/II ProSavin study.
December 19, 2007... LONDON -- Oxford BioMedica plc received approval to start a Phase I/II trial of its ProSavin treatment for Parkinson's disease, making it the first gene therapy for that condition to be tested in Europe, and the first use in humans of the...

Ablynx NV.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Ablynx NV, of Ghent, Belgium, reported final, positive results from a Phase I study of its lead anti-thrombotic, ALX-0081, the first therapeutic nanobody in clinical trials. The product targets von Willebrand Factor, and is being developed to...

Renova's anti-scarring product Juvista misses in phase II trial.
December 19, 2007... LONDON -- Renova plc experienced the first setback in its wound healing and anti-scarring program, reporting that lead product Juvista missed its primary endpoint in a Phase II mole removal trial. The product was licensed to Shire plc, of...

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Anavex Life Sciences Corp., of Geneva, reported preclinical data showing that ANAVEX 1-41 prevented oxidative stress, which damages and destroys cells and is believed to be a primary cause of Alzheimer's disease, in animal models. The drug also...

Aureus Pharma, of Paris, said it has licensed its AurSCOPE Ion Channel Knowledge database to Neuromed Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Vancouver, British Columbia.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Aureus Pharma, of Paris, said it has licensed its AurSCOPE Ion Channel Knowledge database to Neuromed Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Vancouver, British Columbia. The database contains biological activity mined from the scientific literature for all...

Biota Holdings Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said the Australian Supreme Court referred the company's ongoing litigation against London-based GlaxoSmithKline plc to mediation and directed that the mediation be completed by May 16, 2008.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Biota Holdings Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said the Australian Supreme Court referred the company's ongoing litigation against London-based GlaxoSmithKline plc to mediation and directed that the mediation be completed by May 16, 2008. Biota...

Chroma Therapeutics Ltd.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Chroma Therapeutics Ltd., of Oxford, UK, reported positive data from a Phase I study of its oral, once-daily cancer therapy, CHR-2797, in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and multiple myeloma patients who have...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, entered a nonexclusive STAR research license agreement with ProFibrix BV, also of Leiden, covering the production of specific forms of human fibrinogen, a protein involved in haemostasis and tissue repair.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, entered a nonexclusive STAR research license agreement with ProFibrix BV, also of Leiden, covering the production of specific forms of human fibrinogen, a protein involved in haemostasis and tissue...

One step forward for small European firms in Biotech.
December 19, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium--Bigger and better funding for new European biotechnology medicines could result from the European Parliament's Dec. 14 endorsement on the European Union's plan for research support. The parliament voted through the...

TcLand expression's Series A adds 8m [euro] for biomarker work.(Company overview)
December 19, 2007... PARIS -- TcLand Expression SA completed a Series A funding round, raising 8.2 million [euro] from an international group of institutional and industrial investors. The financing was led by French venture capital firm Auriga Partners, of...

CureVac GmbH.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... CureVac GmbH, of Tuebingen, Germany, received a 400,000 [euro] (US$587,400) grant from the federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg for development of a vaccine adjuvant based on mRNA. The company also plans to begin Phase I/II trials in 2008 with...

Curidium Medica plc, of London, has entered into a strategic partnership with Takeda Research Investment Inc., the corporate investment arm of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Curidium Medica plc, of London, has entered into a strategic partnership with Takeda Research Investment Inc., the corporate investment arm of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan. TRI will purchase 10,491,803 ordinary shares and...

GeneMedix plc.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... GeneMedix plc, of Newmarket, UK, a biosimilars development company, is moving its headquarters to its manufacturing facility in Tullamore, Ireland, at the end of this year. The move is due to its rescue by Indian pharmaceutical company Reliance...

Innovation, universities and skills committee.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
December 19, 2007... The Innovation, Universities and Skills Committee, a UK parliamentary committee, said it will conduct an inquiry into biosecurity in the country's research laboratories. It plans to investigate the current capacity for research on dangerous...

Medivir, of Huddinge, Sweden, has qualified for two milestone payments totaling 17 million [euro] (US $24.5 million) under a collaboration with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Cork, Ireland, to develop HCV NS3/4A Protease Inhibitors for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Medivir, of Huddinge, Sweden, has qualified for two milestone payments totaling 17 million [euro] (US $24.5 million) under a collaboration with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Cork, Ireland, to develop HCV NS3/4A Protease Inhibitors for the...

Millipore Corp., of Billerica, Mass., and Novozymes AS, of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, said they have entered into an agreement to develop, market and sell animal-free cell culture supplements, which help mammalian cells produce the proteins that form the basis of biologic drugs.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Millipore Corp., of Billerica, Mass., and Novozymes AS, of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, said they have entered into an agreement to develop, market and sell animal-free cell culture supplements, which help mammalian cells produce the proteins that form...

MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, has entered into a therapeutic target sourcing collaboration in Japan with its Tokyo-based partner GeneFrontier Corp.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, has entered into a therapeutic target sourcing collaboration in Japan with its Tokyo-based partner GeneFrontier Corp. The expansion of the existing alliance with GeneFrontier aims to increase MorphoSys's...

Neurochem International Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
December 19, 2007... Neurochem International Ltd., of Ecublens, Switzerland, said the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency, recommended refusal of the marketing authorization application...

OncoMethylome Sciences, of Liege, Belgium, entered a pharmacogenomic service collaboration to assist Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott in profiling tumors. Specifically, OncoMethylome will be testing its DNA methylation biomarkers on Abbott's biological samples.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... OncoMethylome Sciences, of Liege, Belgium, entered a pharmacogenomic service collaboration to assist Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott in profiling tumors. Specifically, OncoMethylome will be testing its DNA methylation biomarkers on Abbott's...

Oxford Genome Sciences Ltd., of Oxford, UK, is collaborating with Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Amgen Inc. to discover, develop and commercialize therapeutic antibodies in cancer.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... Oxford Genome Sciences Ltd., of Oxford, UK, is collaborating with Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Amgen Inc. to discover, develop and commercialize therapeutic antibodies in cancer. The deal is designed to enable Oxford Genome Sciences to further...

PPL Therapeutics plc.(Other News To Note)
December 19, 2007... PPL Therapeutics plc, of Edinburgh, Scotland, said Alan Colman, former chief scientist at the company that attempted and failed to commercialize the cloning technology that gave rise to Dolly the sheep, was named chair of regenerative medicine...