BioWorld International articles from June 2007

BioWorld International archives from June 2007

Bavarian's smallpox vaccine pact worth up to $1.6 billion.
June 6, 2007... Bavarian Nordic A/S could earn a total of $1.6 billion from its contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to supply a stockpile of next-generation safe smallpox vaccines. The base contract, which calls for the delivery...

UK ponders plan promoting payment upon performance.
June 6, 2007... LONDON -- The UK drugs watchdog is backing an unprecedented scheme in which a pharma company would give a refund if patients do not respond to its drug. The proposal was made by Janssen-Cilag in a bid to counter concerns about the...

Lost copies of genes dictate risk of autoimmune diseases.
June 6, 2007... LONDON -- People with fewer copies of a gene that is expressed by cells of the immune system are at higher risk of developing certain kinds of autoimmune disease, a recent study has found. The study is one of the first to confirm that...

Soaring interest in RNA field nets Exiqon $62.7 million IPO.
June 6, 2007... Underlining the current fashion for all things RNA-related, Exiqon A/S, a specialist in mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) analysis, raised DKK347.6 million (US$62.7 million) in an IPO on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange that was seven times...

Evolutec calling it quits after product failure.
June 6, 2007... LONDON -- Evolutec Group plc is throwing in the towel, winding down the company and giving its 5.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$10.9 million) cash back to shareholders following the failure of its lead product in January. The Reading,...

Advalytix AG.(Other News To Note)(collaboration with Medical University of Graz in Austria for testing of prenatal diagnostic technologies)(Brief article)
June 6, 2007... Advalytix AG, a Munich, Germany-based subsidiary of Olympus Life and Material Science Europa GmbH, and the Medical University of Graz in Austria are collaborating on prenatal diagnostic technologies. They are testing a new method for the...

AnalytiCon Discovery GmbH, of Potsdam, Germany, and Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, entered an agreement whereby AnalytiCon will provide Merck with natural product lead-generation services until the end of 2009.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... AnalytiCon Discovery GmbH, of Potsdam, Germany, and Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, entered an agreement whereby AnalytiCon will provide Merck with natural product lead-generation services until the end of 2009. AnalytiCon will apply its...

Pharmaxon obtains mimetic peptide for cell mobility drugs.
June 6, 2007... PARIS -- Pharmaxon has signed two license agreements with the French National Scientific Research Center (CNRS), the University of Aix-Marseille II, the University Medical Center of Hamburg-Eppendorf and the Danish company Schafer-N, of...

Transgene in line for 10m [euro] milestone on CIN compound.
June 6, 2007... PARIS -- Transgene SA is set to receive an initial milestone payment of 10 million [euro] (US$13.5 million) from F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. before the end of June after obtaining approval from the Federal Drug Administration and the European...

Ark Therapeutics Group plc.(Other News To Note)(approval for clinical study of Trinam)(Brief article)
June 6, 2007... Ark Therapeutics Group plc, of London, said it has been given clearance by the U.S. Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) for its planned Phase III U.S. clinical study of Trinam, its gene therapy to prevent haemodialysis access graft...

Industry rejoices at fudged EU advanced therapies agreement.
June 6, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The final and formal adoption of the European Union's new rules on advanced therapies have given the biotech industry another excuse for rejoicing--and they seized it with alacrity. Like hungry children in a candy store,...

Avexa.(Other News To Note)($4.3 million grant for the development of HIV drugs)(Brief article)
June 6, 2007... Avexa, of Melbourne, Australia, has been awarded a A$4.3 million (US$3.5 million) Australian government grant to develop a new generation of HIV antiviral drugs using fragment based drug design, a nontraditional research methodology. Avexa will...

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, said the Swiss regulatory agency granted partner Janssen-Cilag AG, a London-based Johnson & Johnson company, accelerated assessment of the planned market authorization application for...

Brane Discovery srl.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... Brane Discovery srl, of Milan, Italy, revealed additional details on a preclinical program in Parkinson's disease it licensed when it was recently spun out from Milan-based Nikem Research srl to take forward the latter company's proprietary...

Elan Corp plc, of Dublin, Ireland, and Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said the Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee of the FDA jointly will review Tysabri (natalizumab) for the treatment of Crohn's disease on July 31.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... Elan Corp plc, of Dublin, Ireland, and Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said the Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee of the FDA jointly will review Tysabri (natalizumab) for the...

ExonHit Therapeutics SA.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... ExonHit Therapeutics SA, of Paris, issued 400,000 new shares following the exercise of a tranche of the Paceo line signed between the company and Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking in October. The transaction raised gross proceeds...

Genmab A/S.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said it will become a member of the Copenhagen Stock Exchange's OMXC20 index as of June 18. That index comprises 20 of the most actively traded shares on the exchange and is revised biannually on the basis of...

Pharmaxis.(Other News To Note)(evaluation for lung function test Aridol completed)(Brief article)
June 6, 2007... Pharmaxis, of Sydney, Australia, said the European Mutual Recognition Procedure has completed evaluating its lung function test Aridol, meaning the 13 European countries involved can issue a marketing authorization. The countries are Germany,...

ProBioGen AG, of Berlin, agreed to license its so-called designer avian cell lines to Virbac SA, of Carros, France.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... ProBioGen AG, of Berlin, agreed to license its so-called designer avian cell lines to Virbac SA, of Carros, France. Specifically, Virbac will use the permanent cell lines based on duck retina AGE1.cr and somite cells AGE1.cs as the production...

Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, entered a license and marketing agreement for the exclusive distribution of room temperature DNA storage technology belonging to Biomatrica Inc., of San Diego, for biological sample storage and sample management systems.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, entered a license and marketing agreement for the exclusive distribution of room temperature DNA storage technology belonging to Biomatrica Inc., of San Diego, for biological sample storage and sample...

S*BIO Pte. Ltd.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... S*BIO Pte. Ltd., of Singapore, entered a two-year research partnership with National University Hospital-National University of Singapore Tissue Repository. The university will conduct biomarker research and evaluate tumor responsiveness to...

Sloning Biotechnology, of Puchheim, Germany, and Microsynth AG, of Balgach, Switzerland, signed a distribution partnership for Microsynth to exclusively market and sell Sloning's gene synthesis service, Slonomics, and the product family of mutant libraries, Slonomax, in Switzerland.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... Sloning Biotechnology, of Puchheim, Germany, and Microsynth AG, of Balgach, Switzerland, signed a distribution partnership for Microsynth to exclusively market and sell Sloning's gene synthesis service, Slonomics, and the product family of...

Tissera Inc., of Herzliya, Israel, extended an agreement with Yeda, the technology transfer arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.(Other News To Note)
June 6, 2007... Tissera Inc., of Herzliya, Israel, extended an agreement with Yeda, the technology transfer arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. The institute will perform research and development activities for Tissera through April 9,...

Vectura Group plc.(Other News To Note)(positive results for treatment of premature ejaculation)(Brief article)
June 6, 2007... Vectura Group plc, of Chippenham, UK, announced positive results in a Phase IIa proof-of-concept clinical study for VR776, for the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE). VR776 is a proprietary formulation of an unnamed centrally acting drug,...

AEterna Zentaris Inc., of Quebec City, said Phase I data showed evidence of antitumor activity with 160 mg/m2 or 267 mg/m2 doses of its targeted cytotoxic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue, AEZS-108, in female patients with cancers expressing LHRH receptors.(ASCO Roundup)
June 6, 2007... AEterna Zentaris Inc., of Quebec City, said Phase I data showed evidence of antitumor activity with 160 mg/m2 or 267 mg/m2 doses of its targeted cytotoxic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue, AEZS-108, in female patients with...

Antisoma plc.(ASCO Roundup)
June 6, 2007... Antisoma plc, of London, presented new data from its Phase II trials of ASA404 (formerly AS1404), a small-molecule vascular disrupting agent, with first-line docetaxel chemotherapy in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Final PSA data showed a...

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd.(ASCO Roundup)
June 6, 2007... ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, presented data from a Phase I/IIa trial of Quinamed (amonafide dihydrochloride) in heavily pretreated patients with solid tumors. It said it demonstrated that dose level could be...

Diatos SA.(ASCO Roundup)
June 6, 2007... Diatos SA, of Paris, presented Phase I data of the doxorubicin prodrug DTS-201, demonstrating safety, tolerability and the ability to deliver high doses of free doxorubicin in humans. It determined a recommended dose for Phase II trials of the...

GlaxoSmithKline plc.(ASCO Roundup)
June 6, 2007... GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, reported positive data from three studies of its oral small-molecule HER2 kinase inhibitor, Tykerb. Data were presented on one study with paclitaxel as first-line treatment for advanced breast cancer; another...

Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, and Sanofi-aventis Group, of Paris, said Phase II data on 48 evaluable patients with progressive metastatic renal cell cancer showed the immunotherapy product TroVax was well tolerated and that it induced anti-5T4 antibody responses in 91 percent of patients.(ASCO Roundup)
June 6, 2007... Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, and Sanofiaventis Group, of Paris, said Phase II data on 48 evaluable patients with progressive metastatic renal cell cancer showed the immunotherapy product TroVax was well tolerated and that it induced...

Sigma-Tau SpA.(ASCO Roundup)
June 6, 2007... Sigma-Tau SpA, of Pomezia, Italy, said thymalfasin (Zadaxin, thymosin alpha 1) achieved its primary endpoint in a Phase II trial treating patients diagnosed with Stage IV malignant melanoma. Results showed that thymalfasin in combination with...

Transgene launches 75.7m [euro] push for pipeline, manufacturing.
June 13, 2007... PARIS -- Days after announcing that it was to receive an initial milestone payment of 10 million [euro] from the Basel, Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., before the end of June, and two months after an up-front...

7TM Pharma raises $22m for peptide-based obesity drugs.
June 13, 2007... 7TM Pharma A/S added DKK123 million (US$22.1 million) to its balance sheet in a new funding round led by S.R. One Ltd., of West Conshohocken, Penn., the venture capital arm of London-based GlaxoSmithKline plc. That brings 7TM Pharma's...

Gene discoveries predicted to have impact before long.
June 13, 2007... LONDON -- A total of 24 new genetic locations are now known to be associated with an increased risk of developing one of seven common human diseases, following the publication last week of a study of human genetic variation on an unprecedented...

Inveni completes first closing of new fund at $26 million.
June 13, 2007... Inveni Capital, a new Finnish-German venture capital fund, has completed a first closing of more than 20 million [euro] (US$26.6 million) but eventually aims to take in 50 million [euro] to 70 million [euro]. "We have 12 months to go,"...

Curidium to commercialize technology for CNS disorders.(Curidium Medica plc)
June 13, 2007... LONDON -- Curidium Medica plc is poised to commercialize its Homomatrix platform technology for classifying patients with central nervous system disorders into different subgroups, according to the underlying genetic cause. The company has...

Amarin Corp. plc.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Amarin Corp. plc, of London, said it received a Nasdaq deficiency letter indicating it was not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing. Amarin will be provided with 180 calendar days, until Dec. 3, to regain...

Belgium's Galapagos ponders moving into clinical trials.
June 13, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Bringing its first product through to the end of Phase IIa is prompting Belgium's Galapagos to contemplate conducting clinical trials, signaling a possible wider shift in the strategy of the 8-year-old biotech company which...

BioAlliance creates subsidiary SpeBio to market Loramyc.(BioAlliance Pharma SA )
June 13, 2007... PARIS -- BioAlliance Pharma SA set up a new subsidiary called SpeBio to sell and distribute Loramyc in Europe. SpeBio is a joint subsidiary between Paris-based BioAlliance and Spepharm Holding BV, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with which...

Antisoma plc, of London, said it received the first scheduled payment of $75 million from Novartis AG, of Basel, Switzerland, under the licensing agreement for ASA404, announced in April.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Antisoma plc, of London, said it received the first scheduled payment of $75 million from Novartis AG, of Basel, Switzerland, under the licensing agreement for ASA404, announced in April. The payment was triggered by completion of the licensing...

Archimedes Pharma Ltd.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Archimedes Pharma Ltd., of Reading, UK, released new data from a Phase II study of Nasalfent, a fentanyl citrate nasal spray aimed at providing fast relief for breakthrough cancer pain, showing it gives significant, clinically meaningful levels...

Archemix nails down two deals; $28.9m from Merck.
June 13, 2007... Aptamer-focused Archemix Inc. added to a deal spree that tapered at the start of the year, and found two nice fits overseas, including a cancer pact worth $29.8 million in upfront equity from Merck KGaA, plus an option to buy more stock when...

Europe stalls again on GM maize decisions.
June 13, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Union member states failed yet again to deliver an opinion on the authorization of biotech products, when the EU's specialized committee returned no definitive opinion either for or against proposals to authorize...

Ardana plc, of Edinburgh, UK, said the Scottish Medicines Consortium gave a positive opinion on Emselex (darifenacin hydrobromide), a once-per-day oral treatment for the symptoms of overactive bladder.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Ardana plc, of Edinburgh, UK, said the Scottish Medicines Consortium gave a positive opinion on Emselex (darifenacin hydrobromide), a once-per-day oral treatment for the symptoms of overactive bladder. The product was launched in October of...

BioLineRx Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
June 13, 2007... BioLineRx Ltd., of Jerusalem, launched a new initiative to provide funding for early stage research and development of innovative therapeutics that have not yet achieved in vivo proof of concept. Called the Early Development Program (EDP), it...

Blue Blood Biotech Corp., of Taiwan, and ProMetic BioTherapeutics Inc., of Montreal, have formed an alliance to develop drugs derived from human plasma using ProMetic's proprietary manufacturing process.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Blue Blood Biotech Corp., of Taiwan, and ProMetic BioTherapeutics Inc., of Montreal, have formed an alliance to develop drugs derived from human plasma using ProMetic's proprietary manufacturing process. The partnership initially will target...

Cardio3 BioSciences.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
June 13, 2007... Cardio3 BioSciences, of Braine l'Alleud, Belgium, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., entered a collaboration related to the licensing of Mayo Clinic research, know-how and intellectual property in the field of cardiac commitment of stem...

Cellectis SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
June 13, 2007... Cellectis SA, of Paris, was granted a European patent covering the use of homologous recombination processes in eukaryotes. The patent covers a "method for activating expression, or improving the level of expression, of a gene," and it brings...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, and Royal DSM NV, of Sittard, the Netherlands, entered a nonexclusive PER.C6 research licensing deal with Sartorius Biotech GmbH, of Goettingen, Germany.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, and Royal DSM NV, of Sittard, the Netherlands, entered a nonexclusive PER.C6 research licensing deal with Sartorius Biotech GmbH, of Goettingen, Germany. Sartorius will use Crucell's technology to...

Eurand NV, of Milan, Italy, is receiving a $1 million milestone payment from partner GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, which started a registration bioequivalence study for a new orally disintegrating tablet formulation of an undisclosed compound.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Eurand NV, of Milan, Italy, is receiving a $1 million milestone payment from partner GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, which started a registration bioequivalence study for a new orally disintegrating tablet formulation of an undisclosed...

Exact Sciences Corp., of Marlborough, Mass., and NorDiag ASA, of Oslo, Norway, entered an agreement to advance the development and commercialization of colorectal cancer screening technologies outside the U.S. and Canada.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Exact Sciences Corp., of Marlborough, Mass., and NorDiag ASA, of Oslo, Norway, entered an agreement to advance the development and commercialization of colorectal cancer screening technologies outside the U.S. and Canada. Exact extended a...

Geneart AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
June 13, 2007... Geneart AG, of Regensburg, Germany, said its board of directors and advisory board plan to suggest a 1:1 stock increase from company funds at the shareholders' meeting July 24. Each Geneart shareholder would receive one additional share for...

Ipsen SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
June 13, 2007... Ipsen SA, of Paris, announced that preliminary data from the phase III study for its investigational four-month formulation of triptorelin do not support the expected sustainable blood levels of triptorelin in all patients, and the company has...

Medical Solutions plc, of Nottingham, UK, conditionally agreed to acquire all of Geneservice Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, for 3.86 million [pounds sterling] (US$5.2 million) payable in cash and loan notes.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Medical Solutions plc, of Nottingham, UK, conditionally agreed to acquire all of Geneservice Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, for 3.86 million [pounds sterling](US$5.2 million) payable in cash and loan notes. Geneservice, which was formed through a...

Movetis, of Turhhout, Belgian, which was spun out from Janssen Pharmaceutica, of Titusville, N.J., last December, and which specializes in treatments for gastrointestinal disorders, has started a Phase IIa multidose trial with M0002, an orally active selective vasopressin antagonist that inhibits water reabsorption from the kidneys.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Movetis, of Turhhout, Belgian, which was spun out from Janssen Pharmaceutica, of Titusville, N.J., last December, and which specializes in treatments for gastrointestinal disorders, has started a Phase IIa multidose trial with M0002, an orally...

Mymetics Corp.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
June 13, 2007... Mymetics Corp., of Nyon, Switzerland, reported its HIV vaccine elicited neutralizing IgA mucosal antibodies in a non-human primate model. Findings showed that more than 90 percent of primates vaccinated with virosomes expressing the HIV-1 gp41...

Pacific Edge Biotechnology Ltd.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Pacific Edge Biotechnology Ltd., of Dunedin, New Zealand, is working with the Ludwig Institute's Centre for Clinical Sciences in Melbourne, Australia, to complete the development of a prognostic tool for the segregation of patients with...

Polyplus-transfection.(Other News To Note)
June 13, 2007... Polyplus-transfection, of Strasbourg, France, which specializes in the development and marketing of reagents for drug delivery, gene therapy and transfection, has set up a user group called the "Polyplus in vivo consortium."...

Diamyd shares fall on news of diabetes trial debacle.
June 20, 2007... Diamyd Medical AB lost around 40 percent of its value Monday on news that it had to jettison a Phase II/III clinical trial of Diamyd, a therapeutic vaccine in development for treating autoimmune diabetes. A combination of poor trial design...

Bill limiting hybrid embryo research riles UK scientists.
June 20, 2007... LONDON -- One of the UK's leading medical organizations has spoken out against government plans to restrict research involving human/animal hybrid embryos, saying such work is "vital" to the development of embryonic stem cell therapies. ...

Genomic activity study produces some shockers.
June 20, 2007... LONDON -- Research groups around the globe are poised to apply the latest remarkable information on how the human genome is organized, to parts of the genome that researchers know are linked with specific diseases. Such new avenues of...

EU trade leader delivers strong defense for biotech.
June 20, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Peter Mandelson, European commissioner for trade, and Europe's principal player in the World Trade Organization Doha trade talks, delivered an outspoken defense of biotechnology June 14. "Biotechnology is a critical...

BioInvent seeks added support, more cash to boost pipeline.
June 20, 2007... Investors reacted positively to a move by BioInvent International AB to strengthen its base of institutional shareholders by issuing new shares worth SEK125 million (US$17.8 million) to four Swedish institutions. Despite the dilution...

Ablynx, of Ghent, Belgium, has achieved a second milestone in its collaboration with Proctor & Gamble Co., of Cincinnati, by the discovery of novel Nanobodies against a second target for possible new treatments in the musculoskeletal area.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
June 20, 2007... Ablynx, of Ghent, Belgium, has achieved a second milestone in its collaboration with Proctor & Gamble Co., of Cincinnati, by the discovery of novel Nanobodies against a second target for possible new treatments in the musculoskeletal area. The...

Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, presented preclinical results for its I-3D program at the annual European League Against Rheumatism conference.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, presented preclinical results for its I-3D program at the annual European League Against Rheumatism conference. Data showed I-3D had a significant inhibitory effect on disease development in an experimental...

UK start-up finds peptide fix for annual flu vaccine work.
June 20, 2007... LONDON -- A UK start-up has reached proof of concept in an animal model for a flu vaccine that would provide year-round protection regardless of mutations in the virus, and would be effective against animal flu viruses such as the avian H5N1...

Algeta ASA.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Algeta ASA, of Oslo, Norway, said a paper showing the potential of its TH-1 technology for targeted cancer therapy was published in the journal Blood. Algeta's TH-1 technology links thorium-227, which emits alpha particles, to cancer-targeting...

Allergy Therapeutics plc.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Allergy Therapeutics plc, of Worthing, UK, said its Pollinex Quattro Grass Phase III trial which began in January now is fully recruited and that the path to marketing approval during 2009 is clear after the company agreed with the safety study...

Asterand PLC.(Martyn Coombs )(Brief article)
June 20, 2007... Asterand plc, of Royston, UK, a supplier of human tissue services, announced changes to its strategy following the appointment of Martyn Coombs as CEO on March 26. The company intends to restructure the UK operations; improve sales and...

BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, has reached agreement with the French Economic Committee for Health Products on the pricing in France of Loramyc, its 50-mg, once-a-day topical formulation of miconazole.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, has reached agreement with the French Economic Committee for Health Products on the pricing in France of Loramyc, its 50-mg, once-a-day topical formulation of miconazole. BioAlliance accepted a price of 4 [euro]...

BioSystems International, of Evry, France, coordinator of the European COLBRED (Colon and Breast Cancer Diagnostics) consortium, announced that the project had received funding of 2.9 million [euro] (US$3.89 million) from the European Commission.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... BioSystems International, of Evry, France, coordinator of the European COLBRED (Colon and Breast Cancer Diagnostics) consortium, announced that the project had received funding of 2.9 million [euro] (US$3.89 million) from the European...

DeCode Genetics Inc.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... DeCode Genetics Inc., of Reykjavik, Iceland, said it reached a favorable settlement of its litigation in Federal District Court in Philadelphia with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and several former DeCode employees who left the...

Eurand NV, of Milan, Italy, said Eurand Pharmaceuticals Ltd. initiated the rolling submission of its new drug application for Zentase to treat exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Eurand NV, of Milan, Italy, said Eurand Pharmaceuticals Ltd. initiated the rolling submission of its new drug application for Zentase to treat exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Zentase, formerly EUR-1008, has been granted fast-track...

Evogene Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, and Bayer CropScience, of Monheim am Rhein, Germany, have formed a collaboration to increase the productivity and yield of a Bayer CropScience core crop, especially with regard to stress conditions such as drought.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Evogene Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, and Bayer CropScience, of Monheim am Rhein, Germany, have formed a collaboration to increase the productivity and yield of a Bayer CropScience core crop, especially with regard to stress conditions such as...

Evotec AG, of Hamburg, Germany, said it enhanced its Fragment-Based Drug Discovery business through the acquisition of certain assets from Combinature Biopharm, now a unit of Singapore-based MerLion Pharmaceuticals Pte. Ltd.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Evotec AG, of Hamburg, Germany, said it enhanced its Fragment-Based Drug Discovery business through the acquisition of certain assets from Combinature Biopharm, now a unit of Singapore-based MerLion Pharmaceuticals Pte. Ltd. Evotec acquired...

Genexine Co. Ltd. and Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., both of South Korea, entered into a collaboration covering co-commercialization of first-generation protein drugs under development at Dong-A and co-development of second-generation protein drugs using Genexine's hybrid Fc-fusion technology.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Genexine Co. Ltd. and Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., both of South Korea, entered into a collaboration covering co-commercialization of first-generation protein drugs under development at Dong-A and co-development of second-generation protein...

Janssen-Cilag International NV, of Beerse, Belgium, has submitted a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency for ceftobiprole, an investigational antibiotic for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections including diabetic foot infections.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Janssen-Cilag International NV, of Beerse, Belgium, has submitted a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency for ceftobiprole, an investigational antibiotic for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue...

NicOx SA, of Sophia Antipolis, France, and the U.S. National Cancer Institute have decided to put an end to a Phase I clinical trial of NCX 4016, in which the drug was being tested as a potential preventive treatment for colon cancer.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... NicOx SA, of Sophia Antipolis, France, and the U.S. National Cancer Institute have decided to put an end to a Phase I clinical trial of NCX 4016, in which the drug was being tested as a potential preventive treatment for colon cancer. The...

OncoMethylome Sciences SA, of Liege, Belgium, and Exact Sciences Corp., of Marlborough, Mass., entered agreements to advance the commercialization of stool-based colorectal cancer screening technologies through service laboratories in Europe and North America.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... OncoMethylome Sciences SA, of Liege, Belgium, and Exact Sciences Corp., of Marlborough, Mass., entered agreements to advance the commercialization of stool-based colorectal cancer screening technologies through service laboratories in Europe...

Oxford Gene Technology, of Oxford, UK, has granted Aushon BioSystems, of Burlington, Mass., access to OGT's Southern array patents, the fundamental patents covering the manufacture and marketing of oligonucleotide microarrays.(Brief article)
June 20, 2007... Oxford Gene Technology, of Oxford, UK, has granted Aushon BioSystems, of Burlington, Mass., access to OGT's Southern array patents, the fundamental patents covering the manufacture and marketing of oligonucleotide microarrays. The license...

Rosetta Genomics Ltd.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Rosetta Genomics Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, signed a license agreement with Rockefeller University in New York for the therapeutic application of microRNA genes. Rosetta said the addition of the viral and human microRNAs to existing intellectual...

Transgene SA.(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Transgene SA, of Strasbourg, France, successfully completed the capital increase it launched on June 11 in which 4.77 million new shares were placed at a price of 18.25 [euro] (US$24.49) per share. The institutional investors' placement was...

Vegenics Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, has licensed from CoGenesys Inc., of Rockville, Md., exclusive worldwide rights to human monoclonal antibodies that target vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C).(Other News To Note)
June 20, 2007... Vegenics Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, has licensed from CoGenesys Inc., of Rockville, Md., exclusive worldwide rights to human monoclonal antibodies that target vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C). VEGF-C is believed to play an...

Probiodrug acquires Ingenium for stock, raises $27.7m in cash.
June 27, 2007... Probiodrug AG has acquired fellow German firm Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG in a stock-based deal and has closed a 20.6 million [euro] (US$27.7 million) venture capital round at the same time, to fund both an in-house drug development program in...