BioWorld International articles from March 2008

BioWorld International archives from March 2008

MolMed nets $76m in Europe's first biotechnology IPO of 2008.
March 5, 2008... MolMed SpA restored a measure of confidence to European biotechnology by netting 50.1 million [euro] (US$76 million) in the sector's first IPO of this year. Shares will begin trading today on the Mercato Telematico Azionario, the electronic...

Despite 'awful' market, Phytopharm gains $17.1m.
March 5, 2008... LONDON -- Phytopharm plc has defied market sentiment to raise 8.6 million [pounds sterling] (US$17.1 million) in a placing and open offer. The 38.93 million new shares were priced at 22 pence each, a discount of 6.4 percent to the market price....

All in the family: researchers connecting ALS mutations.
March 5, 2008... LONDON -- The discovery of new genetic mutations responsible for some cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will refocus research into the causes and treatment of the fatal neurodegenerative disease. The study of a family with...

Renovo reports mixed results in trials of anti-scarring Juvista.
March 5, 2008... LONDON -- Renovo plc announced a mixed bag of results in two Phase II trials of its anti-scarring product Juvista, reporting that it failed to meet the primary endpoint in breast enlargement surgery, but was effective in a scar revision trial....

InterMed, Cognis enter natural products screening alliance.
March 5, 2008... InterMed Discovery GmbH is extending its natural products screening business into functional foods, dietary supplements and personal care by entering a strategic relationship with specialty chemicals firm Cognis GmbH. The latter is taking...

Amarin Corp. plc, of London, said it has obtained the exclusive development and commercialization rights to a broad intellectual property portfolio in the field of lipid science from UK-based Scarista Ltd.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Amarin Corp. plc, of London, said it has obtained the exclusive development and commercialization rights to a broad intellectual property portfolio in the field of lipid science from UK-based Scarista Ltd. Under the deal, Amarin will pay...

Arpida Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 5, 2008... Arpida Ltd., of Reinach, Switzerland, reported that the rolling new drug application submission for intravenous iclaprim in complicated skin and skin structure infections will be completed within the next few weeks. The company said there were...

Arriva Pharmaceuticals.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Arriva Pharmaceuticals, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, completed a financing of $6 million led by new Investor Nordic Biotech II K/S and with participation by MPM BioVentures. The funds will be used to continue development of recombinant...

NicOx begins osteo trials of anti-inflammatory naproxcinod.
March 5, 2008... PARIS -- NicOx SA initiated two large-scale clinical trials in the U.S. to assess the blood pressure profile of naproxcinod in comparison to ibuprofen and naproxen, utilizing the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring technique. The separate...

Trophos gets $1.4m grant to validate drug in IRI.
March 5, 2008... PARIS -- Trophos SA has been awarded a grant of [euro] 921,054 (US$1.4 million) by the French National Research Agency to evaluate the potential of its drug candidate TRO40303 to arrest or prevent the cellular damage that occurs in preclinical...

Ablynx, Galapagos announce big ambitions for this year.
March 5, 2008... Brussels -- Ablynx, of Ghent, Belgium, aims to start Phase II development of its ALX-0081 anti-thrombotic this year. It has initiated a program to develop a subcutaneous delivery form of the product, and plans to file an investigational new...

BioAlliance Pharma SA.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, reported a 38.6 percent increase in its net loss to 18.2 million [euro] in 2007 from 13.2 million [euro] in 2006, despite a 667 percent jump in revenues to 3.5 million [euro] from just 460,000 [euro] before. The...

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, has entered into an exclusive vaccine development agreement with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, of Madison, N.J.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, has entered into an exclusive vaccine development agreement with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, of Madison, N.J. Under the terms of the agreement, Crucell will be responsible for the development and manufacture...

Galapagos NV.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 5, 2008... Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, said in a pipeline update that it selected preclinical candidates in its rheumatoid arthritis and bone metastasis programs and plans to submit investigational new drug applications later this year. Galapagos...

Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, received antitrust clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act for its agreement to purchase Fremont, Calif.-based PDL BioPharma Inc.'s antibody manufacturing facility in Brooklyn, Minn., for $240 million.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, received antitrust clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act for its agreement to purchase Fremont, Calif.-based PDL BioPharma Inc.'s antibody manufacturing facility in Brooklyn, Minn., for $240 million. That...

ImmuPharma plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 5, 2008... ImmuPharma plc, of London, said the first patients were dosed in its Phase IIb trial of IPP-201101 for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus, with headline efficacy data expected in the summer of 2008. The primary objective of the study...

Karo Bio, of Stockholm, Sweden, reacquired the rights to its selective androgen receptor modulator program from Radius Health Inc., of Cambridge, Mass.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Karo Bio, of Stockholm, Sweden, reacquired the rights to its selective androgen receptor modulator program from Radius Health Inc., of Cambridge, Mass. Radius had licensed the preclinical compounds in a $17 million deal, and no reason was given...

Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, said its wholly owned subsidiary Kyowa Pharmaceutical Inc. received a not approvable letter from the FDA for the adenosine A2A antagonist istradefylline (KW-6002) in Parkinson's disease. The agency...

Living Cell Technologies Ltd.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Living Cell Technologies Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, signed a term sheet with the Barbara David Center for Childhood Diabetes to establish a diabetes clinical trial program in Denver. Under the agreement, LCT and BDC collaboratively pursue...

MorphoSys AG, of Munich, Germany, and Sigma-Aldrich Corp., of St. Louis, entered into a collaboration to design, produce and distribute recombinant research antibodies using MorphoSys's proprietary HuCAL Gold technology.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... MorphoSys AG, of Munich, Germany, and Sigma-Aldrich Corp., of St. Louis, entered into a collaboration to design, produce and distribute recombinant research antibodies using MorphoSys's proprietary HuCAL Gold technology. MorphoSys unit AbD...

Phoqus Pharmaceuticals plc.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Phoqus Pharmaceuticals plc, of West Malling, UK, announced positive results from a Phase II study of its delayed, sustained release hydrocortisone therapy Chronocort, in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a genetic disorder...

Photocure ASA.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Photocure ASA, of Oslo, Norway, said that as part of its previously announced plan to de-merge its cancer-focused drug delivery subsidiary, PCI Biotech AS, it will transfer its interest in PCI to a holding company known as PCI Biotech Holding...

Sucampo Pharma Europe Ltd.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Sucampo Pharma Europe Ltd., of Oxford, UK, said it filed a marketing authorization application for lubiprostone in the UK for chronic idiopathic constipation in adults. That product previously gained approval in the U.S. by parent firm Sucampo...

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, said its new drug application for Type II diabetes drug alogliptin was accepted for review by the FDA.(Other News To Note)
March 5, 2008... Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, said its new drug application for Type II diabetes drug alogliptin was accepted for review by the FDA. The acceptance triggers a $15 million milestone payment to contract research group PPD Inc.,...

First Parkinson's gene therapy planned by Oxford Biomedica.
March 12, 2008... LONDON -- Oxford Biomedica plc said the first patient is within days of being treated with ProSavin, its gene therapy treatment for Parkinson's disease. The neurosurgery required to administer it has been booked, but the company has agreed with...

Pharmexa, Ichor collaborate on universal influenza vaccine.
March 12, 2008... Although trimming its operations and its work force, Pharmexa A/S is moving ahead with a universal influenza vaccine project, and it has entered a co-development agreement with Ichor Medical Systems Inc., which gives it access to the latter...

Vaccine promises to transform treatment for hypertension.
March 12, 2008... LONDON -- A vaccine to treat hypertension could be available within about five years, a small clinical trial suggested. If further tests are successful, people with high blood pressure could visit their physicians two or three times a year for...

Alizyme raises $20m to prep for obesity trial.
March 12, 2008... LONDON -- Alizyme plc raised 10 million [pounds sterling] (US$20.1million) in a placing at 50 pence per share, a slight premium to the market price. That followed FDA approval of the Phase III development program for the company's anti-obesity...

PanGenetics raises $34m for antibody pipeline.
March 12, 2008... Extending the rather short list of large-scale private financing rounds completed by European biotechnology firms so far this year, PanGenetics BV raised 23 million [euro] (US$34.1 million) in a Series C round to progress its early stage...

7TM Pharma, of Horsholm, Denmark, signed a drug discovery collaboration with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, of Hyderabad, India, focused on selected drug targets in the metabolic space.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... 7TM Pharma, of Horsholm, Denmark, signed a drug discovery collaboration with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, of Hyderabad, India, focused on selected drug targets in the metabolic space. Under the terms, the firms will work together to identify...

Mixed bag of anti-scarring midstage data drops Renovo.
March 12, 2008... Shares of Renovo plc tumbled 51 percent after its anti-scarring product, Juvista, missed its endpoint in a Phase II trial in patients undergoing breast augmentation surgery, leading investors to worry about the product's chances for broad label...

EU regulators more confident than Europe's biotech firms.
March 12, 2008... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Medicines Agency is enjoying buoyant regulatory activity, particularly with high-tech medicines, while the European medicines industry continues to anguish over the future of its novel products. The...

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... Anavex Life Sciences Corp., of Geneva, said preclinical data showed that Anavex 7-1037 reduced tumor growth by 69 percent with minimal adverse effects. The compound demonstrated its ability to significantly delay the growth of cancerous tumors...

Biotage AB.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 12, 2008... Biotage AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, and partner McMaster University, in Ontario, have agreed to a two-year extension of their research agreement, following the successful completion of the first phase of work by the university. The research is...

TxCell completes 10.5m [euro] round and begins first clinical trial.(Company overview)
March 12, 2008... PARIS -- TxCell, which is developing novel cell therapies for autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, raised 10.5 million [euro] (US$16.1 million) in a second funding round, enabling it to start clinical development of its lead compound....

BTG plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 12, 2008... BTG plc, of London, said dosing has commenced in a Phase I safety study of BGC20-0134, for multiple sclerosis. The cause of the disease is uncertain but it is thought T-cell infiltration into the central nervous system and resultant disruption...

Cerep SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 12, 2008... Cerep SA, of Paris, expanded its research and development facilities in Redmond, Wash., through the lease of an additional 10,200 sq ft of laboratory and office space close to its existing premises. The new facilites will be used for weighing,...

China Biologic Products Inc.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... China Biologic Products Inc., of Tai'an City, China, said its stock was approved to be quoted on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board, under the symbol "CBPO." The company is focused on plasma-based products.

Curidium Medica plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 12, 2008... Curidium Medica plc, of London, said shareholders have approved a 1-for-30 consolidation of the company's existing ordinary shares. The share consolidation is conditional upon the acceptance of new ordinary shares of the company on the...

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd., of Japan, and PsychoGenics Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., have entered into a drug discovery agreement to screen selected Dainippon Sumitomo compounds using PsychoGenics' drug discovery systems to identify new therapies for central nervous system disorders.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd., of Japan, and PsychoGenics Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., have entered into a drug discovery agreement to screen selected Dainippon Sumitomo compounds using PsychoGenics' drug discovery systems to identify new...

UCB reports positive early data on Cimzia in Crohn's disease.
March 12, 2008... Six-week data from a 539-patient Phase IIIb trial showed that UCB SA's Cimzia, a PEGylated antitumor-necrosis-factor (TNF)-alpha product, was effective in treating patients with Crohn's disease who are intolerant or no longer responding to...

Diamyd Medical AB.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... Diamyd Medical AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, said it authorized issuance of 991,000 B-shares and warrants to finance Phase III studies in Europe and the U.S. Its furthest developed project is the glutamic acid decarboxylase-based drug Diamyd for...

D-Pharm Ltd.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... D-Pharm Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, said it has held its pre-investigational new drug meeting with the FDA to discuss the forthcoming IND submission for DP-b99, a novel drug to aid recovery following acute stroke. The meeting focused on the...

Evotec AG, of Hamburg, Germany, and InterMune Inc., of Oxford, UK, have signed a second drug discovery contract expanding their existing collaboration signed in early 2007.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... Evotec AG, of Hamburg, Germany, and InterMune Inc., of Oxford, UK, have signed a second drug discovery contract expanding their existing collaboration signed in early 2007. InterMune will pay a fee for access to Evotec's fragment-based drug...

Flamel Technologies SA, of Lyon, France, reported a net loss of $37.2 million for 2007, up from $35.2 million the year before, despite a 60 percent jump in operating revenue to $36.7 million (from $23 million).(Other News To Note)(Financial report)
March 12, 2008... Flamel Technologies SA, of Lyon, France, reported a net loss of $37.2 million for 2007, up from $35.2 million the year before, despite a 60 percent jump in operating revenue to $36.7 million (from $23 million). Although income from license fees...

Galapagos NV.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 12, 2008... Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, said it will launch a Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) facility in the U.S., and cancel its listing on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. Galapagos' board of...

MorphoSys AG, of Martinsreid, Germany, said that its AbD Serotec business unit has received a multiple research antibody order from Proteomika SL, of Derio, Spain, a biotechnology company specializing in biomarker discovery.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... MorphoSys AG, of Martinsreid, Germany, said that its AbD Serotec business unit has received a multiple research antibody order from Proteomika SL, of Derio, Spain, a biotechnology company specializing in biomarker discovery. Proteomika has...

Neuropharm Group plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 12, 2008... Neuropharm Group plc, of Leatherhead, UK, announced the start of a Phase II trial in Fragile X Syndrome of NPL-2009, an mGluR5 receptor antagonist. The company acquired rights to the compound from FRAXA, a U.S. patient group, and has since...

Nimbus Biotechnologie GmbH.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... Nimbus Biotechnologie GmbH, of Leipzig, Germany, changed its name to Sovicell GmbH. The new name, the company said, reflects the company's move to become a full-range supplier of ADME/Tox products and services for preclinical research.

ProStrakan Group plc, of Galashiels, Scotland, said Rapinyl has received Swedish marketing authorization.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 12, 2008... ProStrakan Group plc, of Galashiels, Scotland, said Rapinyl has received Swedish marketing authorization. It is anticipated that the product branded as "Abstral" will be launched in Sweden in the third quarter through a joint venture with...

Stealthyx Therapeutics Ltd., of London, signed contract manufacturer Eden Biodesign Ltd., of Liverpool, UK, to provide development and manufacturing services for Stealthyx's lead inflammatory disease candidate.(Other News To Note)
March 12, 2008... Stealthyx Therapeutics Ltd., of London, signed contract manufacturer Eden Biodesign Ltd., of Liverpool, UK, to provide development and manufacturing services for Stealthyx's lead inflammatory disease candidate. The product is based on...

Approval letter on ceftobiprole sends Basilea shares plunging.
March 19, 2008... Basilea Pharmaceutica AG took a heavy pounding on the Swiss Stock Exchange in Zurich Tuesday, on news that the company had received an approvable letter from the FDA in response to its new drug application filing for the cephalosporin...

BioInvent, Bayer in antibody discovery, development pact.
March 19, 2008... Adding further momentum to its recent upswing, BioInvent International AB entered a large-scale antibody research deal with Bayer Healthcare AG. Terms were not disclosed, but the agreement could involve as much as 14 different products, across...

Methylation manipulation could point to new cancer treatments.
March 19, 2008... LONDON -- The addition of methyl groups to DNA, a process that shuts down gene expression, takes place over a much shorter time scale than scientists previously had thought. A new study showed that the methylation of promoter DNA in cells...

Silence, AstraZeneca team up again in siRNA development.
March 19, 2008... LONDON -- Silence Therapeutics plc agreed on a collaboration with AstraZeneca plc to develop tissue-specific methods of delivering small-interfering RNA (siRNA). Although a separate deal, it builds on the existing partnership between the...

Spermatech, Evotec to screen target for male contraceptive.
March 19, 2008... Spermatech AS, an early stage Norwegian firm developing a nonhormonal male contraceptive pill, has chosen Evotec AG as its partner for a high-throughput screening and lead discovery project against a novel target associated with regulating...

Amgen Ltd. and Lab21, both of Cambridge, UK, said they partnered to introduce a genetic therapy test for advanced bowel cancer treatment in the UK.(Other News to Note)
March 19, 2008... Amgen Ltd. and Lab21, both of Cambridge, UK, said they partnered to introduce a genetic therapy test for advanced bowel cancer treatment in the UK. Terms of the deal call for Lab21 to provide a screening test to indicate which patients are...

BHK gains AIM listing, first Korean firm on London market.
March 19, 2008... LONDON -- Cell therapy specialist BHK Inc. listed its global depository receipts on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), becoming the first Korean company to join the London market. Seoul-based BHK is the licensee of MyoCell, a stem...

Anadis Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, signed a final agreement with ImmuCell Corp., of Portland, Maine, under which Anadis licensed from ImmuCell a portfolio of issued patents, IND filings, clinical data and manufacturing plans related to several human heath product lines.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... Anadis Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, signed a final agreement with ImmuCell Corp., of Portland, Maine, under which Anadis licensed from ImmuCell a portfolio of issued patents, IND filings, clinical data and manufacturing plans related to...

BAC BV, of Naarden, the Netherlands, entered into a collaboration with Octapharma AG, of Lachen, Switzerland, to discover and develop a custom CaptureSelect ligand for the purification of a recombinant factor IX product developed by Octapharma for the prophylaxis and treatment of bleeding in hemophilia B.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... BAC BV, of Naarden, the Netherlands, entered into a collaboration with Octapharma AG, of Lachen, Switzerland, to discover and develop a custom CaptureSelect ligand for the purification of a recombinant factor IX product developed by Octapharma...

Cellectis in suit with Precision for patent infringement.
March 19, 2008... PARIS -- Cellectis SA filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Precision BioSciences Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina seeking a declaration that, by making and selling certain meganucleases,...

Majority of Europeans oppose use of GMOs, EU survey finds.
March 19, 2008... The majority of Europeans (58 percent) oppose the use of genetically modified organisms(GMOs), while around a fifth (21 percent) support the use, according to a survey published by the European Union. Another 9 percent said they have never...

Biocortech SAS.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 19, 2008... Biocortech SAS, of Paris, has been granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a family of compounds that includes BC-22, which is under development for the treatment of depression. The patent application was filed in October...

BioMerieux SA, of Marcy L'Etoile, France, entered a long-term partnership with Hitachi High-Technologies Corp., of Japan, to develop microbiology and molecular diagnostic systems.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... BioMerieux SA, of Marcy L'Etoile, France, entered a long-term partnership with Hitachi High-Technologies Corp., of Japan, to develop microbiology and molecular diagnostic systems. The companies will work together to identify and develop new...

Geneart AG, of Regensburg, Germany, entered a 300,000 [euro] (US$471,590) contract for its contribution as a partner in the European Union project, titled "New HIV Vaccines Inducing Broadly Reactive Neutralizing Antibodies," which is coordinated by Paris-based Sanofi-Pasteur and directed at the development of a broad-spectrum vaccine against HIV.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... Geneart AG, of Regensburg, Germany, entered a 300,000 [euro] (US$471,590) contract for its contribution as a partner in the European Union project, titled "New HIV Vaccines Inducing Broadly Reactive Neutralizing Antibodies," which is...

Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, and PDL BioPharma Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., closed the previously announced transaction in which Genmab acquired PDL's antibody manufacturing facility located in Brooklyn Park, Minn., for $240 million in cash.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, and PDL BioPharma Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., closed the previously announced transaction in which Genmab acquired PDL's antibody manufacturing facility located in Brooklyn Park, Minn., for $240 million in...

Global Media Networks Inc., of Praekasa Mueng, Thailand, said Israel-based Biocure Med Inc. has confirmed positive results from the preclinical diabetes treatment of its product DiaCure for Type I and Type II diabetes.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... Global Media Networks Inc., of Praekasa Mueng, Thailand, said Israel-based Biocure Med Inc. has confirmed positive results from the preclinical diabetes treatment of its product DiaCure for Type I and Type II diabetes. The company said it plans...

Halozyme Therapeutics Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 19, 2008... Halozyme Therapeutics Inc., of Munich, Germany, said a pharmacokinetic dose-range finding study of its recombinant human PH20 enzyme (rHuPH20) showed that doses up to 3,600,000 U/kg (30 mg/kg) were well-tolerated following either intravenous or...

Innate Pharma SAS.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... Innate Pharma SAS, of Marseille, France, reported a 47.6 percent increase in its net loss to 8.9 million [euro] (US$14.03 million) in 2007 from 6 million [euro] in 2006, due essentially to a 53 percent jump in research and development outlays...

Ipsen SA, of Paris, and Medicis, of Scottsdale, Ariz., submitted a biologics license application for the botulinum toxin Type A, Reloxin, in aesthetic indications (glabellar lines).(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
March 19, 2008... Ipsen SA, of Paris, and Medicis, of Scottsdale, Ariz., submitted a biologics license application for the botulinum toxin Type A, Reloxin, in aesthetic indications (glabellar lines). The submission is intended to address the concerns cited by...

Mobidiag Ltd.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... Mobidiag Ltd., of Helsinki, Finland, has released its Prove-it Herpes test for the identification of herpes-viruses. The microarray-based test takes less than three hours to complete and enables simultaneous identification of eight different...

MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, signed a PER.C6 license agreement with Leiden, the Netherlands-based Crucell NV and technology partner DSM Biologics, of Parsippany, N.J.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, signed a PER.C6 license agreement with Leiden, the Netherlands-based Crucell NV and technology partner DSM Biologics, of Parsippany, N.J. That deal allows MorphoSys to use the PER.C6 cell line in...

OncoMethylome Sciences.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... OncoMethylome Sciences, of Liege, Belgium, said its research collaborators demonstrated that gene methylation is associated significantly with recurrence of early stage non-small-cell lung cancer. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and...

PregLem SA.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... PregLem SA, of Geneva, said German health authorities have granted clinical trial authorization for the company's SAPHIR (safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic) study in healthy premenopausal women with PGL2001. The study...

Proteros biostructures GmbH, of Martinsreid, Germany, said it has expanded its collaboration with OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Melville, N.Y., in the field of protein crystallography to provide gene-to-structure services to OSI.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... Proteros biostructures GmbH, of Martinsreid, Germany, said it has expanded its collaboration with OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Melville, N.Y., in the field of protein crystallography to provide gene-to-structure services to OSI. The agreement...

TPG Biotechnology, of Tokyo, and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., of Ashiya, Japan, have entered into an agreement to fund the late-stage clinical development of two drug candidates: JR-013, a recombinant human erythropoietin for the treatment of renal anemia in dialysis patients, and Growject, a product currently approved and marketed in Japan to treat short stature in children with growth hormone deficiency and Turner's Syndrome.(Other News To Note)
March 19, 2008... TPG Biotechnology, of Tokyo, and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., of Ashiya, Japan, have entered into an agreement to fund the late-stage clinical development of two drug candidates: JR-013, a recombinant human erythropoietin for the treatment of...

Pharming shares fall on CHMP's second Rebuff of Rhucin in HAE.
March 26, 2008... Pharming Group NV lost nearly 25 percent of its value March 20 on news that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) was standing by its original decision to adopt a negative opinion on...

Stalled by FDA, ReNeuron looks elsewhere to start stroke trials.
March 26, 2008... LONDON -- After a further no-go decision from the FDA for a first-in-human test of its neural stem cell stroke product, ReNeuron plc is regrouping its resources and looking to other regulators for permission to carry out the landmark trial. ...

Genetic interplay offers insights into risks of breast cancer.
March 26, 2008... LONDON -- The high risk of breast cancer experienced by women who inherit one of the two most well-known breast cancer genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, is further modified by common changes in other genes that are responsible for a minority of inherited...

Ferring spins out Vantia with $38m and a pipeline.
March 26, 2008... LONDON -- Privately held biopharmaceuticals specialist Ferring Pharmaceuticals SA spun out its UK small-molecule R&D unit, attracting 19 million [pounds sterling] (US$38 million) in first round venture capital funding for the new company,...

Antibiotic jitters take hold as Arpida files Iclaprim NDA.
March 26, 2008... Underlining both the general volatility in the wider public markets and the specific uncertainties attaching to the FDA's present treatment of new drug applications for antibiotics, Arpida AG hit a 52-week low on news that it had completed a...

Mapreg gets orphan status for spinal cord injury drug.
March 26, 2008... PARIS -- Mapreg SAS, which is developing novel drugs for the treatment of central nervous system diseases, has been granted orphan drug status by the European Commission for its lead compound, MAP4343, in spinal cord injury. That decision...

Camurus AB, of Lund, Sweden and DiObex Inc., of San Francisco, said they have signed a license agreement to develop DIO-901, an extended release formulation of a very low-dose of glucagon, for the prevention of insulin-induced hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes, an indication for which there currently is no approved product.(Other News To Note)
March 26, 2008... Camurus AB, of Lund, Sweden and DiObex Inc., of San Francisco, said they have signed a license agreement to develop DIO-901, an extended release formulation of a very low-dose of glucagon, for the prevention of insulin-induced hypoglycemia in...

Cenix BioScience GmbH, of Dresden, Germany, signed a framework research agreement with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, of Wilmington, Del., to advance Cenix's efforts in the discovery and validation of novel therapeutic drug targets.(Other News To Note)
March 26, 2008... Cenix BioScience GmbH, of Dresden, Germany, signed a framework research agreement with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, of Wilmington, Del., to advance Cenix's efforts in the discovery and validation of novel therapeutic drug targets. Cenix will...