BioWorld International articles from February 2005

BioWorld International archives from February 2005

CAT gaining cash via High Court decision; Abbott can seek appeal.(Cambridge Antibody Technology Group PLC)(Abbott Laboratories Inc.)
February 2, 2005... LONDON -- Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) Group plc received about 13.4 million [pounds sterling] (US$25 million) from Abbott Laboratories after the pharmaceutical company wasn't able to appeal a High Court judgment in CAT's favor and...

Stroke study in calcium shows new category of drug targets.(medical research)(Pierluigi Nicotera, University of Leicester, United Kingdom)
February 2, 2005... LONDON -- Therapies that aim to stop calcium from flowing into cells and building up after a stroke might have been barking up the wrong tree. A new study shows that a better therapeutic strategy might be to ensure that the calcium can get out....

Genzyme sues to halt TKT's Gaucher's program in Israel.(Transkaryotic Therapies Inc.)
February 2, 2005... ZICHRON YA'AKOV, Israel -- The District Court of Tel Aviv-Jaffa will be the venue for a patent suit that Genzyme Corp. brought against Transkaryotic Therapies Inc., both of Cambridge, Mass. TKT announced that Genzyme filed the suit, which...

New UK rules designed to deal with animal extremists.(United Kingdom)
February 2, 2005... LONDON -- Animal rights extremists face jail terms of up to five years if they cause "economic damage" to any company doing business with animal research companies or facilities, the UK government announced Monday. Two new criminal...

MAT Biotech, Servier agree to monoclonal antibody deal.(Laboratoires Servier)(Company Profile)
February 2, 2005... PARIS -- MAT Biotech and Laboratoires Servier entered a research collaboration for monoclonal antibodies. The companies are to undertake a joint research program aimed at coupling the anti-ferritin monoclonal antibody, AMB8LK, of MAT Biotech,...

AERES Biomedical Ltd., of London, completed engineering of BT-062.(Other News To Note)(research retainer with Biotest AG )(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * AERES Biomedical Ltd., of London, completed engineering of BT-062, a humanized monoclonal antibody for the treatment of multiple myeloma, being developed by Biotest AG, of Dreieich, Germany.

Alizyme PLC.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Alizyme PLC, of Cambridge, UK, opened an investigational new drug application to start U.S. trials of ATL-962 in obesity. The initial trial, with about 80 obese subjects, will test fecal fat levels, safety and tolerability of the lipase...

Argenta Discovery Ltd., of Harlow, UK, and TTP Labtech Ltd., of Royston, UK, launched a high-content assay development and screening service to be marketed jointly.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Argenta Discovery Ltd., of Harlow, UK, and TTP Labtech Ltd., of Royston, UK, launched a high-content assay development and screening service to be marketed jointly. The service brings together Argenta's biology and cell-based assay...

Biofusion PLC.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Biofusion PLC, of Sheffield, UK, is expected to begin trading today following its initial public offering on London's Alternative Investment Market, raising 8.2 million [pounds sterling] (US$17.8 million). The technology commercialization...

Apoxis gets 15M [euro] to push lead TNF drug, MegaFasL.(tumor necrosis factor)
February 2, 2005... Apoxis SA raised 15 million [euro] (US$19.5 million) in a second round of funding to move its first projects into clinical development and perhaps to license in development candidates in the area of oncology. The Lausanne,...

Genetronics acquires Inovio for $10m in cash, stock deal.(Genetronics Biomedical Corp.)
February 2, 2005... Genetronics Biomedical Corp. acquired Inovio AS in a combined cash and stock deal worth $10 million, initially. Inovio shareholders would gain additional milestones, payable in Genetronics stock, should Inovio reach defined revenue targets...

BioIndustry Association.(Other News To Note)(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * UK's BioIndustry Association was awarded government funding of 3 million [pounds sterling] (US$5.6 million) to set up bioProcessUK, a knowledge transfer network, to promote the development of the UK's bioprocessing capabilities.

BioPartners Ltd., of Saffron Walden, UK, reversed into the Alternative Investment Market-listed shell RII PLC, and raised 3 million [pounds sterling] (US$5.6 million) in a placing of 400 million shares at 75 pence per share.(Other News To Note)(Sabcomeline drug trials for the treatment of schizophrenia)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * BioPartners Ltd., of Saffron Walden, UK, reversed into the Alternative Investment Market-listed shell RII PLC, and raised 3 million [pounds sterling] (US$5.6 million) in a placing of 400 million shares at 75 pence per share. The company now...

BioWisdom Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * BioWisdom Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, raised 2.3 million [pounds sterling] (US$5.2 million) in its third funding round, bringing its total raised to 6.9 million [pounds sterling]. New investors Finsbury Life Sciences Investment Trust and NIF...

Cellectricon AB.(Other News To Note)(opens Cellectricon Inc. in Gaithersburg, Maryland)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Cellectricon AB, of Gothenburg, Sweden, opened Cellectricon Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md. Peter Tunon was retained as the company's president and Thomas Guiel as chief operating officer. Cellectricon Inc....

Danisco A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, signed an agreement to acquire Genencor International Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Danisco A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, signed an agreement to acquire Genencor International Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif. Danisco will acquire all outstanding shares of Genencor common stock, other than those held by Danisco, Eastman Chemical Co....

Eirx Therapeutics PLC, of Cork, Ireland, is acquiring a 56.1 percent stake in Auvation Ltd., of Aberdeen, UK, in a stock-based deal valued at just more than 1.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$2.8 million).(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Eirx Therapeutics PLC, of Cork, Ireland, is acquiring a 56.1 percent stake in Auvation Ltd., of Aberdeen, UK, in a stock-based deal valued at just more than 1.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$2.8 million). The company has issued about 25.2...

Flamel Technologies SA, of Lyon, France, entered an agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, which resolves all outstanding matters with respect to the former licensing agreement between the companies for Flamel's formulation of long-acting human insulin, Basulin.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Flamel Technologies SA, of Lyon, France, entered an agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, which resolves all outstanding matters with respect to the former licensing agreement between the companies for Flamel's formulation of...

GB Therapeutics Ltd., of Mississauga, Ontario, gained an exclusive license to a Phase III molecule labeled CHF1512 from Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA, of Parma, Italy.(Other News To Note)(medication development for Parkinson's disease)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * GB Therapeutics Ltd., of Mississauga, Ontario, gained an exclusive license to a Phase III molecule labeled CHF1512 from Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA, of Parma, Italy. The compound is a methyl-ester of levodopa, melevodopa, combined with the...

Inpharmatica Ltd., of London, entered a series of agreements to allow Pfizer Inc., of New York, access to four core components of Inpharmatica's PharmaCarta gene-to-candidate technology platform.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Inpharmatica Ltd., of London, entered a series of agreements to allow Pfizer Inc., of New York, access to four core components of Inpharmatica's PharmaCarta gene-to-candidate technology platform. Those components are provided to Pfizer in...

IntegraGen SA.(Other News To Note)("Functional Genomics of Obesity" research)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * IntegraGen SA, of Paris, said it would participate in the DiOgenes (Diet, Obesity and Genes) project. IntegraGen is one of a consortium of 30 European Union organizations that has been awarded 14.5 million [euro] (US$18.8 million) to carry...

Medical Marketing International Group PLC, of Cambridge, UK, said independent safety tests indicated its lead ruthenium compounds are toxic to cancer cells at lower levels than marketed platinum-based chemotherapeutics.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Medical Marketing International Group PLC, of Cambridge, UK, said independent safety tests indicated its lead ruthenium compounds are toxic to cancer cells at lower levels than marketed platinum-based chemotherapeutics. The tests were carried...

Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Roland Scollay appointed Chief Executive Officer)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, appointed Roland Scollay CEO. Scollay's pharmaceutical experience includes five years on the global research management board of Novartis AG. Metabolic has programs aimed at treating...

Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., entered a deal with UCB Pharma's Celltech Antibody Research Centre of Excellence in Brussels, Belgium, to collaboratively research, develop and commercialize antibody therapeutics generated from two validated Millennium targets: a co-stimulatory molecule and a chemokine receptor.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., entered a deal with UCB Pharma's Celltech Antibody Research Centre of Excellence in Brussels, Belgium, to collaboratively research, develop and commercialize antibody therapeutics...

MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, expanded its existing license agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York.(Other News To Note)(pharmaceutical product development)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, expanded its existing license agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York. MorphoSys granted BMS access to its HuCAL Gold library for use in discovery programs for target characterization and...

Neuro3d.(Other News To Note)(developing anxiolytic antidepressant drug)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Neuro3d, of Mulhouse, France, which is focused on drug discovery and development for psychiatric disorders, began Phase I trials of ND7001, an antidepressant drug with anxiolytic activity. ND7001 acts on a new target that has never been...

NeuroSearch A/S, of Ballerup, Denmark, received DKK45 million (US$7.9 million) from GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, arising from their December 2003 alliance involving the drug development candidate NS2359 (GSK372475), plus other research programs.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * NeuroSearch A/S, of Ballerup, Denmark, received DKK45 million (US$7.9 million) from GlaxoSmithKline PLC, of London, arising from their December 2003 alliance involving the drug development candidate NS2359 (GSK372475), plus other research...

Nucleis.(Other News To Note)(genetically modified mice)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Nucleis, of Lyon, France, says it earned a "two-digit net profit ratio" on revenues of 1.5 million [euro] (not including grants and subsidies) in 2004, its second full year of activity. The company creates genetically modified mice and...

Pluristem Life Systems Inc.(Other News To Note)(stem cell research)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Pluristem Life Systems Inc., of Haifa, Israel, completed a $755,000 interim private placement to further its development efforts. Funds will be used to achieve short-term growth objectives and to continue its stem cell development plan for...

Sanofi-Aventis Group.(Other News To Note)(developing Eloxatin for treatment of colorectal cancer)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Sanofi-Aventis Group, of Paris, presented preliminary results of two large prospective trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of Eloxatin (oxaliplatin for injection)-based regimens in metastatic colorectal cancer at the Gastrointestinal...

Starpharma Holdings Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia; Dendritic NanoTechnologies Inc., of Mount Pleasant, Mich.; and The Dow Chemical Co., of Midland, Mich., reached an agreement that provides DNT and Starpharma with ownership or access to Dow's intellectual property portfolio and associated royalties in the field of dendrimers.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Starpharma Holdings Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia; Dendritic NanoTechnologies Inc., of Mount Pleasant, Mich.; and The Dow Chemical Co., of Midland, Mich., reached an agreement that provides DNT and Starpharma with ownership or access to Dow's...

University of Dundee.(Other News To Note)(research on exercise financed by the European Commission)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * The University of Dundee in Scotland said nearly 9 million [pounds sterling] (US$1 6.7 million) was awarded by the European Commission to establish scientific evidence on how exercise prevents weight gain, obesity and Type II diabetes. The...

VASTox plc, of Oxford, UK, announced a chemical genomics screening deal with MNLpharma Ltd., of Aberystwyth, UK.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * VASTox PLC, of Oxford, UK, announced a chemical genomics screening deal with MNLpharma Ltd., of Aberystwyth, UK, to characterize plant-derived small-molecule immunomodulators discovered by MNL and confirm the mechanism of action.

Wyeth, of Madison, N.J., and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, said Enbrel (etanercept) received Japanese regulatory approval for rheumatoid arthritis in patients with an inadequate response to existing therapies.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * Wyeth, of Madison, N.J., and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, said Enbrel (etanercept) received Japanese regulatory approval for rheumatoid arthritis in patients with an inadequate response to existing therapies. It will be...

YM BioSciences Inc., of Mississauga, Ontario, has partnered with Shin Poong Pharmaceutical Co., of Seoul, South Korea, to expand the development program of its lead drug, tesmilifene, in gastric cancer.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2005... * YM BioSciences Inc., of Mississauga, Ontario, has partnered with Shin Poong Pharmaceutical Co., of Seoul, South Korea, to expand the development program of its lead drug, tesmilifene, in gastric cancer. The companies will form a joint...

Basilea's J&J agreement worth up to CHF370M; stock moves.
February 9, 2005... Basilea Pharmaceutica AG entered a worldwide agreement with Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Cilag AG International for the development, manufacturing and marketing of its cephalosporin antibiotic ceftobiprole, which is undergoing a Phase III trial...

Korean team reports promising DNA vaccine tuberculosis data.
February 9, 2005... LONDON -- Korean researchers working on a DNA vaccine for tuberculosis have shown that it can block subsequent activation of dormant bacteria in mice and prevent later reinfection. The vaccine was given during infection and can be given at...

Gene therapy study in France halted after third complication.
February 9, 2005... PARIS -- A clinical trial testing a gene therapy for severe combined immune deficiency linked to the X chromosome, SCID-X1, a rare genetic disease, has been halted indefinitely after a third subject suffered a serious complication. The...

Phytopharm's 23.9m [pounds sterling] gives company bargaining power.
February 9, 2005... LONDON -- Phytopharm plc is raising 23.9 million [pounds sterling] (US$44.7 million) in a placement to give it financial strength as it negotiates a licensing agreement for its Phase IIa Alzheimer's disease treatment. Wang Chong,...

Schering spins out intendis as dermatology subsidiary.
February 9, 2005... MUNICH, Germany -- Schering AG spun out its dermatology operations into a wholly owned subsidiary that will be known as Intendis GmbH. The company said that it will be a fully integrated pharmaceutical firm, developing and marketing treatments...

Affectis Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, signed a collaboration agreement with Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Pharma Corp.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Affectis Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, signed a collaboration agreement with Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Pharma Corp. to develop therapeutics for affective disorders. Under terms of the agreement, Affectis will apply its target...

Affitech A/S, of Oslo, Norway, and Viventia Biotech Inc., of Toronto, achieved the first two research milestones in their collaboration, involving Affitech's discovery and selection of several antibodies in a specific cancer area using its Cell Based Antibody Selection technology and Viventia's ImmunoMine antibody-profiling platform.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Affitech A/S, of Oslo, Norway, and Viventia Biotech Inc., of Toronto, achieved the first two research milestones in their collaboration, involving Affitech's discovery and selection of several antibodies in a specific cancer area using its...

Antisoma plc, of London, completed the acquisition of Aptamera Inc., of Louisville, for 11.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$21.5 million) in shares.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Antisoma plc, of London, completed the acquisition of Aptamera Inc., of Louisville, for 11.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$21.5 million) in shares. Following the deal, around 30 percent of Antisoma's shares will be held by North American...

Europeans claim victory in BRCA1 gene patent battle.
February 9, 2005... PARIS -- A group of European clinical and medical research organizations led by the Curie Institute that is fighting to overturn three patents exploited by Myriad Genetics Inc. regarding the BCRA1 gene say they have won another round. The...

Ardana Bioscience plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Ardana Bioscience plc, of Edinburgh, UK, signed a three-year extension to its contract with the UK Medical Research Council's Human Reproductive Sciences Unit (HRSU), giving exclusive rights to commercialize research from the unit. That...

Arexis AB.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Arexis AB, of Gothenburg, Sweden, obtained European Union orphan drug status for recombinant bile sale-stimulated lipase, an enzyme-replacement therapy for treatment of fat malabsorption in cystic fibrosis patients. The product has completed...

Atugen AG, of Berlin, and Asinex Ltd., of Moscow, announced a long-term drug discovery and development collaboration for a protein kinase target during the 3rd annual BioPartnering North America conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Atugen AG, of Berlin, and Asinex Ltd., of Moscow, announced a long-term drug discovery and development collaboration for a protein kinase target during the 3rd annual BioPartnering North America conference in Vancouver, British Columbia....

Like biotech in general, marine biotechnology has list of needs.
February 9, 2005... LONDON -- Marine biotechnology in the UK is developing, but a more coordinated approach is required to maximize the development of the sector and increase its share of a $2.4 billion global market. The emerging industry needs to make better...

Benitec Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Benitec Ltd., of Queensland, Australia, signed an exclusive license agreement with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, to use Garvan's Hot Mouse technology, which features a genetically modified mouse that lacks the...

Biosystems International.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Biosystems International, of Evry, France, raised 3 million [euro] (US$3.8 million) in an initial financing round from two funds managed by Societe Generale Asset Management, the venture capital subsidiary of the Paris-based bank Societe...

Australian stock exchange: commissioned reports OK.
February 9, 2005... SYDNEY, Australia -- The Australian Stock Exchange indicated that it will tolerate the practice of commissioned research reports, after seeing a number of them, but only if investors and the market are aware of their nature. An ASX...

Biota Holdings Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, and GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, have been ordered to take their dispute into mediation by a Supreme Court judge in Melbourne.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Biota Holdings Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, and GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, have been ordered to take their dispute into mediation by a Supreme Court judge in Melbourne. Biota is suing Glaxo for an unspecified amount over the failure of...

BioTie Therapies Corp., of Turku, Finland, and Tripos Inc., of St. Louis, entered a partnership to enhance BioTie's drug discovery efforts, which include medicines for the treatment of dependence disorders, inflammatory diseases and thrombosis.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * BioTie Therapies Corp., of Turku, Finland, and Tripos Inc., of St. Louis, entered a partnership to enhance BioTie's drug discovery efforts, which include medicines for the treatment of dependence disorders, inflammatory diseases and...

Cavis Microcaps GmbH.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Cavis Microcaps GmbH, of Mainz, Germany, raised 5 million [euro] (US$6.4 million) in Series A financing. The company has a technology to make small capsules that prevents sensitive substances, such as yeasts, vitamins or enzymes, from...

ComGenex Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * ComGenex Inc., of Budapest, Hungary, finalized an agreement with Echelon Biosciences Inc., a subsidiary of

AEterna Zentaris Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... AEterna Zentaris Inc., to transfer to Echelon all rights to develop, manufacture and market certain P13K inhibitors that were created under their joint drug discovery program. ComGenex applied its chemo-informatics technologies, ADME...

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, of Hyderabad, India, initiated Phase I trials of its cardiovascular drug candidate RUS 3108. The trials are being conducted in Belfast, Ireland, and will explore the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of the...

Eirx Therapeutics plc, of Cork, Ireland, entered a three-month research project with Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., during which it will demonstrate to Merck its siRNA delivery technology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Eirx Therapeutics plc, of Cork, Ireland, entered a three-month research project with Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., during which it will demonstrate to Merck its siRNA delivery technology. Eirx has developed the method for...

ExonHit Therapeutics SA, of Paris, and Agilent Technologies Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * ExonHit Therapeutics SA, of Paris, and Agilent Technologies Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., reported the launch of ExonHit's SpliceArray Service, which uses a new generation of microarrays developed with Agilent to detect alternative splicing in...

GPC Biotech AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, started a Phase I trial for a cancer monoclonal antibody called 1D09C3. The antibody is GPC's first internally developed cancer compound to enter human clinical testing. It is being evaluated in...

Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, and ribosepharm GmbH, of Munich, Germany, signed an agreement granting ribosepharm the exclusive license and distribution rights for Aloxi (palonosetron hydrochloride) in Germany.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, and ribosepharm GmbH, of Munich, Germany, signed an agreement granting ribosepharm the exclusive license and distribution rights for Aloxi (palonosetron hydrochloride) in Germany. Aloxi is the...

Institut Curie, of Paris, and Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., formed an alliance that will use GeneChip microarray technology in large-scale clinical studies to produce genetic signatures for different types of cancer and be used to develop diagnostic tests.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Institut Curie, of Paris, and Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., formed an alliance that will use GeneChip microarray technology in large-scale clinical studies to produce genetic signatures for different types of cancer and be used to...

Kiadis BV.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Kiadis BV, of Groningen, the Netherlands, completed its 4 million [euro] (US$5.2 million) Series B financing round. The company said proceeds will help accelerate its screening programs for drug discovery and support its focus on kinases as...

MediBIC Inc., of Tokyo, and NuGEN Technologies Inc., of San Carlos, Calif., agreed to a sales and technical services partnership that includes MediBIC's genomic technology marketing to support the adoption of NuGEN's Ovation family of RNA-amplification systems in Asia.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * MediBIC Inc., of Tokyo, and NuGEN Technologies Inc., of San Carlos, Calif., agreed to a sales and technical services partnership that includes MediBIC's genomic technology marketing to support the adoption of NuGEN's Ovation family of...

Micromet AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Micromet AG, of Munich, Germany, reported additional preclinical data on its drug candidate MT201, an antibody being developed to treat prostate and breast cancer. The results showed the elimination of various human breast cancer cell lines....

MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said that GPC Biotech AG, also of Martinsried, began a Phase I trial with a fully human cancer antibody generated using the MorphoSys HuCAL technology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said that GPC Biotech AG, also of Martinsried, began a Phase I trial with a fully human cancer antibody generated using the MorphoSys HuCAL technology. It is the first MorphoSys-generated antibody to be...

Mutabilis SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Mutabilis SA, of Paris, opened a medicinal chemistry department at the company's new facility in Biocitech, the technology park recently created in Romainsville, near Paris. The new location now is the company headquarters. Mutabilis is...

Norwood Abbey Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said that its investigational new drug application, which was filed in December, was accepted by the FDA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Norwood Abbey Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said that its investigational new drug application, which was filed in December, was accepted by the FDA. The IND relates to the beginning of the company's first autologous bone marrow transplant...

Norwood Immunology Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Norwood Immunology Ltd., of London, said its investigational new drug application for a Phase II study of gonadatrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in rebooting the immune system following bone marrow transplantation received FDA approval....

Optimata Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Optimata Ltd., of Ramat Gan, Israel, and the Soroka University Medical Center reported the launch of a validation study for the treatment of breast cancer using Optimata's Virtual Cancer Patient technology. The technology creates an in silico...

Oxford BioMedica plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, terminated the merger talks that were disclosed on Jan. 19. The company's stock price fell 5 pence to 19.5 pence on 5.3 million shares traded when the news was announced Monday. Also, Oxford BioMedica...

Pepscan Systems BV, of Lelystad, the Netherlands; Proteomika SL, of Derio, Spain; and AlgoNomics NV, of Ghent, Belgium, obtained research funding with the 6th framework scientific program of the EU together with the University Medical Centre in Utrecht.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Pepscan Systems BV, of Lelystad, the Netherlands; Proteomika SL, of Derio, Spain; and AlgoNomics NV, of Ghent, Belgium, obtained research funding with the 6th framework scientific program of the EU together with the University Medical Centre...

PharmaDesign Inc., of Tokyo, announced that its representative Summit Pharmaceuticals International.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * PharmaDesign Inc., of Tokyo, announced that its representative Summit Pharmaceuticals International, also of Tokyo, licensed PharmaDesign's GPCR Peptide Ligand Library to Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck & Co. Inc. Financial terms were...

Protemix Corp.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Protemix Corp., of Auckland, New Zealand, is opening an office in San Diego, where Larry Ellingson will serve as new CEO. Ellingson is a former Eli Lilly and Co. executive and current chairman of the American Diabetes Association. He will...

Sanofi-Aventis Group, of Paris, received marketing approval from the FDA for a new aqueous solution formulation of Eloxatin (oxaliplatin injection).(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Sanofi-Aventis Group, of Paris, received marketing approval from the FDA for a new aqueous solution formulation of Eloxatin (oxaliplatin injection). The formulation is a clear, preservative-free, colorless solution, which does not require...

Serono International SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Serono International SA, of Geneva, reported a 17 percent increase in annual product sales--about $2.2 billion--in the company's fourth-quarter and full-year report. Fourth-quarter sales grew 16.4 percent to $604 million. Of its marketed...

SkyePharma plc, of London, extended an agreement with First Horizon Pharmaceutical Corp., of Alpharetta, Ga., for SkyePharma's formulation of fenofibrate, which is under review by the FDA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * SkyePharma plc, of London, extended an agreement with First Horizon Pharmaceutical Corp., of Alpharetta, Ga., for SkyePharma's formulation of fenofibrate, which is under review by the FDA. The amended agreement now permits First Horizon to...

Speedel Group.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Speedel Group, of Basel, Switzerland, completed the first human microdosing studies of its new renin inhibitors, SPP630 and SPP635, for hypertension and protecting end organs such as the heart and kidneys. The compounds are the first to be...

Stem Cell Sciences Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Stem Cell Sciences Ltd., of Edinburgh, Scotland, received a 1.2 million [pounds sterling] (US$2.3 million) from the DTI Technology Program to fund a consortium including stem cell experts in industry and academia. The program is aimed at...

Tepnel Life Sciences plc, of Manchester, UK, said its subsidiary, Diaclone Research, signed a research collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, of Ingelheim, Germany.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Tepnel Life Sciences plc, of Manchester, UK, said its subsidiary, Diaclone Research, signed a research collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, of Ingelheim, Germany. Diaclone will generate murine monoclonal antibodies that recognize human...

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, and its marketing partner, Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc., of East Brunswick, N.J., agreed to a partial settlement of their disputes with Novo Nordisk A/S, of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, over human growth hormone intellectual property.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, and its marketing partner, Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc., of East Brunswick, N.J., agreed to a partial settlement of their disputes with Novo Nordisk A/S, of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, over human...

TopoTarget A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, and CuraGen Corp., of New Haven, Conn., initiated patient dosing in a Phase II trial evaluating PXD101.(Other News To Note)
February 9, 2005... * TopoTarget A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, and CuraGen Corp., of New Haven, Conn., initiated patient dosing in a Phase II trial evaluating PXD101, a small-molecule histone deacetylase inhibitor, as a potential treatment for advanced multiple...

York Pharma plc, of York, UK, agreed to acquire Molecular SkinCare Ltd., of Sheffield, UK, in an all-share deal valued at 5.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$10.3 million).(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2005... * York Pharma plc, of York, UK, agreed to acquire Molecular SkinCare Ltd., of Sheffield, UK, in an all-share deal valued at 5.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$10.3 million). Molecular SkinCare, a spinout from Sheffield University, is developing...

Archimedes Pharma started as nasal drug delivery firm.
February 16, 2005... LONDON -- Three former Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc executives have raised $7.1 million to acquire nasal drug delivery technology from West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. (WPS), along with $40 million for product development, as the foundation...