BioWorld International articles from January 2007

BioWorld International archives from January 2007

European drug agency predicts another bumper year in 2007.
January 3, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The London-based European Medicines Agency is expecting a high level of activity in 2007, and much of the work is likely to come from evaluation of new biotechnology medicine applications. The 2007 work program and...

On the brink of bankruptcy, GeneMedix finds a rescuer.
January 3, 2007... LONDON -- After two years of corporate strife--and just weeks away from bankruptcy--biogenerics manufacturer GeneMedix plc was rescued by the Indian company Reliance Life Sciences Pvt Ltd, which will invest 14.6 million [pounds sterling]...

New breast cancer gene moves focus to role of DNA repair.
January 3, 2007... LONDON -- The discovery of another new gene that doubles a woman's risk of breast cancer when inherited in mutant form will help fill in the gaps in our knowledge of how faults in DNA repair cause cancer, researchers predict. It also...

Neuropharma raises $41.7m for Alzheimer's development.
January 3, 2007... Neuropharma SA raised 31.5 million [euro] (US41.7 million) in a second funding round to progress its early stage pipeline of Alzheimer's disease drug candidates. The Madrid-based company remains a majority-owned subsidiary of Zeltia Group, also...

Cellectis files IPO prospectus on the Paris stock exchange.
January 3, 2007... PARIS -- Cellectis SA filed a preliminary prospectus with the French Financial Markets Authority with a view to launching an initial public offering on the Alternext market of the Paris Euronext stock exchange. Cellectis is a genome...

Protherics seeking $74.4 m and expanded product line.
January 3, 2007... LONDON -- It's the New Year, and a new look for Protherics plc, as shareholders convene today at an extraordinary general meeting to approve a 38 million [pounds sterling] (US$74.4 million) fund raising and three deals that would extend the...

Altana AG.(Other News To Note)
January 3, 2007... Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, completed the 4.6 billion [euro] (US$6.1 billion) sale of Altana Pharma AG and its entire pharmaceuticals business to Nycomed A/S, of Roskilde, Denmark. The pharmaceutical divestiture ends the company's...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, signed a cross-licensing deal with Whitehouse Station.(Other News To Note)
January 3, 2007... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, signed a cross-licensing deal with Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck & Co. Inc., in which Merck will be able to use Crucell's technology on an exclusive basis in undisclosed vaccine fields and Crucell...

SkyePharma gets new loan for flutiform development.
January 3, 2007... LONDON -- SkyePharma plc is taking out a high-interest 35 million [pounds sterling] (US$68.9 million) loan to pay for the Phase III development of its asthma drug flutiform. The move comes just over a year after the company raised 35 million...

pSivida Ltd.(licensing agreements)(Brief article)
January 3, 2007... pSivida Ltd., of Perth, Australia, entered into an exclusive negotiation period with a major global pharmaceutical company to acquire a worldwide royalty bearing license to make, use and sell products using pSivida's drug delivery technologies....

Ablynx, B-I sign $265m deal to use nanobodies in alzheimer's.
January 10, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Boehringer Ingelheim and Ablynx have come together on a $265 million deal to explore the use of Ablynx' novel class of therapeutic proteins--nanobodies--in treatments for Alzheimer's disease. Andreas Barner, Boehringer...

Evolutec ponders future after failures of its lead compound.
January 10, 2007... LONDON -- Evolutec plc is reviewing all options for its commercial future after its lead product rEV131 failed its second Phase II trial in a month, in the treatment of inflammation following cataract surgery. That followed the December...

DNA repair enzyme is key to premature aging.
January 10, 2007... LONDON -- A newly identified genetic mutation that leaves the body unable to deal with damage to DNA caused by ultraviolet radiation and other agents has provided a multitude of clues about the causes of aging. A study of a 15-year-old boy...

ABN Amro spins off life sciences division.
January 10, 2007... ABN Amro NV has spun out its life sciences venture capital activity to form a new entity, Forbion Capital Partners, which starts life with 200 million [euro] (US$260 million) under management. That total includes ABN Amro's existing life...

SkyePharma cuts losses and sells injectable unit.
January 10, 2007... LONDON -- SkyePharma plc sold its San Diego-based injectable drugs business for 10.2 million [pounds sterling] (US$20 million) up-front, and a further 31.7 million [pounds sterling] in development milestones on the lead product, to Blue...

Ark clears another hurdle in race toward gene therapy.
January 10, 2007... LONDON -- Ark Therapeutics plc cleared another hurdle in its bid to become the first to launch a gene therapy product in a regulated market, when the independent data and safety committee unanimously recommended that the Phase III trial of...

ThromboGenics starts U.S. Phase II with microplasmin.
January 10, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- ThromboGenics has initiated a Phase IIb clinical trial of microplasmin in vitrectom in the U.S. For ThromboGenics NV, of Leuven, Belgium, the trial is a crucial stage in its development of microplasmin, one of its...

Bavarian Nordic A/S.(Other News To Note)
January 10, 2007... Bavarian Nordic A/S, of Kvistgard, Denmark, said its U.S. subsidiary BN ImmunoTherapeutics Inc. is set to begin a Phase I/II study of its breast cancer vaccine, MVABN-HER-2, in the U.S. in parallel with a similar study in Europe. Both are...

$65m raised by Novexel for anti-infection, fungal research.
January 10, 2007... PARIS -- Novexel SA closed a series B financing in which it raised 50 million [euro] (US$65 million) from an international group of venture capital funds. The round was led by a new investor, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners of...

Wittycell licenses technology for further vaccine research.
January 10, 2007... PARIS -- Wittycell SAS, a young biotech company that is developing new adjuvants for optimizing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against cancer and infectious disease, signed an exclusive worldwide license agreement with three American...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, and DSM Biologics, a business unit of Parsippany, N.J.-based DSM Pharmaceutical Products, signed a PER.C6 license agreement with Portuguese firm Biotecnol SA and its U.S. subsidiary, Biotecnol Inc.(Other News To Note)
January 10, 2007... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, and DSM Biologics, a business unit of Parsippany, N.J.-based DSM Pharmaceutical Products, signed a PER.C6 license agreement with Portuguese firm Biotecnol SA and its U.S. subsidiary, Biotecnol Inc. Terms...

Galapagos NV.(Other News To Note)
January 10, 2007... Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, said its service division, BioFocus DPI, has expanded and extended its longstanding drug discovery collaboration with Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., through this year and 2008. BioFocus DPI will...

Gentium SpA, of Villa Guardia, Italy, agreed to acquire the Italian marketing authorizations for Defibrotide and related trademarks, as well as certain other related assets, from Crinos SpA, of Como, Italy, for 16 million [euro] (US$21.1 million) in cash and other considerations.(Brief article)
January 10, 2007... Gentium SpA, of Villa Guardia, Italy, agreed to acquire the Italian marketing authorizations for Defibrotide and related trademarks, as well as certain other related assets, from Crinos SpA, of Como, Italy, for 16 million [euro] (US$21.1...

Medivir AB.(Other News To Note)
January 10, 2007... Medivir AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, filed an application to begin a Phase I study in Europe of MIV-701, an inhibitor of cathepsin K that could benefit osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Paget's disease and certain tumors causing...

Merck Serono SA, of Geneva, was launched after Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, successfully closed its share purchase agreement of Serono SA, of Geneva.(Other News To Note)
January 10, 2007... Merck Serono SA, of Geneva, was launched after Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, successfully closed its share purchase agreement of Serono SA, of Geneva. The new company will have 28 projects in clinical development and a combined research...

Movetis NV, of Belgium, closed a 49 million [euro] (US$63.8 million) Series A round, led by Sofinnova Partners (France) and Life Science Partners, with participation from Sofinnova Ventures (US), KBC Private Equity, KBC Private Equity Fund Biotech, GIMV, Quest for Growth and BIP Investment Partners.(Other News To Note)
January 10, 2007... Movetis NV, of Belgium, closed a 49 million [euro] (US$63.8 million) Series A round, led by Sofinnova Partners (France) and Life Science Partners, with participation from Sofinnova Ventures (US), KBC Private Equity, KBC Private Equity Fund...

Protherics plc, of London, has filed a New Drug Submission to Health Canada for DigiFab, a digoxin antidote already approved in the U.S. for treatment of life-threatening digoxin toxicity or overdose.(Other News To Note)
January 10, 2007... Protherics plc, of London, has filed a New Drug Submission to Health Canada for DigiFab, a digoxin antidote already approved in the U.S. for treatment of life-threatening digoxin toxicity or overdose. The company hopes to receive Canadian...

Provid Pharmaceuticals Inc.(Other News To Note)
January 10, 2007... Provid Pharmaceuticals Inc., of North Brunswick, N.J., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Tripos Discovery Research, the Bude, UK-based drug discovery division of Tripos Inc., for $2 million. The Tripos board of directors has approved...

Schwarz Pharma AG.(Other News To Note)
January 10, 2007... Schwarz Pharma AG, of Monheim, Germany, said pivotal Phase III data published in the journal Neurology showed positive results for its once-daily dopamine agonist, rotigotine, in early stage Parkinson's disease. Specifically, the transdermal...

Zyentia Ltd.(resaerch agreements of Zyentia Ltd. and Potentia Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief article)
January 10, 2007... Zyentia Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, entered a research collaboration to allow Louisville, Ky.-based Potentia Pharmaceuticals Inc. access to its AggreSolve platform for characterizing compounds. No financial terms were disclosed. Zyentia plans to...

Basilea hits historic high on Phase III ceftobiprole data.(Clinical report)
January 17, 2007... Shares in Basilea Pharmaceutica AG hit an all-time high on the Swiss Stock Exchange in Zurich last Friday of CHF240 (US$192), on good news about its broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic ceftobiprole. Research analysis showed that...

Fovea obtains worldwide rights to retinal degeneration therapy.
January 17, 2007... PARIS -- Fovea Pharmaceuticals SA signed an exclusive development and commercialization agreement with Novartis Pharma AG covering RdCVF (Rod-derived cone viability factor) for use in the treatment of retinal degeneration disorders. ...

Therapeutic protein production goes to work on a hen's egg.
January 17, 2007... LONDON -- Human proteins destined for use as pharmaceuticals could be produced in hen's eggs in the future. The proteins would be manufactured along with the avian protein ovalbumin, which makes up more than half of the white of a hen's egg,...

4-Antibody gets CHF17M to add staff, accelerate programs.
January 17, 2007... In a second closing of its Series A round, 4-Antibody AG banked CHF17 million (US$13.6 million) to expand its scientific staff and accelerate growth The cash is in addition to the CHF6 million it raised last August and will strengthen the...

Scientists stall UK research ban to allow public viewpoints.
January 17, 2007... LONDON -- UK stem cell scientists have headed off government plans to outlaw research on human/animal chimeras when a decision on whether to license the use of enucleated animal eggs to generate human embryos as a source of stem cells was...

Ark Therapeutics Group plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
January 17, 2007... Ark Therapeutics Group plc, of London, said the FDA has given approval for Trinam, its gene therapy for preventing blood vessels blocking in kidney dialysis patients who have undergone vascular access graft surgery, to enter Phase III. The...

Wellcome Trust funding to focus on cancer, obesity.
January 17, 2007... LONDON -- The medical research charity Wellcome Trust made the first investments in its 91 million [pounds sterling] (US$178.7 million) Seeding Drug Discovery program, handing out grants to three small start-ups to fund projects in cancer,...

Arrow Therapeutics Ltd.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Arrow Therapeutics Ltd., of London, said a second hepatitis C compound, A-689, has entered full pre-clinical development. A-689 is the second compound from the company's NS5a target program to enter development.

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, and technology partner DSM Biologics, a business unit of DSM Pharmaceutical Products, of Parsippany, N.J., signed a PER.C6 research license agreement with the Taiwan-based AbGenomics Corp., which intends to use the cell line for its research, development and early clinical studies of monoclonal antibodies.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, and technology partner DSM Biologics, a business unit of DSM Pharmaceutical Products, of Parsippany, N.J., signed a PER.C6 research license agreement with the Taiwan-based AbGenomics Corp., which intends...

Epidauros Biotechnologie AG, of Bernried, Germany, and Osmetech plc, of London, signed a strategic partnership to develop pharmaceutical companion diagnostics and molecular diagnostic products.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Epidauros Biotechnologie AG, of Bernried, Germany, and Osmetech plc, of London, signed a strategic partnership to develop pharmaceutical companion diagnostics and molecular diagnostic products. The deal covers diagnostics for new and existing...

Smaller pharma biotech firms getting more SME benefits.
January 17, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- More than 100 smaller pharmaceutical companies from Europe--most of them biotech firms--have signed up for a European Union plan to give them easier access to the European Medicines Agency. The response to the agency's "SME...

EU plans to update rules for handing GMO matters.(European Union Roundup)(genetically modified organisms)
January 17, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union is planning to amend its rules on the approval of genetically modified organisms to implement a new "regulatory procedure with scrutiny." Proposals just have emerged to update the 2001 and 2003...

D-Pharm's stroke drug moves toward new trial.
January 17, 2007... With positive Phase IIb clinical trial data in hand, D-Pharm Ltd. is looking to move its novel treatment for acute ischemic stroke DP-b99 into a pivotal Phase III clinical trial late this year or early next year. The Phase IIb study...

Immuno-Biological Laboratories Co. Ltd., of Takasaki, Japan, said New York-based Intellect Neurosciences Inc. purchased rights to manufacture, develop and commercialize two therapeutic, beta-amyloid-specific, humanized monoclonal antibodies for Alzheimer's disease.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Immuno-Biological Laboratories Co. Ltd., of Takasaki, Japan, said New York-based Intellect Neurosciences Inc. purchased rights to manufacture, develop and commercialize two therapeutic, beta-amyloid-specific, humanized monoclonal antibodies for...

Innogenetics NV, of Ghent, Belgium, said the U.S. District Court entered a permanent injunction enjoining Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott Laboratories from any further sales or use of products that infringe on Innogenetics' patented hepatitis C virus genotyping technology.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Innogenetics NV, of Ghent, Belgium, said the U.S. District Court entered a permanent injunction enjoining Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott Laboratories from any further sales or use of products that infringe on Innogenetics' patented hepatitis C...

MMI plc.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... MMI plc, of Cambridge, UK, a technology commercialization company, was granted a US patent on its cancer vaccine technology. The patent covers a genetic adjuvant that has been shown to enhance the anti-cancer activity of DNA vaccines. The...

Organon, of Oss, the Netherlands, signed a deal with San Diego-based Huya Bioscience International LLC to develop new drugs in three undisclosed indications.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Organon, of Oss, the Netherlands, signed a deal with San Diego-based Huya Bioscience International LLC to develop new drugs in three undisclosed indications. Huya specializes in identifying and licensing Chinese drug candidates for...

Oxford BioMedica plc.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, said the Phase III TRIST trial of its cancer immunotherapy, TroVax, in patients with renal cancer, has been adopted by the UK National Cancer Research Network (NCRN). That means that various National Health...

Proteome Sciences plc.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Proteome Sciences plc of Cobham, UK said it received a notice of allowance of a European patent for its diagnostic assay for stroke, which uses levels of heart fatty acid binding protein and/or brain fatty acid binding protein (FABP's), two of...

pSivida Limited, of Perth, Australia, has entered into a licensing agreement with Faber Research, of Boston, to develop pSivida's Durasert, Zanisert and Co-Drug drug delivery technologies for infectious diseases and diseases of the ear.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... pSivida Limited, of Perth, Australia, has entered into a licensing agreement with Faber Research, of Boston, to develop pSivida's Durasert, Zanisert and Co-Drug drug delivery technologies for infectious diseases and diseases of the ear. Faber...

ReNeuron Group plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
January 17, 2007... ReNeuron Group plc, of Guildford, UK, said it held a telephone conference call with the FDA to discuss why its IND application to stage a Phase I trial of ReN001, a stem cell treatment for stroke, was put on hold. No substantial issues were...

S*BIO Pte. Ltd.(Other News To Note)(enters into a research agreement with Department of Tumorbiology and Microbiology at the Karolinska Institute )(Brief article)
January 17, 2007... S*BIO Pte. Ltd., of Singapore, entered a research collaboration with the Department of Tumorbiology and Microbiology at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden to evaluate the role of the company's histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors in colorectal...

Shire plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
January 17, 2007... Shire plc, of Basingstoke, UK, received marketing authorization from the European Commission for the use of ELAPRASE for the long-term treatment of patients with Hunter syndrome. ELAPRASE is a purified form of the lysosomal enzyme...

Solvay Pharmaceuticals BV, of Brussels, Belgium, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, of Madison, N.J., have entered into a new neuroscience discovery, co-development and co-commercialization agreement.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Solvay Pharmaceuticals BV, of Brussels, Belgium, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, of Madison, N.J., have entered into a new neuroscience discovery, co-development and co-commercialization agreement. Under the new agreement, the parties will...

Speedel Holding AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
January 17, 2007... Speedel Holding AG, of Basel, Switzerland, initiated a Phase I trial of SPP1148, a renin inhibitor for hypertension and end-organ disease. The study will evaluate the oral compound's safety in healthy volunteers, with first results expected in...

Stallergenes SA, of Antony, France, has entered into a development, promotion and distribution agreement, in Canada with Paladin Labs, of Montreal, for Oralair, Stallergenes' allergen extract immunotherapy sublingual tablets.(Other News To Note)
January 17, 2007... Stallergenes SA, of Antony, France, has entered into a development, promotion and distribution agreement , in Canada with Paladin Labs, of Montreal, for Oralair, Stallergenes' allergen extract immunotherapy sublingual tablets. Stallergenes and...

NicOx raising 130m [euro]; receives 5m [euro] for antihypertensive drug.
January 24, 2007... PARIS -- NicOx SA is seeking to raise about 130 million [euro] (US$168.4 million) in a capital increase which involves the offer of new ordinary shares with existing shareholders having preferential subscription rights. The subscription price...

Cosmo gains FDA approval for delivery technology.
January 24, 2007... The FDA recent approval of Shire plc's once-daily oral ulcerative colitis treatment Lialda (mesalamine) will provide Cosmo Pharmaceuticals SpA with a dual revenue stream, through royalties and production of the drug on behalf of Shire. ...

RNA adds an extra dimension to control of gene expression.
January 24, 2007... LONDON -- A gene that plays a key role in rapidly dividing cells, such as are found in malignant tumors, is switched on and off by RNA derived from "junk" DNA, a new study has shown. The discovery opens up a new dimension to the ways in...

Scotland lures stem cell firm to close its technology gap.
January 24, 2007... LONDON -- Scotland is investing 9.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$18.8 million) to attract stem cell specialist Cellartis AB to set up a research and development facility in Dundee. The Swedish company has a brief to develop robust and...

Affectis in-licenses Cox-2 inhibitor for depression.
January 24, 2007... Affectis Pharmaceuticals AG accelerated its development pipeline by in-licensing global rights in all central nervous systems (CNS) indications to a clinical stage cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) inhibitor (coxib) from Palau Pharma SA. Terms were...

Cambridge Biostability Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
January 24, 2007... Cambridge Biostability Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, was chosen to apply its stabilization technology to efforts to develop DNA vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. The project is funded through the Grand Challenges in Global Health...

EU Parliament debate resumes over advanced therapies.
January 24, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Parliament resumed its debate on advanced therapies Jan. 22, when its environment committee examined a new draft report on the proposed EU legislative framework. The committee threw out an earlier draft report...

Europe planted more GM crops last year.
January 24, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Farmers in Europe played their part in the continued rapid adoption of biotech crops around the globe in 2006, according to figure released by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications. ...

Chinese firm 3SBIO seeking Nasdaq listing, $124m in IPO.
January 24, 2007... 3SBIO Inc., an established Chinese biotech firm developing recombinant protein-based therapies in areas such as nephrology and oncology, is hoping to gain access to U.S. investors. The company, of Shenyang, China, filed for an initial...

Cerep SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
January 24, 2007... Cerep SA, of Paris, cut its net loss to about 3 million [euro] (US$3.91 million) in 2006 from 5.9 million [euro] in 2005, according to provisional figures, not counting the possible expenses of the restructuring announced in December. Total...

Cobra Biomanufacturing plc, of Keele, UK, signed an agreement with Cambridge, MA-based Cequent Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop a treatment for an inherited form of bowel tumor, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).(Other News To Note)
January 24, 2007... Cobra Biomanufacturing plc, of Keele, UK, signed an agreement with Cambridge, MA-based Cequent Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop a treatment for an inherited form of bowel tumor, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). The treatment will combine...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, signed a non-exclusive research license agreement to allow Novo Nordisk A/S, of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, to use its STAR technology for the production of monoclonal antibodies.(Other News To Note)
January 24, 2007... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, signed a non-exclusive research license agreement to allow Novo Nordisk A/S, of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, to use its STAR technology for the production of monoclonal antibodies. Novo Nordisk intends to evaluate...

Cytonet GmbH & Co. KG, of Weinheim, Germany, entered a manufacturing agreement with Vesta Therapeutics Inc., of Durham, N.C.(Other News To Note)
January 24, 2007... Cytonet GmbH & Co. KG, of Weinheim, Germany, entered a manufacturing agreement with Vesta Therapeutics Inc., of Durham, N.C. Under the arrangement, Vesta is to construct a production facility in accordance with European standards for liver cell...

DanioLabs Ltd, of Cambridge, UK, a specialist in reprofiling existing drugs for applications in neurology and ophthalmology, signed a collaboration with Senexis Ltd., also of Cambridge, a private drug development company, focused on discovering new treatments for aging-related diseases.(Other News To Note)
January 24, 2007... DanioLabs Ltd, of Cambridge, UK, a specialist in reprofiling existing drugs for applications in neurology and ophthalmology, signed a collaboration with Senexis Ltd., also of Cambridge, a private drug development company, focused on discovering...

Elbion, of Leuven, Belgium, has acquired a sustained-release formulation of naltrexone from French biotechnology company DrugAbuse Sciences.(Other News To Note)
January 24, 2007... Elbion, of Leuven, Belgium, has acquired a sustained-release formulation of naltrexone from French biotechnology company DrugAbuse Sciences. Naltrexone Depot, designed as a simple once-a-month intramuscular injection, is expected to enter...

Evotec AG, of Hamburg, Germany, has signed two contracts with Solvay Pharmaceuticals, an Oxford, UK-based member of the Solvay group.(Other News To Note)
January 24, 2007... Evotec AG, of Hamburg, Germany, has signed two contracts with Solvay Pharmaceuticals, an Oxford, UK-based member of the Solvay group. In one agreement Evotec was chosen as Solvay's partner for fragment-based drug discovery. Solvay will access...

Pharmaxis.(Other News To Note)(sings an agreement with Aldo-Union SA)(Brief article)
January 24, 2007... Pharmaxis, of Sydney, Australia, has appointed Aldo-Union SA, of Barcelona, Spain, to market and distribute its asthma diagnostic and management tool, Aridol, in Spain. Spain is among the first group of countries selected to review the Aridol...

Progen Industries Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, is getting back all rights to PI-88 from Medigen Biotechnology Corp., of Taipei, Taiwan, removing a 15 percent royalty obligation to Medigen.(Other News To Note)
January 24, 2007... Progen Industries Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, is getting back all rights to PI-88 from Medigen Biotechnology Corp., of Taipei, Taiwan, removing a 15 percent royalty obligation to Medigen. In return, Progen surrendered its 19.9 percent equity...

ThromboGenics NV, of Leuven, Belgium, and Geymonat SpA, of Catania, Italy, said the European Union approved a grant of 2 million [euro] (US$2.6 million) to the Vasoplus consortium, a development program for a new class of pro-angiogenesis agents.(Other News To Note)
January 24, 2007... ThromboGenics NV, of Leuven, Belgium, and Geymonat SpA, of Catania, Italy, said the European Union approved a grant of 2 million [euro] (US$2.6 million) to the Vasoplus consortium, a development program for a new class of pro-angiogenesis...

VASTox plc.(Other News To Note)
January 24, 2007... VASTox plc, of Oxford, UK, said it became a partner in a European Union 2 million [euro] (US$2.6 million) research project, Targeting Cancer Stem Cells for Therapy. VASTox will work with five research organizations across Europe to develop...

Faith in bio market pays off with Europe's largest fund.
January 31, 2007... LONDON -- Abingworth Management closed Europe's largest ever life sciences venture fund, Abingworth Bioventures V, capping the oversubscribed fund at 300 million [pounds sterling] (US$586.9 million). The money will be invested in biotech...

GPC Biotech banks $44m toward Satraplatin launch.
January 31, 2007... With the completion of a new drug application filing of its cancer drug Satraplatin imminent, GPC Biotech AG capitalized on the current strength of its stock by raising 33.6 million [euro] (U.S.$43.7 million) in a private placing with...

Sleep-inducing drug strategy promises some sweet dreams.
January 31, 2007... LONDON -- Blocking the receptors for two types of brain peptide called orexins may be a useful new strategy for the development of novel compounds to treat insomnia, new research suggested. Studies have shown that blocking both receptors,...

Avesthagen closes 25m [euro] round, proclaims leadership in India.
January 31, 2007... LONDON -- Avesthagen Pvt Ltd. announced the closing of a 25 million [euro] (US$32.3 million) private funding round and proclaimed itself the international leader of India's burgeoning biotech sector, as the first company in the country to...

Cellectis launches IPO, seeking 16m [euro] to 21m [euro].
January 31, 2007... PARIS -- Cellectis SA launched an initial public offering on the Alternext market of the Paris Euronext stock exchange with an offer of up to 2.38 million shares, as announced at the beginning of January. (See BioWorld International, Jan. 3,...

Avexa Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, picked up North American rights to SPD754, an investigational HIV compound also known as apricitabine, from Basingstoke, UK-based Shire plc in exchange for $10 million up front, plus undisclosed developments and sales milestones and royalties.(Other News To Note)
January 31, 2007... Avexa Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, picked up North American rights to SPD754, an investigational HIV compound also known as apricitabine, from Basingstoke, UK-based Shire plc in exchange for $10 million up front, plus undisclosed developments...

Anglo-Australian partnership seeks new cancer therapies.
January 31, 2007... LONDON -- Australia's leading cancer researchers are joining forces with the technology commercialization arm of the charity Cancer Research UK, to create an Anglo-Australian powerhouse for the discovery and development of small-molecule...

New ethics warning issued on nanomedicine in Europe.
January 31, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Nanomedicine needs a proper analysis of its ethical implications, according to the high-level ethics group that advises the European Union. An opinion released by the European group on ethics in science and new...