BioWorld International articles from January 2003

BioWorld International archives from January 2003

Proteome Sciences, Biosite align to use proteomics in diagnostics.
January 1, 2003... LONDON -- Proteome Sciences plc claimed it would be the first to commercialize a product based on proteomics when it announced a deal to use its protein biomarkers for stroke in point-of-care diagnostic equipment. The agreement, with...

French, Chinese researchers make progress in SIV treatment.
January 1, 2003... LONDON -- A team of Chinese and French researchers has successfully treated rhesus macaques infected with the simian immunodeficiency virus with a novel type of immunotherapy. The scientists, working in Paris, plan to begin a clinical trial to...

Axovan, Biolipox collaborate on GPCR-binding drug discovery.
January 1, 2003... Axovan AG, a Swiss drug discovery firm focused on G protein-coupled receptors, entered its first external R&D collaboration, with Biolipox AB, an early stage Swedish firm developing anti-inflammatory drugs for respiratory diseases and other...

Ardana, Columbia enter alliance to develop vaginal gel product.
January 1, 2003... LONDON -- Ardana Bioscience Ltd. further cemented its relationship with Columbia Laboratories Inc. as they entered a licensing and development agreement for Columbia's Chronodyne for the treatment of dysmenorrhea, endometriosis and infertility...

UK government steps in to provide Huntingdon insurance.
January 1, 2003... LONDON -- The UK government has stepped in to provide insurance coverage for the animal testing company Huntingdon Life Sciences plc, following a long-running and intimidating campaign to force the insurance broker, Marsh, and its U.S. parent,...

DeltaDOT Ltd., of London entered a collaboration with Procter and Gamble Pharmaceuticals, of Cincinnati, for the further development of DeltaDOT's proteomics technology platform. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... DeltaDOT Ltd., of London entered a collaboration with Procter and Gamble Pharmaceuticals, of Cincinnati, for the further development of DeltaDOT's proteomics technology platform. The collaboration will be in two stages--refining and tuning the...

Maybridge Chemical Holdings plc, of Tintagel, UK, was acquired by the U.S. research equipment and services company, Fisher Scientific Inc., of Hampton, N.H. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Maybridge Chemical Holdings plc, of Tintagel, UK, was acquired by the U.S. research equipment and services company, Fisher Scientific Inc., of Hampton, N.H. Maybridge is a drug discovery services company specializing in the production of...

Founders staying in Israel as Keryx moves operations to U.S.
January 1, 2003... JERUSALEM -- Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc., which has headquarters here and a small office in Cambridge, Mass., will be moving to New York, but CEO and President Benjamin Corn is resigning as is Morris Laster, Keryx's executive chairman and a...

MindSense Biosystems Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... MindSense Biosystems Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, closed its offices after failing to raise enough money to continue operating. In May 2001, MindSense had secured a US$2 million investment from Future Capital AG, of Frankfurt, Germany, initiating...

Oxford BioMedica plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, was awarded a US$500,000 grant by the U.S. charity Andrew's Buddies/Fight Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), to support its motor neuron disease program. SMA is a childhood form of motor neuron disease, caused...

Paradigm Therapeutics Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, and Medivir AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, agreed to a three-year research collaboration under which Paradigm will apply its drug discovery technologies to identify novel protease targets and develop small-molecule inhibitors. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Paradigm Therapeutics Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, and Medivir AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, agreed to a three-year research collaboration under which Paradigm will apply its drug discovery technologies to identify novel protease targets and develop...

Pharmagene plc, of Royston, UK, made a deal with Schering-Plough Research Institute, of Kenilworth, N.J., for access to Pharmagene's Target Evaluator database. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Pharmagene plc, of Royston, UK, made a deal with Schering-Plough Research Institute, of Kenilworth, N.J., for access to Pharmagene's Target Evaluator database. Under the terms of the two-year agreement, SPRI will have access to the database...

Humira approval, litigation end spell fresh start to CAT's year.
January 8, 2003... LONDON -- Cambridge Antibody Technology plc had a cheery start to the New Year with news that partner Abbott Laboratories Inc. received FDA approval earlier than anticipated to market Humira for rheumatoid arthritis, and the drug will begin...

New serotonin-synthesis gene points to novel drug targets.
January 8, 2003... LONDON -- Researchers in Germany predict that vast tracts of psychiatric research will have to be revisited following their discovery that the enzyme that synthesizes the neurotransmitter serotonin is encoded by two genes rather than one. ...

Commission publishes proposals surrounding drug authorizations.
January 8, 2003... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Commission has modified its proposed changes to the European Union rules on authorizing new medicines--the vast package of proposals aimed at speeding new products, and particularly biotechnology-derived...

SkyePharma gains on two development, marketing deals.
January 8, 2003... LONDON -- Shares in SkyePharma plc rose by 21.5 percent in the first week of 2003, following the announcement of two significant U.S. development and marketing partnerships. The first, with Enzon Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Bridgewater, N.J.,...

Elan names Wall Street veteran as CEO to lead divestiture plan.
January 8, 2003... DUBLIN, Ireland -- Looking to put the nightmare that was 2002 behind it, Elan Corp. plc turned to Wall Street in its search for a replacement for former chief Donal Geaney. The troubled biopharmaceutical firm named Merrill Lynch & Co. veteran...

Antisoma plc, of London, said it received an upfront payment of US$43 million, after the conditions attached to its deal with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, announced in November 2002, were satisfied. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 8, 2003... * Antisoma plc, of London, said it received an upfront payment of US$43 million, after the conditions attached to its deal with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, announced in November 2002, were satisfied. Conditions were Roche...

BioVex Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 8, 2003... * BioVex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, announced positive preliminary Phase I results of OncoVEX in the treatment of breast cancer and melanoma. In the study, injections into cutaneous tumor deposits of patients with metastatic cancer showed the product...

Euroscreen acquires rights to CCR5 patents from ICOS.
January 8, 2003... PARIS -- Euroscreen SA, a Belgian company focusing on research into the therapeutic potential of G protein-coupled receptors, acquired an exclusive license from ICOS Corp. for patents relating to the human CCR5 receptor and its role in HIV...

Enact Pharma plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 8, 2003... * Enact Pharma plc, of Salisbury, UK, said it received European orphan drug status for Voraxaze for the treatment of methotrexate toxicity during cancer therapy. Enact intends to file for European and U.S. approval for the product in 2003. In...

IsoTis SA. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 8, 2003... * IsoTis SA, of Lausanne, Switzerland, a tissue-engineering company formed through the merger of Swiss firm Modex Therapeutiques and Dutch company IsoTis, said it is laying off about 31 percent of its workforce--or 48 full-time equivalents--and...

ML Laboratories plc, of Warrington, UK, said marketing partner Baxter Healthcare Corp., of Deerfield, Ill., received FDA approval of ML's icodextrin peritoneal dialysis solution. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 8, 2003... * ML Laboratories plc, of Warrington, UK, said marketing partner Baxter Healthcare Corp., of Deerfield, Ill., received FDA approval of ML's icodextrin peritoneal dialysis solution. The osmotic agent is expected to be available in the U.S. in...

Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, said it signed a research agreement with Intervet Pharma R&D SA, of Boxmeer, the Netherlands, to develop TroVAX-VET, an anti-cancer gene therapy product, for veterinary uses. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 8, 2003... * Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, said it signed a research agreement with Intervet Pharma R&D SA, of Boxmeer, the Netherlands, to develop TroVAX-VET, an anticancer gene therapy product, for veterinary uses. The companies expect to...

Ester neuroscience successfully delivers antisense drug orally.
January 8, 2003... TEL AVIV, Israel -- Ester Neuroscience Ltd. announced preliminary results showing the first successful oral delivery of the company's proprietary antisense drug, EN101, to patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). "The endpoints for measuring...

German government kicks off 50M [euro] systems biology program.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... MUNICH, Germany -- The German Ministry of Science and Education (BMBF) will invest 50 million [euro] to promote research in systems biology. The ministry defines systems biology as an interdisciplinary combination of biology, mathematics,...

Biotica raises $5M for work centered around polyketides.
January 15, 2003... LONDON -- Biotica Technology Ltd. raised US$5 million from foreign investors in its first-round funding, to develop novel versions of existing polyketide drugs and agricultural chemicals by targeted alterations in their biosynthesis. The...

Spanish researchers discover vitamin C gene in strawberries.
January 15, 2003... LONDON -- The juiciest, sweetest and ripest strawberries have the highest levels of vitamin C--and now scientists know why. Researchers working in Spain have identified a gene that is specifically switched on in ripening strawberries, which...

International researchers meet to coordinate stem cell work.
January 15, 2003... LONDON -- Nine leading research funding bodies from around the world met in London last week to agree to an international program of collaborative research in stem cells. The meeting was convened by the UK's Medical Research Council to...

Newron plans extended phase IIb trial of safinamide in Parkinson's.
January 15, 2003... Italian CNS drug development company Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA aims to move its lead compound, safinamide, into Phase IIb clinical trials this spring in order to extend promising preliminary results it obtained in a Phase II trial of the...

Active Biotech AB. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, said it received FDA approval to commence a Phase I clinical trial in the U.S. of a new generation of products based on its Tumor Targeted Superantigen (TTS) technology platform. Roger Cohen at the Fox...

Peptech raises A$10M, gets boost by approval of Humira.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... SYDNEY, Australia -- Peptech Ltd. raised A$10 million (US$5.8 million) from institutional investors and announced that Abbott Laboratories Inc. has been given approval for a drug over which Peptech holds certain intellectual property rights....

BioXell SpA. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * BioXell SpA, of Milan, Italy, named Alex Martin as chief business officer. Martin, formerly vice president for global business development and licensing at Novartis Pharma AG, a subsidiary of Basel, Switzerland-based F. Hoffmann-La Roche...

British Biotech plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * British Biotech plc, of Oxford, UK, said the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel advised it that British Biotech shares could continue to be listed. That follows a change to the ratio of British Biotech's shares from 1-for-10 to 1-for-40,...

Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, entered into an alliance with Oxagen Ltd., of Abingdon, UK. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, entered into an alliance with Oxagen Ltd., of Abingdon, UR, to identify chemical compounds that interact with one of Oxagen's leading drug targets. Evotec will express the target, develop assays, screen the...

Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said it reached the first milestone in its collaboration with Basel, Switzerland-based F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said it reached the first milestone in its collaboration with Basel, Switzerland-based F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., by demonstrating proof of concept in an animal disease model with a human monoclonal...

GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, reached two milestones in its antimicrobial alliance with Altana Pharma, the pharmaceuticals subsidiary of the German company Altana AG. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, reached two milestones in its antimicrobial alliance with Altana Pharma, the pharmaceuticals subsidiary of the German company Altana AG. The milestones are related to expanding the database of gene...

Vivalis enters deal with Merial for production of Avian Vaccines.
January 15, 2003... PARIS -- Vivalis, a specialist in the cultivation of stem cells from transgenic animals, entered a collaboration agreement with the animal health company Merial providing for Merial to test the feasibility of using the French company's stem...

IsoTis implements R&D cuts, layoffs to reduce expenses.
January 15, 2003... MUNICH, Germany -- IsoTis SA is restructuring its research and development programs to cut costs and reduce the use of capital by almost 50 percent. The company is canceling development of VivescOs, an autologous bone program, and is...

LION bioscience AG. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * LION bioscience AG, of Heidelberg, Germany, made several changes to its executive management and supervisory board. SAP co-founder Klaus Tschira has stepped down from the company's supervisory board. The firm expects Richard Roy, the former...

MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, settled its legal dispute with the Loyola University of Chicago and MedImmune Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, settled its legal dispute with the Loyola University of Chicago and MedImmune Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md. The dispute was related to contested ownership rights of the CVLP technology. The settlement...

MorphoSys AG, of Munich, Germany, won a judgment in a Boston court recommending dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Applied Molecular Evolution Inc., of San Diego. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * MorphoSys AG, of Munich, Germany, won a judgment in a Boston court recommending dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Applied Molecular Evolution Inc., of San Diego. AME had alleged that MorphoSys was willfully infringing the Kauffman patent...

Oxford GlycoSciences plc, of Abingdon, UK, announced two new contracts for its proteomics services division, bringing closer the objective of making the division profitable in 2003. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * Oxford GlycoSciences plc, of Abingdon, UK, announced two new contracts for its proteomics services division, bringing closer the objective of making the division profitable in 2003. The first deal, with Pfizer Inc., is in an undisclosed...

PowderJect Pharmaceuticals plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * PowderJect Pharmaceuticals plc, of Oxford said it-would hold an extraordinary general meeting to approve a share buyback. The company is seeking authority to purchase up to 10 percent of the shares issued. Any shares bought will be canceled,...

BioFocus enters Amgen deal, offers warning on financials.
January 15, 2003... Taking aim at ion-channel research as a way of devising treatments for cardiovascular and neurological disorders are Amgen Inc. and UK-based BioFocus plc. BioFocus will provide Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Amgen with assay development,...

Senexis gets funding to push programs in diseases of aging.
January 15, 2003... LONDON -- Senexis Ltd. raised 1.4 million [pounds sterling] (US$2.24 million) in its first round to develop inhibitors of amyloidosis, a pathogenic process in a range of aging-related diseases including Type II diabetes and Alzheimer's,...

ReGen Therapeutics plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * ReGen Therapeutics plc, of London, said it was granted a U.S. patent on its lead product, Colostrinin, as an oxidative stress regulator. The compound is in Phase II trials in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

TopoTarget Prolifix Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 15, 2003... * TopoTarget Prolifix Ltd., of Oxford, UK, said it was granted a U.S. patent on JMY, a protein that plays a key role in controlling cell death. The company says inhibitors of JMY could be used to prevent the toxic side effects of chemo and...

Biolipox raises 21M [euro] to fund drug discovery, development.
January 22, 2003... Swedish drug discovery and development firm Biolipox AB raised 21 million [euro] in a second-round financing led by the Paris office of Apax Partners. The transaction also attracted new investors Credit Lyonnais Private Equity and Auriga...

U.S. officials step up threats over European ban on GM crops.
January 22, 2003... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union's commissioner for trade policy last week vigorously rejected U.S. accusations that EU rules on biotechnology were an unfair impediment to biotechnology trade. Pascal Lamy described as "unacceptable"...

Future drugs could disrupt protein biosynthesis in cancer.
January 22, 2003... LONDON -- The identification of a previously unknown metabolic pathway in cancer cells could ultimately lead to new targets for anticancer drugs, researchers predict. A team from the University of Glasgow in Scotland, collaborating with...

Procognia closes $4m round, acquires Sense Proteomic Ltd.
January 22, 2003... LONDON -- Procognia Ltd. acquired privately held Sense Proteomic Ltd. and closed another round of financing, raising $4 million from existing shareholders Apax Partners, Evergreen Partners and Vitalife. In April the company was formed from...

Cyclacel starts Phase II trials of small-molecule CDK inhibitor.
January 22, 2003... LONDON -- Cyclacel Ltd. said it is starting two Phase IIa trials of CYC202 in cancer, the first orally available small-molecule inhibitor of cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) to reach this stage of development. CEO Spiro Rombotis told BioWorld...

Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, and GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, reached milestones in their multiyear alliance to establish the U.S. Altana Research Institute in Waltham, Mass. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, and GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, reached milestones in their multiyear alliance to establish the U.S. Altana Research Institute in Waltham, Mass. Successful technology transfer, along with a...

Amedis Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, and Argenta Discovery, of Harlow, UK, entered a collaboration to apply Amedis' in silico drug-optimization technology to Argenta's drug discovery activities. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... Amedis Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, and Argenta Discovery, of Harlow, UK, entered a collaboration to apply Amedis' in silico drug-optimization technology to Argenta's drug discovery activities. Amedis has developed a silicon-based...

EU leaders support worldwide ban on reproductive cloning. (European Union Roundup).
January 22, 2003... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Following the announcements that two cloned babies had been born in the United States and Europe, there has been a chorus of opposition from European regulators and the biotechnology industry. European Research Commissioner...

ReNeuron shares drop on failed Phase II trials of lead product.
January 22, 2003... LONDON -- Shares in the UK's only quoted stem cell company, ReNeuron Holdings plc, fell 14 percent to 7.5 pence Friday after it announced its lead compound, ReN1869, failed in two Phase II trials. ReNeuron CEO Martin Edwards told BioWorld...

BioPartners GmbH, of Zug, Switzerland, agreed to develop an improved interferon beta for treating multiple sclerosis for Rentschler GmbH & Co. KG, of Laupheim, Germany. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... BioPartners GmbH, of Zug, Switzerland, agreed to develop an improved interferon beta for treating multiple sclerosis for Rentschler GmbH & Co. KG, of Laupheim, Germany. BioPartners will have exclusive global marketing rights for the new...

Second complication arises in French gene therapy trial.(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... PARIS -- A second child has developed a serious complication while undergoing gene therapy at the Necker children's hospital in Paris. The Phase I/II trial was testing a therapy for a rare genetic disease, severe combined immune deficiency...

Xenova paying $1M for rights to two addiction vaccines.(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... LONDON -- Xenova Group plc is to buy all remaining rights to two anti-addiction vaccines, TA-CD and TA NIC, from the ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corp. Liquidating Trust for $1 million. To fund the move, the Slough-based company raised 680,000...

Confirmant Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... Confirmant Ltd., of Abingdon, UK, said it signed a license with the University of Pennsylvania for Confirmant's proteomics database, the Protein Atlas of the Human Genome. The Atlas is a combined genomics and proteomics database of about 11,000...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, said it signed a research license agreement with Centocor Inc., of Malvern, Pa., a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, regarding its PER.C6 human cell line expression platform. (Other, News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, said it signed a research license agreement with Centocor Inc., of Malvern, Pa., a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, regarding its PER.C6 human cell line expression platform. The agreement enables...

Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, provided a drug candidate to Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., that has advanced in clinical testing. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, provided a drug candidate to Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass, that has advanced in clinical testing. The advance triggered a milestone payment to the German company. The candidate came from a...

Galapagos Genomics NV. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... Galapagos Genomics NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, said it launched its SilenceSelect gene silencing platform as a complement to its adenovirus-based gene expression. SilenceSelect contains a collection of sequences that induce knock-down of 5,000...

Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Martinsried, Germany, licensed key patents on animal genetic modification from Incyte Genomics Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Martinsried, Germany, licensed key patents on animal genetic modification from Incyte Genomics Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif. The license clears an obstacle to Ingenium's plans to market its Ingenotyping technology...

NeuTec Pharma plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... NeuTec Pharma plc, of Manchester, UK, said it will start a Phase IIb trial of AuroGrab for the treatment of the hospital superbug infection Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) this quarter. That followed the successful completion...

Oxford GlycoSciences plc, of Abingdon, UK, said it submitted an application for approval of Zavesca, an oral treatment for Type I Gaucher's disease, in Israel. (Others News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... Oxford GlycoSciences plc, of Abingdon, UK said it submitted an application for approval of Zavesca, an oral treatment for Type I Gaucher's disease, in Israel. The company expects a decision in six to nine months. The application was filed by...

SkyePharma plc, of London, is extending its drug delivery capabilities with a strategic investment of 2 million [pounds sterling] (US$3.2 million) in Micap plc, of Warrington, UK, a specialist in microencapsulation technology. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... SkyePharma plc, of London, is extending its drug delivery capabilities with a strategic investment of 2 million [pounds sterling] (US$3.2 million) in Micap plc, of Warrington, UK, a specialist in microencapsulation technology. SkyePharma also...

Adebag planning biotechnology cluster in southeastern France.
January 22, 2003... PARIS -- The Grenoble region in southeastern France, already known as a hotbed of high-technology industries, has ambitions of becoming a major player in the biotechnology sector as well. The Association for the Development of Biotechnology...

Southampton Polypeptides Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2003... Southampton Polypeptides Ltd. in the UK has spun out of Southampton University with 300,000 [pounds sterling] (US$484,000) in seed investment. The company has a platform technology for strengthening the links between amino acids, which it will...

Cerep collaborates with Pfizer on BioPrint database, software.
January 22, 2003... PARIS -- Cerep SA signed a three-year bioinformatics collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc., giving the New York-based pharmaceutical company access to Cerep's BioPrint database and the bioinformatics tools derived from it. In...

CAT, OGS merger could trigger consolidation in biotech sector.
January 29, 2003... LONDON -- The long-called-for restructuring of the UK biotech sector looked to have taken a major step last week when Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc said it would acquire Oxford GlycoSciences plc in an all-share deal valuing OGS at...

European drug agency develops. 2-year program for working party (European Union Roundup).
January 29, 2003... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products announced a full program of work for its biotechnology working party for 2003 and 2004. The envisaged work of the European Union's principal advisory body on new...

Rapid test could ease burden of plague in affected countries.
January 29, 2003... LONDON -- Public health physicians now have a simple, accurate and rapid test to detect cases of plague, giving them a new tool to help control the disease. The test, said the researchers who developed it, could also be used in the event of a...

Stock options lose luster as draw for European biotech CEOs.
January 29, 2003... LONDON -- European biotechnology companies that have used stock options to lure CEOs from big pharma now risk losing them because the value of the shares has fallen so dramatically, according to a survey of 29 CEOs carried out by a leading...

France resuming field trials of genetically modified vines.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2003... PARIS -- France's National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) is planning to resume field trials of genetically modified vines, three years after earlier ones were suspended in response to public concerns about, and opposition to, GM crops....

Australian stock gains could signal a turnaround in sector.(Brief Article)
January 29, 2003... SYDNEY, Australia -- A surge of more than 40 percent in the share price of one biotech company could be an indication that the long dry spell for Australian biotech stocks may be over, analysts say. The share price of stem cell researcher...

Ark Therapeutics Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 29, 2003... * Ark Therapeutics Ltd., of London, announced results of the first study showing anti-HIV activity in a family of novel HIV-1-Tat-derived peptides it has discovered. The in vitro study, carried out at the National Institutes of Health in...

Atugen AG. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
January 29, 2003... * Atugen AG, of Berlin, has identified a cancer target that the company believes plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis. Inhibition of the target results in blocked tumor growth of human carcinoma cells in mouse models. The...

EU backs Scandinavian firms for nasally delivered vaccine.
January 29, 2003... A trio of Scandinavian firms is embarking on a project to investigate the potential of nasal delivery as a route for vaccine administration, drawing on support from a European Union program aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises. ...

Genetics Company raises CHF5M to fund acquisition of CallistoGen.
January 29, 2003... The Genetics Company AG, of Schlieren, Switzerland, raised CHF5 million (US$3.7 million) in new funding to finance the purchase of a set of assets from CallistoGen AG, of Berlin, including computational chemistry and virtual screening tools, in...

Alizyme secures 16.1M [pounds sterling] to advance four lead programs.
January 29, 2003... LONDON -- In challenging market conditions, Alizyme plc succeeded in raising 16.1 million [pounds sterling] (US$26.4 million) in a fully underwritten placing and open offer priced at 28 pence per share, a slight discount to the closing price of...

Therapeutic cloning prohibition gains German parliament support.
January 29, 2003... MUNICH, Germany -- Four of the five political parties in the German parliament have agreed on the text of a proposed law that would forbid the cloning of human embryos. Edelgard Bulmahn, the social democratic minister for education and...

New French law would allow embryonic stem cell research.
January 29, 2003... PARIS -- The French government has introduced a new "bioethics" bill into Parliament that would ban all forms of cloning but would permit research using embryonic stem cells. It would supersede a 1994 law that, among other things, imposed a ban...