BioWorld International articles from May 2003

BioWorld International archives from May 2003

European sector experiences falloff in revenues, employees.
May 7, 2003... LONDON -- The European biotechnology sector in 2002 saw revenues and employee numbers fall for the first time in a decade, according to Ernst & Young's 10th annual survey of the sector. After 10 years of 30 percent to 40 percent...

Estrogen receptor modulators may have anticancer role, study shows.
May 7, 2003... LONDON -- Mutations in an estrogen receptor may trigger some types of leukemia in humans, a study with knockout mice suggests. The Swedish researchers who carried out the study, which demonstrated that estrogen receptor beta (ER[beta]) plays a...

Phytopharm enters potentially lucrative deal with Yamanouchi.
May 7, 2003... LONDON -- Shares in Phytopharm plc jumped 46 percent to 1.48 [pounds sterling] after the botanicals specialist announced a licensing agreement with Japan's largest pharmaceutical company, Yamanouchi Pharma Co Ltd., in a deal centered around PYM...

Vernalis raising 14.1 million [pounds sterling] as it negotiates sale of company.
May 7, 2003... LONDON -- Vernalis Group plc simultaneously launched a placing and open offer to raise 14.1 million [pounds sterling] (US$22.7 million) and announced it was discussing offers for the company. The placing of 44.5 million shares at 36 pence...

Israeli biotech continues growth with private, government support.
May 7, 2003... ZICHRON YAAKOV, Israel -- "Despite the near freeze in hi-tech investment worldwide and the on-again, off-again heating up of the geopolitical conflict here in the Middle East, the world-class achievements in Israeli biotech have made this a...

Irish university-industry program draws funding, foreign partners.
May 7, 2003... Procter & Gamble Co. and French pharmaceutical companies Servier and Aventis SA are among the first overseas industrial partners to participate in a new university-industry R&D program funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the government...

Serono disagrees with rejection of Serostim for AIDS wasting.
May 7, 2003... PARIS -- Serono SA issued a statement voicing its disagreement with the negative opinion issued by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products, which said Serostim should not be granted initial marketing authorization for the treatment of...

Protherics paying 17.9M [pounds sterling] in notes, shares for acquisition of Enact.
May 7, 2003... LONDON -- Protherics plc agreed to a 7.9 million [pounds sterling] (US$12.7 million) takeover of Enact Pharma plc, giving Protherics control of an orphan drug cancer therapy that is already used on a compassionate basis and is expected to get...

Zealand, Wyeth collaborate on gap junction modulators.
May 7, 2003... Efforts by Zealand Pharma A/S to establish modulators of gap junction proteins as a new therapeutic category have received a big pharma-sized boost in the shape of Wyeth, which has entered an agreement based around a peptide, ZP123, that...

Hybrigenics acquires Dutch firm Semaia in `friendly' stock deal.
May 7, 2003... PARIS -- Hybrigenics SA took over the Dutch company Semaia BV, acquiring 100 percent of its stock in an all-share deal. The president and CEO of Hybrigenics, Donny Strosberg, told BioWorld International that it was a "friendly" takeover and...

4SC AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and ProQinase GmbH, of Freiburg, Germany, began a partnership to identify protein kinase inhibitors that could serve as the basis for anticancer compounds. (Other News to Note).(Brief Article)
May 7, 2003... * 4SC AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and ProQinase GmbH, of Freiburg, Germany, began a partnership to identify protein kinase inhibitors that could serve as the basis for anticancer compounds. ProQinase brings existing validated targets to the...

Antisoma plc. (Other News to Note).
May 7, 2003... * Antisoma plc, of London, announced positive results in preclinical trials of AS1406, its targeted apoptosis product, in the treatment of breast cancer and lymphoma. AS1406 significantly slowed the growth of primary breast tumors and inhibited...

BioTie Therapies Corp. (Other News to Note).(Brief Article)
May 7, 2003... * BioTie Therapies Corp., of Turku, Finland, received additional funding from the Finnish National Technology Agency (Tekes) for the company's drug development projects. The 5.9 million [euro] provided by Tekes was in subsidies for research and...

CyBio AG, of Jena, Germany, began a marketing partnership with Euroscreen SA, of Brussels, Belgium, to sell Euroscreen's functional aequorin-based G protein-coupled receptor testing with reader technology and automation from CyBio's CyBi-Lumax SD and other solutions for screening automation. (Other News to Note).
May 7, 2003... * CyBio AG, of Jena, Germany, began a marketing partnership with Euroscreen SA, of Brussels, Belgium, to sell Euroscreen's functional aequorin-based G protein-coupled receptor testing with reader technology and automation from CyBio's...

Sloning raises 4.3M [euro] in second round for DNA cloning program.
May 7, 2003... MUNICH, Germany -- The steady trickle of German biotechnology companies finding venture backing does not threaten to become a raging torrent anytime soon, but fears in the sector that 2003 would turn out to be a dry year are slowly eroding. ...

Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG. (Other News to Note).(Brief Article)
May 7, 2003... * Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, reported positive results from its research on the genetic and molecular basis for motor neuron disease (MHD), which will be published in this week's issue of Science. The research explains a...

Techno Venture Management. (Other News to Note).(Brief Article)
May 7, 2003... * Techno Venture Management, of Munich, Germany, added Peter Hoffmann-Fischer as a senior adviser in life sciences. Hoffmann-Fischer had been managing director for Robertson Stephens' European investment banking operations in Munich,...

Longtime U.S. investor adds perspective to GLSV venture.
May 14, 2003... MUNICH, Germany -- Is this the worst bear market he's ever seen in biotechnology? "Yes, undoubtedly," said Frederick Frank, vice chairman and managing director with Lehman Brothers Inc. in New York, who just joined Global Life Science...

Molecular zipper helps bind bacteria to human host cells.
May 14, 2003... LONDON -- If scientists knew exactly how pathogenic bacteria manage to stick to human tissues, they might be able to design new therapies for infections caused by the bacteria. One more step toward this goal has been taken, with the publication...

QLT, Xenova suffer setback as pivotal tariquidar trial stopped.
May 14, 2003... LONDON -- Shares in Xenova Group plc were hammered Tuesday, falling 9.75 pence to 10 pence, after partner QLT Inc. said it was stopping pivotal trials of tariquidar in non-small-cell lung cancer, on the advice of an independent safety...

European ministers review plan to implement biotech strategy. (European Union Roundup).
May 14, 2003... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Ministers from 25 European countries examined plans for boosting biotechnology at a meeting here Monday. The European Union Council responsible for industry and research, now expanded from its normal 15-member-state...

Acambis benefits from U.S. consolidation of contracts.
May 14, 2003... LONDON -- The U.S. government consolidated its two smallpox vaccine contracts with Acambis plc, allowing the company to focus manufacturing and clinical trial resources on a single production and development program and increasing its gross...

Active Biotech AB. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, began a Phase I trial of its anticancer compound, TTS CD3, in the United States. The company is working with the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, and cancer specialists with the Radiumhospitalet in...

Antisoma plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Antisoma plc, of London, said a new forecast from an independent safety committee points to the completion of the Phase III trial of R1549 (formerly pemtumomab) in April 2004, slightly ahead of the previous forecast of July. An interim...

Argenta Discovery Ltd., of Harlow, UK, announced a collaboration with Corcept Therapeutics Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., for the discovery and optimization of a second-generation drug candidate for one of Corcept's psychiatric disorder programs. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Argenta Discovery Ltd., of Harlow, UK, announced a collaboration with Corcept Therapeutics Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., for the discovery and optimization of a second-generation drug candidate for one of Corcept's psychiatric disorder...

Astex Technology Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, entered a four-year, multitarget drug discovery alliance with Schering AG, of Berlin, focusing on orally available small molecules targeting solid tumors. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Astex Technology Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, entered a four-year, multitarget drug discovery alliance with Schering AG, of Berlin, focusing on orally available small molecules targeting solid tumors. Schering will fund Astex's research and pay...

UK industry riding out downturn, surviving till sector turns around. (ERBI Biopartnering Exchange).
May 14, 2003... CAMBRIDGE, UK -- "One of the things I know about biotechnology is that it is about the survival of the fittest. And boy, are we under strong survival pressure now." That was how biotech entrepreneur and investor Andy Richards began his keynote...

BioProgress plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * BioProgress plc, of March, UK, a drug delivery specialist, plans to list on London's Alternative Investment Market, raising 2 million [pounds sterling]. Through a related U.S. entity the company has an OTC Bulletin Board listing under the...

Tel Aviv University forms fund to push commercial potential.
May 14, 2003... Tel Aviv, ISRAEL -- Tel Aviv University (TAU) disclosed Monday the formation of a first-of-its-kind venture fund and partnership with a group of U.S. investors, financed by US$8 million. Isaac Kohlberg, CEO of TAU's economic corporation and...

BioScience Managers Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * BioScience Managers Ltd., of London, and Imperial College London announced a joint initiative to raise a 50 million [pounds sterling] (US$80.4 million) fund focused on early stage companies. The BML Ventures Imperial Fund will make...

BioVex Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * BioVex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, said it signed an agreement with the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the U.S. National Institutes of Health in relation to the development of an HIV vaccine. The vaccine will use BioVex's...

CellFactors plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * CellFactors plc, of Newport, UK, fell short of its ambition to raise 3.5 million [pounds sterling] in a private round, coming away with 2.5 million [pounds sterling] (US$4 million). The cell therapy company will use the money to advance the...

Diatos SA. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Diatos SA, of Paris, has received an additional injection of 2.5 million [euro] (US$4 million) from a new investor, the Japanese venture capital fund NIF Ventures, after announcing the conclusion of a second funding round in February in which...

Vivalis licenses stem cell lines to Aventis for vaccine production.
May 14, 2003... PARIS -- Vivalis and Aventis Pasteur SA signed a research collaboration and licensing agreement under which Aventis will use Vivalis' avian stern cell lines to enhance its vaccine production processes. The deal provides for Aventis...

GeneScan Europe AG. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * GeneScan Europe AG, of Freiburg, Germany, will stop additional financing of its subsidiary, BioChip Technologies GmbH. The company said that demand for diagnostic and industrial applications in the biochip sector had fallen below already...

German Ministry of Education and Research. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * The German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) reported that in 2001-02 the number of biotechnology companies in the country shrank by 1 percent, while sales in the sector fell by 3 percent. According to a report from the consulting...

Axaron cutback to focus on stroke reflects German sector.
May 14, 2003... MUNICH, Germany--The development of Axaron AG reflects the development of the biotechnology industry in Germany as a whole and shows how the sector is coping with increasingly challenging market conditions. Begun in 1997 as a joint venture...

Innogenetics NV. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Innogenetics NV, of Ghent, Belgium, announced positive results from a preclinical trial of its humanized anti-inflammatory monoclonal antibody, INNO 202, for the treatment of severe sepsis, a frequently fatal condition caused by an immune...

Karo Bio AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, said it reached a significant preclinical milestone in its estrogen receptor collaboration with Merck and Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., triggering an undisclosed payment. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Karo Bio AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, said it reached a significant preclinical milestone in its estrogen receptor collaboration with Merck and Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., triggering an undisclosed payment. That is the second milestone...

Microscience Ltd., of Wokingham, UK, agreed to a collaboration with antibody specialist Abgenix Inc., of Fremont, Calif., to develop immunotherapies against infectious disease target antigens discovered by Microscience. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Microscience Ltd., of Wokingham, UK, agreed to a collaboration with antibody specialist Abgenix Inc., of Fremont, Calif., to develop immunotherapies against infectious disease target antigens discovered by Microscience. Abgenix will use its...

MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, and Hitachi Software Engineering, of Tokyo, began a long-term cooperation in the production and sales of DNA microarrays based on the German company's Oligo Set technology. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, and Hitachi Software Engineering, of Tokyo, began a long-term cooperation in the production and sales of DNA microarrays based on the German company's Oligo Set technology. HSW will produce arrays based...

Oxford BioMedica plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, announced progress in its RetinoStat product for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology...

Pharmexa A/S. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * Pharmexa A/S, of Horsholm, Denmark, said it will begin a Phase I trial this month in the United States of its HER-2 Protein AutoVac product against breast cancer. The trial will be carried out with two breast cancer centers, enrolling...

ReNeuron Holdings plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * ReNeuron Holdings plc, of Guildford, UK, said it applied to the London Stock Exchange to have its listing on the Alternative Investment Market canceled at the close of business May 16. That followed completion of the offer to take the stem...

The Babraham Research Campus. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2003... * The Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge, UK, received a 700,000 [pounds sterling] (US$1.1 million) grant to set up Babraham BioConcepts to promote the formation of health care start-ups and assist in technology transfer. BioConcepts also...

Medivir, GSK agree to 86m [euro] deal for Phase I HIV candidate.
May 28, 2003... Medivir AB entered its largest drug development deal to date, a pact worth up to 86 million [euro] with GlaxoSmithKline plc to develop its HIV drug MIV-210. The news sent the Huddinge, Sweden-based company's share price soaring by almost 50...

PrimeBoost vaccine produces encouraging results in malaria.
May 28, 2003... LONDON -- Effective vaccines against diseases as diverse as malaria and certain cancers have edged closer, tests of an experimental malaria vaccine suggest. The results, which showed that the vaccine was able to induce a substantial...

Neuro3d acquires Neurofit, adds contract research capabilities.
May 28, 2003... PARIS -- Neuro3d SA, a company set up in 2000 to discover and develop drugs to treat diseases of the central nervous system, acquired the French contract research organization Neurofit SA. CEO of Neuro3d, Charles Woler, declined to tell...

BioXell closes second round early, raises 17m [euro] for pipeline.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... Italian firm BioXell SpA added 17 million [euro] to its coffers in a second funding round it closed several months ahead of its original plan. The Milan-based company attracted an offer from Dutch investor NIB Capital Private Equity NV, of...

IP2IPO invests in King's College in return for stake in spinouts.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... LONDON -- IP2IPO Group Ltd. has agreed to invest 5 million [pounds sterling] (US$8 million) in spinout companies from King's College London Over five years, in return for a 20 percent equity share in each company. At the same time,...

3i Bioscience Investment Trust plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * 3i Bioscience Investment Trust plc, of London, said decreased valuations of venture capital follow-on rounds, and the fact that the initial public offering window has remained closed, has forced it to write down the value of companies in its...

Actelion Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * Actelion Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, published positive results from a long-term study of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension treated in pivotal registration studies with Tracleer. The company said the data show improved survival,...

BioProgress plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * BioProgress plc, of March, UK, became the first biotech company of 2003 to succeed in a public listing, raising 5 million [pounds sterling] (US$8 million) on London's Alternative Investment Market. That is more than the drug delivery...

Sidec raises SEK10m for protein visualization, eyes breaking even.
May 28, 2003... Sidec Technologies AB, a Swedish firm that has developed a novel, high-resolution protein visualization technology, raised SEK10 million (US$1.3 million) in a second funding round. The new cash injection, CEO Gosta Sjoholm told BioWorld...

European ministers cautious on GM crop contamination.
May 28, 2003... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Union ministers took a cautious approach Monday to the risks of genetically modified crops contaminating non-GM crops. Meeting here, the EU agriculture council reflected on the current controversy over how serious...

GW signs Bayer as marketing partner for cannabis product.
May 28, 2003... LONDON -- GW Pharmaceuticals plc landed Bayer AG as marketing partner for its cannabis-based drug, Sativex, in a deal with an up-front fee, 25 million [pounds sterling] in milestones and a significant share of revenues. The agreement gives...

Cellectis, BASF Plant Science in technology evaluation deal.
May 28, 2003... PARIS -- Cellectis SA entered a collaboration with BASF Plant Science GmbH providing for the German company to evaluate the possible use of Cellectis' Meganuclease I-Scel technology for the deletion/excision of nucleotide sequences, such as...

Biovitrum AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, said partner GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, would withdraw the candidate appetite suppressant BVT.933, currently undergoing a Phase IIb clinical trial, in order to focus on alternative 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C (5-HT2C) receptor agonists that have higher selectivity. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * Biovitrum AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, said partner GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, would withdraw the candidate appetite suppressant BVT.933, currently undergoing a Phase IIb clinical trial, in order to focus on alternative 5-hydroxytryptamine...

Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Cambridge, UK, said partner Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., won European approval for Humira, an antibody discovered by CAT. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Cambridge, UK, said partner Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., won European approval for Humira, an antibody discovered by CAT. It is the first human monoclonal antibody to get European...

Celltech Group plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * Celltech Group plc, of Slough, UK, launched a UK sales and marketing organization, initially to sell Dipentum, its treatment for ulcerative colitis. The company said the formation of the unit, to which it has recruited several experienced...

CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, of Cambridge, UK, completed the sale of three pharmaceutical products for 9 million [pounds sterling] (US$14.4million) in cash. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, of Cambridge, UK, completed the sale of three pharmaceutical products for 9 million [pounds sterling] (US$14.4million) in cash, giving the company the funds it needs to begin Phase III trials later this year of M6G...

Cyclacel Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * Cyclacel Ltd., of Dundee, UK, announced progress in its CYC400 program, which uses rational drug design to find small-molecule inhibitors of cell cycle enzymes. The company said it generated multiple, novel cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors...

Exiqon A/S, of Vedbaek, Denmark, said it licensed its Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) nucleic acid analogue technology to Phoenix BioTechnologies Inc., of Huntsville, Ala., on a nonexclusive basis. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * Exiqon A/S, of Vedbaek, Denmark, said it licensed its Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) nucleic acid analogue technology to Phoenix BioTechnologies Inc., of Huntsville, Ala., on a nonexclusive basis. The agreement entitles Phoenix to manufacture and...

Pharmos gets Israeli grant of $4.4m for cannabis programs.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... TEL AVIV, Israel -- Pharmos Corp. said it received about US$4.4 million from the Office of the Chief Scientist of Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade, a 24 increase over last year's OCS funding. Neither the total number of awards...

Sequenom CEO: companies 'lost' in human gene biology.
May 28, 2003... LONDON -- Not only has functional genomics failed to generate large numbers of novel, druggable targets to feed drug company pipelines, but introducing it on a large scale in pharmaceutical discovery has pushed productivity down, not up. ...

GeneProt Inc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * GeneProt Inc., of Geneva, Switzerland, said it licensed its first protein to Novartis AG, of Basel, Switzerland. That represents the first licensing deal emerging from its collaboration with the pharmaceutical firm, which it entered in...

NicOx SA. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * NicOx SA, of Sophia-Antipolis, France, reported positive results from a trial to evaluate the gastrointestinal protection afforded by its nitric oxide-donating aspirin NCX 4016, which is being developed for cardiovascular diseases. An...

Oxford BioMedica plc. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, said the U.S. Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee gave the go-ahead to start a Phase II trial of TroVax in the treatment of renal cancer. The trial of TroVax, which targets the tumor antigen 5T4, will take...

Phytopharm plc, of Godmanchester, UK, said it successfully completed a Phase I study of PYM50028 in Parkinson's disease. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * Phytopharm plc, of Godmanchester, UK, said it successfully completed a Phase I study of PYM50028 in Parkinson's disease. The placebo-controlled study in healthy volunteers older than 50 showed a good safety profile and paves the way for a...

ThromboGenics Ltd. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * ThromboGenics Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, said its candidate thrombolytic (clot-dissolving) agent, a stabilized recombinant protein based on a truncated form of human plasmin protein, successfully completed a placebo-controlled Phase I trial...

Wilex AG. (Other News To Note).(Brief Article)
May 28, 2003... * Wilex AG, of Munich, Germany, received investigational new drug approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its noncytotoxic, antimetastatic serine protease inhibitor, designated WX-UK1. The approval allows the company to proceed...