BioWorld International articles from March 2004

BioWorld International archives from March 2004

Oncology-focused Igeneon raises 26.7M [euro], ponders IPO.
March 3, 2004... Igeneon AG raised 26.7 million [euro] in a third-round venture financing and landed Burrill & Co., of San Francisco, as a co-lead investor. Vienna, Austria-based Igeneon will use the capital to move forward with the company's three...

Active biotech cuts work force; focus now on current portfolio.
March 3, 2004... Active Biotech AB is cutting its work force by more than half and pulling out of drug discovery in order to conserve its cash and focus its resources on its portfolio of development projects. The Lund, Sweden-based firm is eliminating 98 of...

How salmonella coaxes gut cell to give warm embrace.
March 3, 2004... LONDON -- When someone eats a chicken and mayonnaise sandwich that is crawling with Salmonella bacteria, the bacteria that manage to pass through the stomach then attempt to invade the cells that line the small intestine. Understanding how they...

Monsanto GM rapeseed product receives EU scientific clearance.(European Union Roundup)(genetically modified )
March 3, 2004... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Another biotechnology genetically modified product won scientific approval from the European Union--the second such decision in just more than two months. The European Food Safety Authority decided that Monsanto Co.'s...

Phytopharm raises 6.5M [pounds sterling], plans partnering of obesity drug P57.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... LONDON -- Phytopharm plc raised 6.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$12.1 million) to strengthen its hand in current negotiations with potential partners for P57, an obesity treatment. Wang Chong, chief financial officer, told BioWorld...

NCI begins exploratory cancer trials with Xenova's tariquidar.(National Cancer Institute)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... LONDON -- Xenova Group plc said the U.S. National Cancer Institute started exploratory trials of tariquidar, seven months after two Phase III trials of the drug were halted for safety reasons. At the same time, the company said its partner,...

Start-up Vaxon seeking 7M [euro] for novel cancer vaccines.(Vaxon Biotech)
March 3, 2004... PARIS -- A new French company developing therapeutic polyvaccines for the treatment of cancer is seeking 7 million [euro] in an initial funding round that would enable it to start clinical trials in 2005. Called Vaxon Biotech, it was...

Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, said that the Australian Health Agency granted marketing approval for Alvesco.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, said that the Australian Health Agency granted marketing approval for Alvesco, an inhaled corticosteroid for the treatment of asthma in adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older.

Amarin Corp. plc, of London, completed the sale of its U.S.-based subsidiary, Amarin Pharmaceuticals Inc., and a majority of its U.S. products to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, of Costa Mesa, Calif.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Amarin Corp. plc, of London, completed the sale of its U.S.-based subsidiary, Amarin Pharmaceuticals Inc., and a majority of its U.S. products to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, of Costa Mesa, Calif. The terms of the transaction were...

Antisense Therapeutics Ltd.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Antisense Therapeutics Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said preclinical results showed that ATL1 103 exhibited positive effects in animal models of diseases associated with excessive growth hormone action, including acromegaly, an abnormal...

Arachnova Therapeutics Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, entered a licensing deal with Sosei Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, involving the therapeutic use of AA10020/SOU001 for stress urinary incontinence.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Arachnova Therapeutics Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, entered a licensing deal with Sosei Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, involving the therapeutic use of AA10020/SOU001 for stress urinary incontinence. In a Phase Ib mechanism trial, the compound demonstrated...

Basilea Pharmaceutica AG.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Basilea Pharmaceutica AG, of Basel, Switzerland, said it successfully completed Phase I development of BAL8557, a water-soluble azole suitable for both oral and intravenous administration. Data demonstrated that the compound was rapidly...

Biobase GmbH, of Wolfenbuttel, Germany, licensed its Transpath signal transduction database to GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Biobase GmbH, of Wolfenbuttel, Germany, licensed its Transpath signal transduction database to GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany. The database is designed to be used as an encyclopedia for general or specific information about signal...

BioMerieux, of Marcy l'Etoile, France, launched a high-density DNA chip for food and animal feed testing.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * BioMerieux, of Marcy l'Etoile, France, launched a high-density DNA chip for food and animal feed testing. Called FoodExpert-ID, it incorporates the GeneChip technology of Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif. It is the first molecular...

Bionomics Ltd.(Other News to Note)(Walter and Eliza Hall Institute )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Bionomics Ltd., of Adelaide, Australia, signed a letter of intent with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Parkville, Australia, to establish a drug discovery collaboration in ion channels. The parties plan to identify new lead molecules...

Cellectis SA, of Paris, expanded its agreement with BASF Plant Science GmbH, of Ludwigshafen, Germany.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Cellectis SA, of Paris, expanded its agreement with BASF Plant Science GmbH, of Ludwigshafen, Germany. The deal, which covers the evaluation and use of Cellectis' Meganuclease I-SceI for the deletion/excision of nucleotide sequences, such as...

Compugen Ltd.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Compugen Ltd., of Tel Aviv, Israel, expanded its pipeline to include CGEN-40, a soluble splice variant of CD40, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family with potential applications in treating autoimmune diseases, cancer, organ...

Debiopharm SA, of Lausanne, Switzerland, and Dyax Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., said preliminary Phase IIa results confirm the good tolerability of DX-890 and the expected pharmacological effect--inhibition of neutrophil elastase--in the sputum of pediatric cystic fibrosis patients when given as a nebulized formulation.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Debiopharm SA, of Lausanne, Switzerland, and Dyax Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., said preliminary Phase IIa results confirm the good tolerability of DX-890 and the expected pharmacological effect--inhibition of neutrophil elastase--in the sputum...

Diatos SA.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Diatos SA, of Paris, secured 7 million [euro] in a new financing round. The company plans to use proceeds to support the clinical development of its lead product, DTS-201, and to expand its operations in Europe and the U.S. Innoven...

Domantis Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, and its partner, Peptech Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, said their lead anti-TNF alpha domain antibody (dAb) was significantly more potent than two other anti-TNF products already on the market in a preclinical model of rheumatoid arthritis.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Domantis Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, and its partner, Peptech Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, said their lead anti-TNF alpha domain antibody (dAb) was significantly more potent than two other anti-TNF products already on the market in a preclinical...

Evogene Ltd.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Evogene Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, completed a second closing of its initial private placement of $1.5 million, bringing the total for the first round to $3.5 million. The first closing took place in March. The second closing was restricted to...

German Cancer Research Center, of Heidelberg, licensed patents and other intellectual property related to signaling pathways involving Kremen and DKK, or Dickkopf, to ProSkelia SAS, of Romainville, France.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * German Cancer Research Center, of Heidelberg, licensed patents and other intellectual property related to signaling pathways involving Kremen and DKK, or Dickkopf, to ProSkelia SAS, of Romainville, France. The licenses cover use of the...

German government.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * The German government over the next five years will invest about 100 million [euro] in small and medium-sized companies in the biotechnology sector. The German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has committed the funds as part of the...

Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, and Gruenenthal GmbH, of Aachen, Germany, collaborated to use Ingenium's Ingenotyping technology platform to develop animal models with defined gene alterations. The companies will focus on...

Innogenetics NV.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Innogenetics NV, of Ghent, Belgium, reported a reduced net loss of 14 million [euro] for 2003, down from 1 6.3 million [euro] in 2002. Its specialty diagnostics division generated an operating profit of 7.1 million [euro], up 1 1 percent from...

Inotek Pharmaceuticals Corp.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Inotek Pharmaceuticals Corp., of Beverly, Mass., set up a clinical operations center in Ra'anana, Israel, to manage and monitor Inotek clinical trials in Israel and around the world. It is a step toward realizing the vision of the Israeli...

Irish BioVentures International Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, also called IBV, entered a strategic alliance with London-based BTG plc, on whose behalf it will source and pre-screen new investment and IP development opportunities.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Irish BioVentures International Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, also called IBV, entered a strategic alliance with London-based BTG plc, on whose behalf it will source and pre-screen new investment and IP development opportunities. IBV will work on...

Micromet AG, of Munich, Germany, entered a manufacturing partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, to produce an antibody in Phase II trials on the treatment of prostate cancer.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Micromet AG, of Munich, Germany, entered a manufacturing partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, to produce an antibody in Phase II trials on the treatment of prostate cancer. The antibody, MT201, was developed by...

Nautilus Biotech.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Nautilus Biotech, of Evry, France, developed enhanced IFNbeta molecules, engineered to have a substantially increased half-life. The molecules, developed using Nautilus' technology for prostate evolution, show higher levels of stability in...

NicOx SA.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * NicOx SA, of Sophia-Antipolis, France, reported a rise in its net loss to 19.5 million [euro] in 2003 from 15.7 million [euro] in 2002. Its revenues shrank to 1.4 million [euro] in 2003, from 5.5 million [euro] in 2002. Its cash reserves...

Opisodia SAS, a division of OPi SAS, of Lyon, France, signed a contract manufacturing funding and alliance agreement with the Genopoeitic subsidiary of AVAX Technologies Inc., of Overland Park, Kan.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Opisodia SAS, a division of OPi SAS, of Lyon, France, signed a contract manufacturing funding and alliance agreement with the Genopoeitic subsidiary of AVAX Technologies Inc., of Overland Park, Kan. The alliance will combine Genopoeitic's...

PamGene International BV, of 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, is integrating intelligent device management (IDM) software from Questra Corp., of Redwood City, Calif., into a microarray testing platform PamGene is designing for the drug development market.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * PamGene International BV, of 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, is integrating intelligent device management (IDM) software from Questra Corp., of Redwood City, Calif., into a microarray testing platform PamGene is designing for the drug...

Pevion Biotech Ltd., of Bern, Switzerland, and AlgoNomics NV, of Ghent, Belgium, entered a one-and-a-half-year collaboration to rationally design RSV-derived peptides for use in vaccines.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Pevion Biotech Ltd., of Bern, Switzerland, and AlgoNomics NV, of Ghent, Belgium, entered a one-and-a-half-year collaboration to rationally design RSV-derived peptides for use in vaccines. AlgoNomics' Tripole technology combines protein...

PPL Therapeutics plc, of Edinburgh, UK, sold its interest in Revivicor Holdings Inc. for $400,000, as the wind down of the company continued.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * PPL Therapeutics plc, of Edinburgh, UK, sold its interest in Revivicor Holdings Inc. for $400,000, as the wind down of the company continued. Revivicor was set up in April when PPL sold its U.S. subsidiary, PPL Therapeutics Inc., of...

Protherics plc.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Protherics plc, of Runcorn, UK, said John Brown now is a nonexecutive director. The former CEO of Acambis plc also is a nonexecutive director at Pharmagene plc and Onyvax Ltd.

Serono SA, of Geneva, said European regulatory authorities approved its Gonal-f Filled-by-Mass solution for injection in a prefilled pen, which delivers its recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Serono SA, of Geneva, said European regulatory authorities approved its Gonal-f Filled-by-Mass solution for injection in a prefilled pen, which delivers its recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone. The product will carry the same...

Solexa Ltd.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Solexa Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, was awarded a government grant of 1.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$2.85 million) to support a collaborative research project to develop new bioinformatics tools for the comparative analysis of whole genomes...

Symphogen A/S.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Symphogen A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, received a $2.5 million investment from Vaekstfonden, a governmentbacked venture fund. The company, which has raised a total of $25 million, said it is planning to initiate a second round of venture...

Syngenta AG, of Basel, Switzerland, entered a deal with SemBioSys Genetics Inc., of Calgary, Alberta, to gain access to the latter's oilbody-based Stratosome Biologics and StratoCapture Purification Systems for the development of Syngenta biologic products.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Syngenta AG, of Basel, Switzerland, entered a deal with SemBioSys Genetics Inc., of Calgary, Alberta, to gain access to the latter's oilbody-based Stratosome Biologics and StratoCapture Purification Systems for the development of Syngenta...

Wilex AG.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2004... * Wilex AG, of Munich, Germany, reported long-term survival data at the German Cancer Society meeting in Berlin, following a Phase II trial of the monoclonal antibody Rencarex (WX-G250) in 36 patients with metastatic renal-cell carcinoma....

Ark therapeutics raises 55M [pounds sterling], ends IPO drought in London.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... LONDON -- Ark Therapeutics Group plc successfully completed its initial public offering last week, raising 55 million [pounds sterling] (US$102 million) as it joined the main market of the London Stock Exchange, the first biotechnology company...

CareX raises 25M [euro] in second round to fund development.( )
March 10, 2004... PARIS -- CareX SA, a functional genomics company developing therapies for metabolic disorders, completed a second funding round in which it raised 25 million [euro]. The financing was led by Index Ventures, a Swiss venture capital fund...

Inhibiting apoptosis offers new strategy for spinal cord injury.(CD95)
March 10, 2004... LONDON -- A new avenue of research into spinal cord injury has opened up, with the discovery in an animal model that inhibiting cells from entering programmed cell death can help neurons regenerate. Researchers in Germany have shown that...

BioTie gains ground on news of bioheparin deal with Aventis.(BioTie Therapies Oyj )
March 10, 2004... Finnish biotechnology company BioTie Therapies Oyj stands to gain up to 5 million [euro] over the next year from a research and option agreement it signed with Aventis SA for its "bioheparin" development program. The news pushed the...

Basilea moving infection drug into Phase III, launching IPO.(Basilea Pharmaceutica AG)
March 10, 2004... Basilea Pharmaceutica AG, an antibiotic development company spun out of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. in October 2000, is moving its novel cephalosporin BAL5788 into a Phase III trial, following a successful Phase II study of the drug in patients...

Amersham Biosciences.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Amersham Biosciences, the life sciences business of Amersham plc, of London, launched the AKTAxpress protein-purification system at the Pittcon 2004 meeting in Chicago. The company said the product delivers automated, high-throughput,...

Australian Cancer Technology Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Australian Cancer Technology Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, opened its U.S. headquarters in Rochester, N.Y. Its U.S. division, known as ACT (USA) Inc., plans to employ 15 to 20 people by the end of this year. The parent company is developing...

Benitec Ltd. of Queensland, Australia, launched its siStrike vectors, a new line of gene-silencing products that mediate RNA interference using Benitec's DNA-directed RNA interference using Benitec's DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) technology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Benitec Ltd., of Queensland, Australia, launched its siStrike vectors, a new line of gene-silencing products that mediate RNA interference using Benitec's DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) technology. Developed by Promega Corp., of...

Beta-02.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Beta-02, which is planning to establish offices in Kiryat Ariyeh, Petach-Tivka, Israel, completed a $2 million seed financing round. Vitalife, an Israeli life sciences venture capital fund, led the round in which Heznek, the seed fund of the...

Major investor blocks PPL sale, moving firm toward bankruptcy.(PPL Therapeutics PLC)
March 10, 2004... LONDON -- PPL Therapeutics plc said it was "almost certain" to go into liquidation after failing to get the support of a major shareholder for a 5.5 pence per-share offer for the collapsed company. The offer to buy what remains of the...

Ipsen strengthens oncology program by acquiring Sterix.(Ipsen Group)(Sterix Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... LONDON -- Sterix Ltd., a privately held UK company specializing in steroid hormones, was acquired by the French pharmaceutical company Ipsen Group. The price was not disclosed, but Iain Wilcock, investment director at Questor Capital...

BioVision AG, of Hannover, Germany, entered a licensing agreement with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * BioVision AG, of Hannover, Germany, entered a licensing agreement with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, regarding BioVision's patent on the Differential Peptide Display technology that is designed to allow visualization of...

Cellectis SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Cellectis SA, of Paris, relocated its laboratories and headquarters to a new facility in Romainville. The company now has more than 1 6,000 square feet within Biocitech technology park. Cellectis is focused on applying the technology of...

Celltech Group plc, of Slough, UK, said a study published in this month's online issue of Pediatrics showed that once-daily Metadate CD (methylphenidate HCI) extended-release capsules was more effective than Concerta (methylphenidate HCl, Johnson & Johnson).(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Celltech Group plc, of Slough, UK, said a study published in this month's online issue of Pediatrics showed that once-daily Metadate CD (methylphenidate HCI) extended-release capsules was more effective than Concerta (methylphenidate HCl,...

Exponential Biotherapies Inc., of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said its food safety division signed a contract with CatchMabs BV, of Wageningen, the Netherlands, for the large-scale commercial production of bacteriophages.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Exponential Biotherapies Inc., of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said its food safety division signed a contract with CatchMabs BV, of Wageningen, the Netherlands, for the large-scale commercial production of bacteriophages. Exponential has...

German Ministry of Education and Research.(Other News To Note)(Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * The German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology said they will invest 30 million [euro] in cooperative ventures in the biotech sector over the next few years. Each side will contribute...

Intercell AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Intercell AG, of Vienna, Austria, acquired a manufacturing plant in Livingston, Scotland, to make the company's late-stage Japanese encephalitis vaccine. Capacity at the center might also be used to manufacture additional vaccines coming out...

MediGene AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, restructured its shareholding to increase available cash by about 16 million [euro]. About one-third of the total will come in a private placement with Techno Venture Management, which was the lead...

Microscience Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Microscience Ltd., of London, said clinical results demonstrated the safety and immunogenicity of its new oral vaccine, which is intended to protect against the infectious enterotoxigenic E. coli disease, the most common cause of travelers'...

MorphoSys AG, of Munich, Germany, said it would generate antibodies against a target molecule involved in autoimmune diseases selected by its partner, Centocor Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * MorphoSys AG, of Munich, Germany, said it would generate antibodies against a target molecule involved in autoimmune diseases selected by its partner, Centocor Inc., a unit of Johnson & Johnson, of New Brunswick, N.J. MorphoSys will use its...

MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, undertook the sequencing work as part of a project.(Other News To Note)
March 10, 2004... * MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, undertook the sequencing work as part of a project in which the whole genome of Saccharopolyspora erythraea was sequenced by Aventis Bulk SpA, the Italian affiliate of Aventis SA, of Strasbourg, France....

Onyvax Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Onyvax Ltd., of London, said it was granted a U.S. patent for its prostate cancer vaccine Onyvax-P, covering the combined use of three human prostate tumor cell lines in a single vaccine. Onyvax-P is in Phase II trials.

Pluristem Life Systems Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Pluristem Life Systems Inc., of Haifa, Israel, said it is pursuing mergers and acquisitions of cord blood banks in the U.S. It is in negotiations with more than one U.S.-based cord blood bank, it said. Pluristem is focused on developing stem...

ThromboGenics Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, and Geymonat SpA, of Catania, Italy, formed a collaboration to co-develop PIGF (placental growth factor), a drug candidate that has shown potential to treat ischemic heart disease.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * ThromboGenics Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, and Geymonat SpA, of Catania, Italy, formed a collaboration to co-develop PIGF (placental growth factor), a drug candidate that has shown potential to treat ischemic heart disease. ThromboGenics will...

Xcellentis.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Xcellentis, of Ghent, Belgium, a wholly owned subsidiary of Innogenetics NV, reported top-line results from its open-label Phase II trial of LyphoDerm for the treatment of hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers. The study involved 193 patients....

Y's Therapeutics Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and Abmaxis Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... * Y's Therapeutics Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and Abmaxis Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., entered an agreement for the development of a human monoclonal antibody drug targeting a specific antigen that is overexpressed in many types of tumors. The...

Astex deal with Boehringer worth up to $45m per target.(Astex Technology Ltd. )(Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH)
March 17, 2004... LONDON -- Astex Technology Ltd. agreed to a multi-target drug discovery deal with Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, in which each target could yield up to $45 million in research and development costs and milestones for Astex, up to the...

Medivir seeking SEK322m in discounted rights issue.
March 17, 2004... Medivir AB said Tuesday it is looking to raise about SEK322 million (US$43.1 million) in a 1-for-2 discounted rights issue. Shareholders will be entitled to obtain one B class share, priced at SEK75, for every two A Class (which have...

Gut bacteria kept in check by firm grip of immune system.
March 17, 2004... LONDON -- Just how the millions of commensal bacteria that inhabit our guts manage to exist there without harming us is a question that immunologists have been studying for many years. Now new research has discovered the immunological...

Europe reaches agreement for faster biotech approvals.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union gave its definitive endorsement to faster registration for biotechnology medicines last week. After more than three years of debate, ministers from EU member states signed off on March 1 1 to the new...

UK oks commercial GM maize, opposes oilseed rape, beet.(genetically modified )
March 17, 2004... LONDON -- The UK government gave the go ahead for the commercial cultivation of genetically modified maize--the first approval of a GM crop--but said it would oppose EU approval of GM oilseed rape and beet. Making the announcement,...

Alantos Pharmaceuticals AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... * Alantos Pharmaceuticals AG, of Heidelberg, Germany, appointed Keith Dionne chairman and CEO. Dionne came from Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., where he worked for seven years, ending as vice president of research and...

Genzyme's fine related to Cerezyme reduced to 3m [pounds sterling].
March 17, 2004... LONDON -- A 6.8 million [pounds sterling] (US$12.3 million) fine against Genzyme Corp.'s UK subsidiary related to its Gaucher's disease treatment Cerezyme has been slashed on appeal to 3 million [pounds sterling], plus interest. In its...

Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, said additional efficacy results of Daxas (roflumilast) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were presented at the 45th Congress of the German Society of Pulmonology in Frankfurt.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... * Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, said additional efficacy results of Daxas (roflumilast) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were presented at the 45th Congress of the German Society of Pulmonology in Frankfurt. The...

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics BV.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... * Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics BV, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said it obtained orphan status from the European Commission for its gene therapy treatment for lipoprotein lipase deficiency, a condition that affects at least 5,000 patients...

Beta-O2.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... * Beta-O2, of Petach Tikva, Israel, a chimeric biotechnology-medical device company, announced that it had raised $2 million from Vitalife (Vertex) and the state-owned Heznek fund. Beta-O2 was officially founded about two months ago. The...

Crucell getting STAR technology through ChromaGenics purchase.(Stabilizing and Anti-repressor )
March 17, 2004... Crucell NV scooped up a smaller compatriot, ChromaGenics BV, for a down payment of 4 million [euro], plus undisclosed earn-out provisions based on the attainment of future revenue milestones. The deal gives Leiden, the Netherlands-based...

BioXell brings in 7.3m [euro] for R&D through grant, loan.
March 17, 2004... Milan, Italy-based BioXell SpA received 7.3 million [euro] in research and development funding from Italy's research ministry (Ministero dell'Istruzione dell'Universita e della Ricerca--MIUR) to accelerate its preclinical programs in...

Lack of funding, failed contract forcing IDgene to close doors.(IDgene Pharmaceuticals Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... IDgene Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has shut down operations following a failed contract for about $2 million from Finnish company Jurilab. Since early 2002, IDgene has tried but failed to raise capital from new investors and hasn't closed deals...

DevCo Pharmaceuticals Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... * DevCo Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of London, completed a confirmatory safety trial of lexipafant, being developed to prevent organ dysfunction linked with coronary artery bypass graft and to treat acute pancreatitis and HIV-associated cognitive/...

EsbaTech AG, of Zurich, Switzerland, and Viventia Biotech Inc., of Toronto, entered a collaboration to establish whether EsbaTech's antibody stabilization and expression technologies could enhance the activities of recombinant antibody fragments developed by Viventia for oncology applications.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... * EsbaTech AG, of Zurich, Switzerland, and Viventia Biotech Inc., of Toronto, entered a collaboration to establish whether EsbaTech's antibody stabilization and expression technologies could enhance the activities of recombinant antibody...

Finnish Venture Capital Association.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... * The Finnish Venture Capital Association reported that venture capital investment in life sciences firms in Finland dropped 25 percent to 42 million [euro] in 2003, down from 56 million [euro] in 2002. Average deal size dropped from more than...

Genovac GmbH, of Freiburg, Germany, was acquired by Aldevron, of Fargo, N.D. Aldevron specializes in producing plasmid DNA and vaccines for both research and clinical use.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... * Genovac GmbH, of Freiburg, Germany, was acquired by Aldevron, of Fargo, N.D. Aldevron specializes in producing plasmid DNA and vaccines for both research and clinical use. An Aldevron representative said the acquisition gave access to...

German Ministry for Education and Research.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... * The German Ministry for Education and Research is providing financial support for research into nanotechnology. During the next four years, the Ministry will commit 200 million [euro] to projects in the nanotech field, with particular...