BioWorld International articles from January 2004

BioWorld International archives from January 2004

Celltech details Phase III trial plans for CDP870 in Crohn's.
January 7, 2004... A Phase III program in Crohn's disease is under way to evaluate a compound being developed by Celltech Group plc. The Slough, UK-based company said it began dosing patients late last month in the first of two planned pivotal trials, with...

Researchers find gene similar to BRCA1 in nematode worm.
January 7, 2004... Scientists have searched and searched to find genes in nematode worms and other lower organisms that are similar to the human tumor-suppressor gene known as BRCA1, always without success. But now, a team of researchers from the UK, Germany and...

Innogenetics forms hepatitis C union with Roche Diagnostics.
January 7, 2004... PARIS -- Innogenetics signed a licensing agreement with Roche Diagnostics, granting it a nonexclusive worldwide license for a genotyping test for hepatitis C. The deal calls for Roche Diagnostics, a division of the Basel, Switzerland-based...

SkyePharma disputing GSK's royalty payment for Paxil CR.
January 7, 2004... LONDON -- SkyePharma plc is the latest UK biotech to get involved in a dispute with a big pharma partner over a licensing agreement, as it announced it is in discussions with GlaxoSmithKline plc because SkyePharma believes it is entitled to an...

Xenova gets US$1.5m from sale of KSB's monoclonal business.
January 7, 2004... LONDON -- Xenova Group plc has sold for 800,000 [pounds sterling] (US$1.5 million) in cash the sheep monoclonal antibody business acquired when it took over KS Biomedix Holdings plc in September 2003. The sale, to a management buyout team...

Active Biotech AB.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2004... * Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, said that as of Jan. 2, the company's shares are being traded under the Attract 40 segment on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Active Biotech is focused on research and development of drugs focused on...

Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, formed a collaboration with Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, to use Anadys' affinity-based screening technology, Atlas, against Daiichi therapeutic targets.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2004... * Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, formed a collaboration with Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, to use Anadys' affinity-based screening technology, Atlas, against Daiichi therapeutic targets. Anadys will design,...

Novuspharma SpA, of Milan, Italy, and Cell Therapeutics Inc., of Seattle, completed their merger, which was approved by shareholders of both companies in October.(Other News To Note)
January 7, 2004... * Novuspharma SpA, of Milan, Italy, and Cell Therapeutics Inc., of Seattle, completed their merger, which was approved by shareholders of both companies in October. Cell Therapeutics issued about 15.6 million new shares as consideration for...

Eirx seeks to raise 1m [pounds sterling] via initial public offering on AIM.(Alternative Investment Market)(Eirx Therapeutics plc.)
January 7, 2004... DUBLIN, Ireland -- Eirx Therapeutics plc is looking to raise 1 million [pounds sterling] in an initial public offering on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. The fund raising, which is due to be completed...

U.S. Navy to evaluate Inovio's DNA vaccine delivery system.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2004... Inovio AS entered a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Navy Medical Research Center to evaluate the use of Inovio's electroporation technology for delivery of an undisclosed number of Navy DNA vaccines. "It's a really...

Pharma Waldhof, of Dusseldorf, Germany, was acquired by Aceto Corp., of Lake Success, N.Y., from Roche Holding AG, of Basel, Switzerland, for an undisclosed amount.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2004... * Pharma Waldhof, of Dusseldorf, Germany, was acquired by Aceto Corp., of Lake Success, N.Y., from Roche Holding AG, of Basel, Switzerland, for an undisclosed amount. Aceto funded the acquisition with cash on hand and did not incur or assume...

Pharmagene plc, of Royston, UK, signed an agreement giving Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, access to Pharmagene's compound validation service, Phase ZERO, for three years.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2004... * Pharmagene plc, of Royston, UK, signed an agreement giving Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, access to Pharmagene's compound validation service, Phase ZERO, for three years. Phase ZERO uses human tissues to identify possible adverse...

Weizmann Institute of Science.(Other News To Note)(research on allicin )(Brief Article)
January 7, 2004... * Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, said a team from the department of biological chemistry blocked the growth of gastric tumors in mice with no side effects, using a tumor-targeting garlic bomb as reported in Molecular Cancer...

Elan's former , Prialt, hits phase III endpoint.
January 14, 2004... Elan Corp. plc aims to launch its non-opioid peptide-based analgesic Prialt "no later" than the first quarter of 2005, following news that the compound met its primary endpoint in a trial of 220 patients with severe chronic pain who had not...

DNA repair breakthrough could help boost cancer chemotherapy.
January 14, 2004... LONDON -- After a search lasting 15 years, a team of scientists in the UK finally identified a protein that plays a key role in DNA repair. The discovery could lead to ways of making radiotherapy or chemotherapy for cancer more efficient...

Crucell signs Aventis, Pfizer To PER.C6-based collaborations.(Aventis Pasteur S.A.)
January 14, 2004... Crucell NV secured two vaccine product deals based on its PER.C6 human cell line over a week's time. It unveiled an agreement Tuesday to license its veterinary West Nile vaccine to Pfizer Inc. for use in horses. That follows its first ever...

UroGene licenses Aventis Drug, engages third funding round.(Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
January 14, 2004... PARIS -- UroGene SA signed an exclusive development and commercialization agreement with Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. for Besipirdine, which UroGene is to develop for the treatment of overactive bladder. The financial terms of the deal...

Alizyme performs well in first U.S. trial of Renzapride in IBS.
January 14, 2004... LONDON -- Alizyme plc announced the results of its first U.S. trial of Renzapride in the treatment of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, showing the drug caused a dose-dependent enhancement of colonic motility, which resulted in...

AbC.R.O. Inc., of Sofia, Bulgaria, and Covalent Group Inc., of Wayne, Pa., signed an agreement for the marketing and delivery of clinical development services on a global basis.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... AbC.R.O. Inc., of Sofia, Bulgaria, and Covalent Group Inc., of Wayne, Pa., signed an agreement for the marketing and delivery of clinical development services on a global basis. The agreement provides for the alignment of standard operating...

BioMerieux SA, of Marcy-l'Etoile, France, entered a commercial relationship with Cepheid Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... BioMerieux SA, of Marcy-l'Etoile, France, entered a commercial relationship with Cepheid Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif. BioMerieux, an in vitro infectious disease diagnostics company, will develop DNA-testing products that use its NASBA (Nucleic...

VBL raises $5m for treatment against heart disease, cancer.(Vascular Biogenics Ltd.)
January 14, 2004... ZICHRON YAAKOV, Israel -- Vascular Biogenics Ltd. (VBL) closed a $5 million round of financing this week with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. investing $1.7 million. "Teva regards its investment in VBL as a major asset in one of...

De Novo sells license to Lilly for drug discovery software.(De Novo Pharmaceuticals Ltd. )(Eli Lilly and Co.)
January 14, 2004... LONDON -- De Novo Pharmaceuticals Ltd. sold the first license for its drug discovery software to Eli Lilly and Co., following a restructuring late last year that saw De Novo abandon in-house product development to focus on commercializing its...

New year, new EU guidelines for biotechnology medicines.
January 14, 2004... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- A flurry of new guidelines on biotechnology product development greeted European researchers on their return from the end-of-year break--notably on the manufacture of gene therapy and somatic cell-based products. ...

Cellectis licenses technology to Diversa for use in research.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... PARIS -- Cellectis SA signed a licensing agreement with Diversa Corp., granting the latter a nonexclusive license for research purposes only to Cellectis' patented meganuclease I-Scel technology. Financial terms of the agreement were not...

Vanhemelrijck named new boss for European Biotech Federation.(European Union Roundup)(Johan Vanhemelrijck)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Another Brussels insider will take over as the head of EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, when current Secretary General Hugo Schepens retires next month. The new man will be Johan Vanhemelrijck, who...

BioVision AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... BioVision AG, of Hanover, Germany, appointed Peter Schulz-Knappe chief scientific officer and a member of its board. Schulz-Knappe is one of the firm's founders and served as CEO until April. He succeeds Rudolf Reiter as chief scientific...

BML Inc., of Tokyo, a clinical reference lab, and Third Wave Technologies Inc., of Madison, Wis., extended a multiyear partnership for a minimum of one year.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... BML Inc., of Tokyo, a clinical reference lab, and Third Wave Technologies Inc., of Madison, Wis., extended a multiyear partnership for a minimum of one year. The companies will continue their collaboration to commercialize molecular diagnostic...

Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Cambridge, UK, completed enrollment in the Phase III trial of Trabio in patients undergoing first-time surgery for glaucoma. The randomized, double-blind study enrolled 393 patients in six European...

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd., of Petach-Tikva, Israel, reported preclinical study results in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the British Journal of Cancer and Oncogene. The results showed CF101 is active in inhibiting the progression of a...

Celltech Group plc, of Slough, UK, achieved a milestone in its agreement with Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., for the research, development and global commercialization of treatments for osteoporosis using Celltech's antibody fragment technology, which aims to identify antibody fragments against sclerostin, a protein discovered by Celltech.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Celltech Group plc, of Slough, UK, achieved a milestone in its agreement with Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., for the research, development and global commercialization of treatments for osteoporosis using Celltech's antibody fragment...

Cytheris SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Cytheris SA, of Vanves, France, said its first recombinant protein is in a Phase I study. CYT 99 007 is a recombinant human interleukin-7 developed by Cytheris. It targets the immune reconstitution of immuno-compromised patients undergoing...

DeCode Genetics Inc.(Other News To Note)(The Simons Foundation in New York )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... DeCode Genetics Inc., of Reykjavik, Iceland, and The Simons Foundation in New York launched the first population-based study of the genetics of autism and autism spectrum disorders. The study is funded by a two-year, $2.8 million grant from the...

D-Pharm Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... D-Pharm Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, completed a yearlong restructuring as part of its plan to focus on the development of DP-b99 and DP-VPA. The company plans to launch a Phase 11b trial of DP-b99 this year. DP-b99 is a neuroprotective agent to...

DVC Deutsche Venture Capital.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... DVC Deutsche Venture Capital, of Munich, Germany, made Jan zur Hausen a partner in the company's life sciences practice. Zur Hausen was previously managing director of Mulligan BioCapital AG, of Hamburg, Germany. DVC presently has about 300...

Flamel Technologies SA, of Lyon, France, received a $2 million milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, related to a license agreement for the application of Flamel's Micropump technology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Flamel Technologies SA, of Lyon, France, received a $2 million milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, related to a license agreement for the application of Flamel's Micropump technology. The controlled-release, taste-masking...

Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, and AtheroGenics Inc., of Atlanta, entered a collaboration to develop AtheroGenics' AGI-1096 compound as an oral treatment for the prevention of organ transplant rejection.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, and AtheroGenics Inc., of Atlanta, entered a collaboration to develop AtheroGenics' AGI-1096 compound as an oral treatment for the prevention of organ transplant rejection. They will conduct...

Genedata AG, of Basel, Switzerland, and Bayer Healthcare, of Tarrytown, N.Y., scientists were published in the January issue of Genome Research in an article describing research that is expected to accelerate the hunt for antimicrobial drug candidates.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Genedata AG, of Basel, Switzerland, and Bayer Healthcare, of Tarrytown, N.Y., scientists were published in the January issue of Genome Research in an article describing research that is expected to accelerate the hunt for antimicrobial drug...

Greiner Bio-One GmbH, of Frickenhausen, Germany, and Scienion AG, of Berlin, brought a combined microarray to the market.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Greiner Bio-One GmbH, of Frickenhausen, Germany, and Scienion AG, of Berlin, brought a combined microarray to the market. The companies specialize in diagnostic and pharmaceutical screening. They said their plastic slide product saves material...

Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, agreed to provide exclusive Japanese rights to Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, to palonosetron, for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy-treated patients.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, agreed to provide exclusive Japanese rights to Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, to palonosetron, for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy-treated patients. In the U.S.,...

Igeneon AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Igeneon AG, of Vienna, Austria, appointed Manfred Ruediger as chief operating officer, a new position that also makes him a member of the company's board. Previously, Ruediger was chief scientific officer, and since July 2002 acting CEO of...

Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Germany, and the University of Cambridge in the UK are part of an international consortium of academic and industry participants that will receive 11.7 million [euro] over five years as part of a European community Sixth Framework grant to...

Merck KgaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, awarded ImClone Systems Inc., of New York, a $5 million equity milestone payment upon the Swiss approval of Erbitux.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Merck KgaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, awarded ImClone Systems Inc., of New York, a $5 million equity milestone payment upon the Swiss approval of Erbitux. The drug was approved to treat patients with colorectal cancer who no longer respond to...

METabolic Explorer.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... METabolic EXplorer, of Clermont-Ferrand, France, renewed and expanded a contract with the animal feed division of an undisclosed European chemical company. The three-year, fee-for-service contract calls for METabolic EXplorer to use its METflux...

NicOx SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... NicOx SA, of Sophia-Antipolis, France, said NCX 4016 reached its primary efficacy endpoint in a Phase IIa study in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial obstructive disease. NCX 4016 is a nitric oxide-donating derivative of aspirin in...

NV Organon, of Oss, the Netherlands, and Paris-based Sanofi-Synthelabo SA agreed to revise the terms of their collaboration on antithrombotic Arixtra and certain other oligosaccharides.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... NV Organon, of Oss, the Netherlands, and Paris-based Sanofi-Synthelabo SA agreed to revise the terms of their collaboration on antithrombotic Arixtra and certain other oligosaccharides. Organon will transfer to Sanofi its remaining rights for...

ProSkelia SAS, of Paris, and Antares Pharma Inc., of Exton, Pa., signed a development and licensing option agreement for the development and future licensing of products using Antares Pharma's ATD gel technology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... ProSkelia SAS, of Paris, and Antares Pharma Inc., of Exton, Pa., signed a development and licensing option agreement for the development and future licensing of products using Antares Pharma's ATD gel technology. The products will contain an...

Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, and Strathmann Biotech AG, of Hamburg, Germany, signed a manufacturing agreement with Corautus Genetics Inc., of Atlanta, to produce VEGF-2 plasmid for Phase III trials and future commercial use.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, and Strathmann Biotech AG, of Hamburg, Germany, signed a manufacturing agreement with Corautus Genetics Inc., of Atlanta, to produce VEGF-2 plasmid for Phase III trials and future commercial use. The VEGF-2...

Sanofi-Synthelabo SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Sanofi-Synthelabo SA, of Paris, said the FDA approved Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) in combination with 5FU/LV for the first-line treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Clinical data showed that patients treated with the combination as first-line...

Sinovac Biotech Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Sinovac Biotech Ltd., of Beijing, said its shares are now listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Berlin Stock Exchange under the symbol "SVQ." The company, whose shares already are traded on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board under the...

Speedel Group.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Speedel Group, of Basel, Switzerland, raised an additional CHF19.2 million to complete a mezzanine financing round worth CHF71.3 million (US$58 million). The initial CHF52.1 million tranche closed in July. The privately held company, which has...

Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, renewed its agreement with Gene Logic Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., for three years to use Gene Logic's information services in Sumitomo's pharmaceutical research and development programs.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, renewed its agreement with Gene Logic Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., for three years to use Gene Logic's information services in Sumitomo's pharmaceutical research and development programs. Sumitomo...

Trinity Biotech plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Trinity Biotech plc, of Dublin, Ireland, raised about $22.5 million after entering definitive agreements with institutional investors for the private placement of about 5.3 million ordinary shares at $4.25 apiece. The investors will receive...

Xenova Group plc, of Slough, UK, sold certain premises at its Farnham research facilities together with related assets to Bioventix Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2004... Xenova Group plc, of Slough, UK, sold certain premises at its Farnham research facilities together with related assets to Bioventix Ltd. The sale assets constitute part of the business acquired by the group upon the acquisition of KS Biomedix...

Pharming raising 25m [euro], eyeing 2005 launch of lead product.
January 21, 2004... Pharming Group NV is raising more than 25 million [euro] and converting 5.8 million [euro] of debt to equity. The Dutch biotechnology firm, which has struggled financially and emerged from court protection in October 2002, plans to use...

Cytokine IL-6 plays key role in heart damage from septic shock.(cytokine interleukin-6)
January 21, 2004... LONDON -- The cytokine interleukin-6 plays an important role in triggering the rapid damage to heart muscle function that can develop in people with septic shock following infection with meningococci, a condition that often is fatal. The...

Cerep broadening services via $12.9m acquisition of Hesperion.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... PARIS -- Cerep SA plans to acquire the Swiss clinical development services company Hesperion AC by purchasing 100 percent of its outstanding shares for CHF16.1 million (US$12.9 million). Actelion Ltd., of Allschwil, Switzerland, owns 70...

Belgians call on Europeans to take lead in industrial biotech.(European Union Roundup)
January 21, 2004... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Industrial biotechnology could account for 60 percent of fine chemicals production worldwide by 2010, according to a report released last week by the Royal Belgian Academy Council of Applied Science. And if European...

Irish biomedical center gets 19m [euro] for gene therapy, other research.
January 21, 2004... Ireland's first major effort in stem cell research is getting off the ground at the National University of Ireland in Galway. The National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science at the college has secured 15 million [euro] from Science...

7TM Pharma A/S, of Horsholm, Denmark, entered a collaboration with Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corp., a unit of H. Lundbeck A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * 7TM Pharma A/S, of Horsholm, Denmark, entered a collaboration with Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corp., a unit of H. Lundbeck A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark. Terms were not disclosed, but during its initial phase, the agreement will operate as a...

ProSkelia, BioXell enter alliance to develop vitamin 3D analogues.
January 21, 2004... PARIS -- ProSkelia SAS and BioXell SpA entered a collaboration to discover and develop drug candidates based on vitamin 3D analogues for osteoporosis and secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). Vitamin 3D analogues are secosteroid hormones...

Genzyme selects Cambridge for location of R&D center.
January 21, 2004... LONDON -- After a two-year search, many overtures and offers of financial and other inducements, Genzyme Corp. selected Cambridge as the site for its first research and development center in Europe. "We explored many possibilities, and in...

Acambis plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Acambis plc, of Cambridge, UK, said pre-tax profits for the year ended Dec. 31 would be 12 million [pounds sterling] (US$21.9 million) lower than previous guidance as a result of a shipping delay of its ACAM2000 investigational smallpox...

AERES Biomedical Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * AERES Biomedical Ltd., of London, said it was awarded a contract by the U.S. National Cancer Institute to design, construct and express a humanized antibody against CD-22, for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

AstraZeneca plc, of London, awarded a research milestone to Pharmacopeia Inc., of Princeton, N.J., in its collaboration in which scientists identified lead compounds from Pharmacopeia's compound collection active against a gastrointestinal receptor target.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * AstraZeneca plc, of London, awarded a research milestone to Pharmacopeia Inc., of Princeton, N.J., in its collaboration in which scientists identified lead compounds from Pharmacopeia's compound collection active against a gastrointestinal...

Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Cambridge, UK, and Lonza Group Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, reported the extension of their November 2001 agreement, confirming that Lonza Biologics will manufacture and supply clinical-grade antibody drugs to CAT through the end of 2006.(Other News To Note)(Cambridge Antibody Technology Group PLC)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Cambridge, UK, and Lonza Group Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, reported the extension of their November 2001 agreement, confirming that Lonza Biologics will manufacture and supply clinical-grade...

Cobra Biomanufacturing plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Cobra Biomanufacturing plc, of Keele, UK, was awarded a U.S. patent covering its ORT-VAC system for the production of live, oral, genetically engineered vaccines. The ORT-VAC technology makes it possible to create stable, engineered strains...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, granted an exclusive license to Pfizer Inc., of New York, to develop and commercialize Crucell's West Nile virus veterinary vaccine for use in horses.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, granted an exclusive license to Pfizer Inc., of New York, to develop and commercialize Crucell's West Nile virus veterinary vaccine for use in horses. Pfizer will pay Crucell an up-front license fee,...

CSL Ltd., of Australia, and Chiron Corp., of Emeryville, Calif., formed a collaboration to develop a therapeutic hepatitis C vaccine.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * CSL Ltd., of Australia, and Chiron Corp., of Emeryville, Calif., formed a collaboration to develop a therapeutic hepatitis C vaccine. Chiron will provide its hepatitis C virus antigens, and CSL will contribute its Iscomatrix adjuvant...

Direvo Biotech AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Direvo Biotech AG, of Cologne, Germany, will receive a 3.9 million [pounds sterling] grant from the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia to fund a pharmaceutical development project over four years. The aim of the project, in which...

D-Pharm Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, reacquired full rights to DP-VPA from Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc, of Andover, UK.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * D-Pharm Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, reacquired full rights to DP-VPA from Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc, of Andover, UK. The new chemical entity, a phospholipid derivative of the generic drug Valproic acid, significantly reduced the number of...

DSM Pharma Chemicals, of Sittard, the Netherlands, entered a collaboration with Diversa Corp., of San Diego, to discover and develop biocatalytic solutions designed to simplify a variety of chemical transformations.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * DSM Pharma Chemicals, of Sittard, the Netherlands, entered a collaboration with Diversa Corp., of San Diego, to discover and develop biocatalytic solutions designed to simplify a variety of chemical transformations. DPC will identify targeted...

Evotec OAI AG, of Munich, Germany, formed a medicinal chemistry partnership with Rib-X Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New Haven, Conn.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Evotec OAI AG, of Munich, Germany, formed a medicinal chemistry partnership with Rib-X Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New Haven, Conn. Evotec will use its integrated medicinal chemistry and parallel synthesis platform to facilitate Rib-X's efforts...

Fresenius Biotech GmbH, a division of Fresenius AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, entered an agreement with Xcyte Therapies Inc., of Seattle, to transfer the latter's Xcellerate technology for a T-cell-based gene therapy program for treating HIV infection.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Fresenius Biotech GmbH, a division of Fresenius AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, entered an agreement with Xcyte Therapies Inc., of Seattle, to transfer the latter's Xcellerate technology for a T-cell-based gene therapy program for treating HIV...

Genedata AG, of Basel, Switzerland, and Schering AG, of Berlin, expanded their four-year collaboration.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Genedata AG, of Basel, Switzerland, and Schering AG, of Berlin, expanded their four-year collaboration. Schering extended the license for Expressionist, the Genedata computational system for large-scale gene-expression analysis in the...

GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, of Rixensart, Belgium, and Corixa Corp., of Seattle, received FDA approval of an investigational new drug application and plan to initiate a Phase I study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a prophylactic vaccine for tuberculosis.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, of Rixensart, Belgium, and Corixa Corp., of Seattle, received FDA approval of an investigational new drug application and plan to initiate a Phase I study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a...

GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said it has received about $1.5 million in milestone payments triggered by progress in its five-year alliance with the Altana Research Institute, a division of Altana Pharma AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said it has received about $1.5 million in milestone payments triggered by progress in its five-year alliance with the Altana Research Institute, a division of Altana Pharma AG, of Bad Homburg,...

Gradipore Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, completed the purchase of the therapeutic plasma business of Serologicals Corp., of Atlanta, with the effective date of sale Dec. 28.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Gradipore Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, completed the purchase of the therapeutic plasma business of Serologicals Corp., of Atlanta, with the effective date of sale Dec. 28. Serologicals said the sale of that business marks a major milestone in...

Jerini AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Jerini AG, of Berlin, reported positive results from its POC Phase II study to evaluate its lead compound, Icatibant, for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema. Symptoms resolved rapidly in all eight patients, and the...

Kemin Pharma.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Kemin Pharma, of Herentals, Belgium, said it identified two molecules that appear to have good biological effects against hepatitis C virus. The first molecule, KPE02003002, is being tested in Phase II trials and was discovered in October...

Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and ActivX Biosciences Inc., of La Jolla, Calif., entered a collaboration to develop protein activity profiles for certain Kyorin compounds.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and ActivX Biosciences Inc., of La Jolla, Calif., entered a collaboration to develop protein activity profiles for certain Kyorin compounds. ActivX agreed to use its technology to analyze specific...

LGC Ltd., of Teddington, UK, and Sequenom Inc., of San Diego, entered a collaboration to develop and validate a genetic marker panel for paternity and forensic identification.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * LGC Ltd., of Teddington, UK, and Sequenom Inc., of San Diego, entered a collaboration to develop and validate a genetic marker panel for paternity and forensic identification. Successful results will enable LGC to use the validated panel of...

MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, named Tokyo-based Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. as its pan-European marketing partner for the Eligard prostate cancer products licensed from Atrix Laboratories Inc., of Fort Collins, Colo.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, named Tokyo-based Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. as its pan-European marketing partner for the Eligard prostate cancer products licensed from Atrix Laboratories Inc., of Fort Collins, Colo. Eligard...

MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and Bayer Healthcare AG, a unit of Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, Germany, agreed to cross-license certain technology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and Bayer Healthcare AG, a unit of Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, Germany, agreed to cross-license certain technology. MorphoSys will receive the human cell line HKB11 for production of HuCAL antibodies and...

MWG Biotech AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2004... * MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, said a hydrogel electrophoresis purification process expands its synthetic nucleic acid portfolio. Highest purity oligonucleotides produced in the process open to customers a range of genomic...