BioWorld International articles from May 2005

BioWorld International archives from May 2005

Genmab licenses HuMax-TAC to Serono in deal worth up to $40M.
May 4, 2005... Genmab A/S partnered a preclinical project in organ transplant rejection and T-cell mediated disorders, HuMax-TAC, with Serono SA in a deal that could be worth up to $40 million in up-front and milestone payments, plus royalties on eventual...

Nobel Prize research behind new biotechnology firm PGT.(Population Genetics Technologies Ltd.)
May 4, 2005... LONDON -- Nobel Prize winner Sydney Brenner devised a method for obtaining sequence information from thousands of genomes simultaneously, an advance that is relevant to population studies hunting the genes responsible for multifactorial...

SiRNA presents itself as new cancer prevention candidate.
May 4, 2005... LONDON -- Researchers working in the UK believe they might have discovered a new class of agent to prevent cancer: small interfering RNA, targeted against a protein that helps determine whether a battery of genes involved in protecting cells...

Study points to European biotech information divide.(European Union Roundup)
May 4, 2005... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Forty percent of Europeans say they lack information on the use of genetically modified organisms in farming, according to a Eurobarometer survey on "The attitudes of European citizens toward the environment," published...

Acambis plc.(Other News To Note)
May 4, 2005... Acambis plc, of Cambridge, UK, announced results of a Phase I trial of its modified vaccinia Ankara smallpox vaccine, MVA3000, in 88 healthy adults who had not been vaccinated against smallpox previously. A comparator group of 22 subjects were...

Alimentary Health Ltd., of Cork, Ireland, entered an exclusive research, development and cross-licensing agreement with Mead Johnson, a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, covering nutritional applications of novel ingredient technologies for infants and children.(Other News To Note)
May 4, 2005... Alimentary Health Ltd., of Cork, Ireland, entered an exclusive research, development and cross-licensing agreement with Mead Johnson, a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, covering nutritional applications of novel ingredient...

Althea Technologies Inc., of San Diego, was awarded a contract from Lorantis Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, to manufacture the protein component of HepVax, a hepatitis B therapeutic vaccine.(Other News To Note)
May 4, 2005... Althea Technologies Inc., of San Diego, was awarded a contract from Lorantis Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, to manufacture the protein component of HepVax, a hepatitis B therapeutic vaccine. Althea will produce the material in the company's cGMP...

Antisense Pharma GmbH.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Antisense Pharma GmbH, of Regensburg, Germany, completed patient recruitment for the Phase IIb trial of its TGF-beta2 antisense inhibitor, AP 12009, in high-grade glioma. More than 140 patients with anaplastic astrocytoma or glioblastoma have...

Arysta LifeScience Corp., of Tokyo, and Bayer CropScience, of Monheim, Germany, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, reported agreements that represent a further expansion of their existing cooperation.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Arysta LifeScience Corp., of Tokyo, and Bayer CropScience, of Monheim, Germany, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, reported agreements that represent a further expansion of their existing cooperation. Arysta will acquire amitraz, a broad-spectrum...

BioVex Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... BioVex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, treated the first patient in its Phase I/II trial of ImmunoVEXtrimelan in malignant melanoma. The study is designed to evaluate the vaccine in 50 patients, with initial results expected during the first half of 2006....

Biovitrum AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, said shareholders have made the formal decision required to complete the acquisition of Cambridge Biotechnology Ltd., of Cambridge, UK.(Other News To Note)
May 4, 2005... Biovitrum AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, said shareholders have made the formal decision required to complete the acquisition of Cambridge Biotechnology Ltd., of Cambridge, UK. CBT currently focuses on obesity, pain and inflammation.

Crucell NV.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, reported results from its Ebola vaccine studies conducted with the Vaccine Research Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Army Institute of Infectious Diseases. Data confirmed...

Cytopia Pty. Ltd.(Other News To Note)(approval for testing cancer drug )(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Cytopia Pty. Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, received approval from Australian regulatory officials to begin testing its cancer drug CYT997 in up to 30 patients with advanced, incurable solid tumors. The primary goals are to evaluate the safety...

Diversa Corp., of San Diego, is collaborating with BITeomics (Bio Integration Technology Inc.), of Dalian, China, to identify and assess opportunities for Diversa's enzyme products within the Chinese oil and gas industry.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Diversa Corp., of San Diego, is collaborating with BITeomics (Bio Integration Technology Inc.), of Dalian, China, to identify and assess opportunities for Diversa's enzyme products within the Chinese oil and gas industry. One of the...

DxS Ltd., of Manchester, UK, said AstraZeneca plc, of London, validated DxS' Scorpions rapid genotyping technology in the analysis of mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR).(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... DxS Ltd., of Manchester, UK, said AstraZeneca plc, of London, validated DxS' Scorpions rapid genotyping technology in the analysis of mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR). Mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR...

Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Houston, signed new agreements with Revotar Biopharmaceuticals AG, of Brandenburg, Germany, regarding bimosiamose and certain follow-on compounds.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Houston, signed new agreements with Revotar Biopharmaceuticals AG, of Brandenburg, Germany, regarding bimosiamose and certain follow-on compounds. Encysive will reduce its ownership in Revotar to about 14...

GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, received a grant totaling 2.2 million [euro] (US$2.9 million) in committed funding from the German Ministry for Education and Research through its BioChancePLUS program.(Other News To Note)
May 4, 2005... GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, and Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, received a grant totaling 2.2 million [euro] (US$2.9 million) in committed funding from the German Ministry for Education and Research through its...

Imperial College London.(Other News To Note)(University of London. Imperial College of Science and Technology)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Imperial College London raised 20 million [pounds sterling] (US$37.9 million) in a private placement with institutional investors to fund its technology transfer arm, Imperial Innovations. Imperial College retains a 71 percent stake in Imperial...

Inte:Ligand GmbH, of Vienna, Austria, and Molecular Networks, of Erlangen, Germany, announced the integration of the Corina software for the generation of 3-dimensional molecular models into Ilib Diverse.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Inte:Ligand GmbH, of Vienna, Austria, and Molecular Networks, of Erlangen, Germany, announced the integration of the Corina software for the generation of 3-dimensional molecular models into Ilib Diverse, the virtual compound library generation...

IntegraGen SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... IntegraGen SA, of Paris, will be part of an EU consortium, EuroHear, which has been awarded 12.5 million [euro] (US$1 6.2 million) to research hearing impairments. IntegraGen's role will be to identify genes that predispose individuals to...

Metabolex Inc., of Hayward, Calif., extended its multiyear research collaboration with Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. (formerly Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.).(Other News To Note)
May 4, 2005... Metabolex Inc., of Hayward, Calif., extended its multiyear research collaboration with Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. (formerly Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.) to validate drug targets with the goal of advancing candidates into...

Micromet AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Micromet AG, of Munich, Germany, started a Phase I trial to test the combination of its antibody MT201 with Taxotere (docetaxel) in patients suffering from relapsed or primary refractory breast cancer. The antibody also is in two Phase II...

Microsens, of London, said partner Idexx Laboratories Inc., of Westbrook, Maine.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Microsens, of London, said partner Idexx Laboratories Inc., of Westbrook, Maine, received European Commission approval for its bovine spongiform encephalopathy postmortem test, which is based on Seprion's technology.

Mologen AG.(Other News To Note)(stock offerings)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Mologen AG, of Berlin, placed a new stock offering of 600,000 shares with institutional investors. The sale brought the company about 2.2 million [euro] (US$2.8 million) in cash proceeds. Mologen is developing DNA-based vaccines and therapies.

MorphoSys AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... MorphoSys AG, of Munich, Germany, reported results from its MOR102 antibody for chronic inflammatory diseases. A preclinical study on the effectiveness of MOR102 against psoriasis in animal models designed to compare it with already approved...

Neose Technologies Inc., of Horsham, Pa., and BioGeneriX AG, of Mannheim, Germany, entered a research, license and option agreement to use Neose's GlycoPEGylation technology.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Neose Technologies Inc., of Horsham, Pa., and BioGeneriX AG, of Mannheim, Germany, entered a research, license and option agreement to use Neose's GlycoPEGylation technology to develop a long-acting, next-generation version of a marketed...

Neurotech SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Neurotech SA, of Paris, reported positive results from an open-label Phase I trial of its lead product, NT-501, at the 77th annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. NT-501...

NsGene A/S.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... NsGene A/S, of Ballerup, Denmark, raised DKK30 million (US$5.2 million) in new funding from a consortium of Danish and Swedish investors. The cash, together with European Commission research grants, will allow it to move preclinical programs in...

OpGen Inc., of Madison, Wis., signed an exclusive distribution agreement with the Japanese company M&S Instruments Inc.(Other News To Note)
May 4, 2005... OpGen Inc., of Madison, Wis., signed an exclusive distribution agreement with the Japanese company M&S Instruments Inc. The agreement will provide Japan's life sciences researchers with access to Optical Mapping, OpGen's whole-genome analysis...

Peplin Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Peplin Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, said the results of research in anti-leukemia properties of Peplin's lead compound, PEP005, were published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. The company said that the paper...

Pharmagene plc.(Other News To Note)(stopped development PGN1 1 64, the lead compound )(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Pharmagene plc, of Royston, UK, said it stopped clinical development of PGN1 1 64, the lead compound in its irritable bowel syndrome program, after preliminary data in the Phase I study showed variable pharmacokinetics in man. The company said...

Pharming Group NV.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Pharming Group NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, reported clinical results from Phase II/III studies with recombinant human C1 inhibitor for the treatment of hereditary angioedema. Patients treated with rhC1INH showed a three-minute median time...

ProStrakan Group plc, of Galashiels, UK, acquired APS Pharma GmbH, of Munich, Germany, for 2.7 million [euro] (US$3.5 million).(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... ProStrakan Group plc, of Galashiels, UK, acquired APS Pharma GmbH, of Munich, Germany, for 2.7 million [euro] (US$3.5 million). The company is expanding its pharmaceutical marketing arm to support R&D programs in bone biology, hormonal...

Protemix Corp.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Protemix Corp., of Auckland, New Zealand, said a study published in Diabetes showed that abnormal levels of oxidized copper accumulate in people with Type II diabetes, which it said should be eliminated to reduce the incidence of heart disease....

Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, and Epigenomics AG, of Berlin, entered a collaboration to jointly develop and introduce a pre-analytical solution portfolio for DNA methylation analysis.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, and Epigenomics AG, of Berlin, entered a collaboration to jointly develop and introduce a pre-analytical solution portfolio for DNA methylation analysis. The portfolio is expected to provide validated...

SkyePharma plc, of London, entered an amendment agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, regarding Paxil.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... SkyePharma plc, of London, entered an amendment agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, regarding Paxil. GSK will make a one-time payment of about $10 million. In addition, SkyePharma also will be entitled to an increase in the royalty...

WITA GmbH, of Teltow, Germany, will expand its collaboration with Tokyo-based SC Biosciences Corp. for SCBC to distribute WITA's proteomics technologies in Japan.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... WITA GmbH, of Teltow, Germany, will expand its collaboration with Tokyo-based SC Biosciences Corp. for SCBC to distribute WITA's proteomics technologies in Japan. The collaboration covers the marketing of systems for high-resolution...

Xceleron Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2005... Xceleron Ltd., of Heslington, UK, closed a 2 million [pounds sterling] (US$3.8 million) funding round. Close Venture Management led the round with 1.5 million [pounds sterling], with an additional 500,000 [pounds sterling] from Foursome...

In first Swiss IPO this year, Arpida brings in CHF97.2m.
May 11, 2005... Pricing its initial public offering at CHF18 per share--the bottom of its expected range of CHF18 to CHF22--Arpida AG realized gross proceeds of CHF97.2 million (US$80.9 million) from its debut on the Swiss Stock Exchange May 4. The...

Wilex raises 30m [euro] to fund Rencarex Phase III program.
May 11, 2005... Wilex AG closed a Series C financing, bringing aboard 30 million [euro] (US$39 million), capital much needed as the firm works its way through Phase III trials with its lead product. The company, which has raised more than 68 million [euro]...

Genomic secrets of single-celled predator might aid drug discovery.
May 11, 2005... LONDON -- The humble slime mold has the potential to be useful in studying human diseases. An international consortium of scientists has just finished sequencing its genome, and has discovered that more than 60 of its genes are similar to genes...

CellCentric gets epigenetics IP in Babraham Institute deal.
May 11, 2005... LONDON -- CellCentric Ltd. signed a deal giving it exclusive access to epigenetics-related intellectual property from the Babraham Institute in Cambridge and triggering an investment of 250,000 [pounds sterling] (US$470,422) from the Rainbow...

Acrongenomics Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Acrongenomics Inc., of Athens, Greece, said it has managed to reshape key IVD molecular applications such as PCR, ELISA and Real Time PCR through its Nano-JETA technology platform, by integrating nanotechnology into molecular biology. The...

Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, and Avidex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, reported that the CD80 antagonist, RhuDex, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, entered Phase I trials.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, and Avidex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, reported that the CD80 antagonist, RhuDex, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, entered Phase I trials. RhuDex is an orally administered small molecule initially intended...

Antisoma plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Antisoma plc, of London, is dropping AS1405, an antibody-targeted radiotherapeutic for glioma, in order to focus resources and accelerate trials of its aptamer drug, AS141 1. Trials of AS1405 will be suspended immediately and the product will...

Avidex Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Avidex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, said its first product, RhuDex, entered Phase I trials in rheumatoid arthritis. RhuDex is an orally available small molecule that directly blocks T-cell activation, thus preventing the release of inflammatory...

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., of Novato, Calif., has licensed from Tokyo-based Daiichi Suntory Pharma Co. Ltd. the exclusive worldwide rights (excluding Japan) for the use of tetrahydrobiopterin (6R-BH4) to treat the endothelial dysfunction that causes vascular complications in diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases.(Other News To Note)
May 11, 2005... BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., of Novato, Calif., has licensed from Tokyo-based Daiichi Suntory Pharma Co. Ltd. the exclusive worldwide rights (excluding Japan) for the use of tetrahydrobiopterin (6R-BH4) to treat the endothelial dysfunction...

BioVex Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... BioVex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, reported that it has submitted an investigational new drug application to the FDA to initiate a clinical trial in malignant melanoma of OncoVEX, its lead product candidate, for the treatment of solid tumors. OncoVEX...

BioVision AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... BioVision AG, of Hanover, Germany, sold its spin-off ImVision GmbH to Zurich, Switzerland-based Nextech Venture LP for an undisclosed amount. ImVision focuses on immunotherapeutics based on its Modular Antigen Transport technology to treat...

Cobra Biomanufacturing plc, of Keele, UK, agreed to a deal for SynCo Bio Partners BV, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to use Cobra's technology to manufacture plasmid DNA for Phase III trials and commercial supply.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Cobra Biomanufacturing plc, of Keele, UK, agreed to a deal for SynCo Bio Partners BV, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to use Cobra's technology to manufacture plasmid DNA for Phase III trials and commercial supply. Cobra will continue to...

Cytomyx Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, agreed to supply Biomoda Inc., of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with human samples for Biomoda's diagnostic test development program.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Cytomyx Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, agreed to supply Biomoda Inc., of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with human samples for Biomoda's diagnostic test development program. Biomoda is developing tests for the early detection and targeted treatment of...

Definiens AG, of Munich, Germany, and Cenix BioScience AG, of Dresden, Germany, entered a licensing and co-marketing agreement, formalizing an ongoing relationship.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Definiens AG, of Munich, Germany, and Cenix BioScience AG, of Dresden, Germany, entered a licensing and co-marketing agreement, formalizing an ongoing relationship. Cenix is providing research services for the life science industry and academic...

Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, will restructure its supervisory board after the company's annual general meeting June 7.(Other News To Note)
May 11, 2005... Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, will restructure its supervisory board after the company's annual general meeting June 7. Evotec will appoint Hubert Birner, Peter Fellner and Alfred Oberholz to the board, as well as reappoint Mary Tanner....

Immuno-Designed Molecules SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Immuno-Designed Molecules SA, of Paris, reported positive results from a Phase II trial of its melanoma cancer vaccine Uvidem. The vaccine, which consists of mature dendritic cells loaded with lysates extracted from tumor cell lines, triggered...

Medivir AB.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Medivir AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, said that an orally active, small-molecule inhibitor of Cathepsin K was selected as a candidate drug. Cathepsin K is a key protease with activity that regulates skeletal breakdown. The project's goal is to...

Micromet AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Micromet AG, of Munich, Germany, reported preclinical data on its compound MT103, an antibody derivative in a Phase I trial for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The study, published in the current issue of the International Journal of...

Noxxon Pharma AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Noxxon Pharma AG, of Berlin, presented positive results from its cancer program at the Deutsche Bank's 30th annual health care conference in Baltimore. The company demonstrated for the first time that its Spiegelmer compounds are effective in...

Oxford BioMedica plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, said the European Patent Office granted a patent on TroVax, the company's lead gene therapy immunotherapeutic. The patent covers products directed against 5T4, a tumor-associated antigen. TroVax uses a...

Proteologics Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, signed a feasibility study agreement with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, involving drugs targeting ubiquitin ligases for cancer therapy.(Other News To Note)
May 11, 2005... Proteologics Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, signed a feasibility study agreement with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, involving drugs targeting ubiquitin ligases for cancer therapy. Proteologics will carry out a feasibility study...

Qiagen NV.(Other News To Note)(RNAture)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, acquired the worldwide, exclusive rights and licenses to manufacture and market the complete portfolio of RNAture Inc.'s nucleic acid-isolation products from Hitachi Chemical Research Center. RNAture is a...

Scottish Medicines Consortium.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Scottish Medicines Consortium, of High Wycombe, UK, announced that Amias (candesartan cilexetil), an angiotensin-receptor blocker, used in the treatment of essential hypertension, has been accepted for use in Scotland in patients with chronic...

Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc, of Basingstoke, UK, said in vitro data presented at the National Kidney Foundation's 2005 clinical meeting in Washington, showed that Fosrenol binds phosphate across a broad pH range with higher affinity than...

SkyePharma plc, of London, said the FDA approved Triglide, its formulation of fenofibrate.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... SkyePharma plc, of London, said the FDA approved Triglide, its formulation of fenofibrate. The approval will trigger a $15 million milestone payment from its partner Alpharetta, Ga.-based First Horizon Pharmaceutical Corp. SkyePharma granted...

SR Pharma plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... SR Pharma plc, of London, terminated merger talks with an unnamed UK-based company because of the length of discussions. Instead, SR Pharma, which is listed on London's Alternative Investment Market, now is in talks to acquire a European...

UK's Medical Research Council.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... UK's Medical Research Council is creating a drug discovery group to accelerate the translation of research it funds into new therapies. The publicly funded body announced the appointment of Justin Bryans, currently senior principal scientist at...

Viragen Inc., of Plantation, Fla., and Cancer Research Technology Ltd., of London, announced a license agreement that provides Viragen with worldwide, exclusive rights to commercialize the anti-CD55 antibody, which is in preclinical development in cancer.(Other News To Note)
May 11, 2005... Viragen Inc., of Plantation, Fla., and Cancer Research Technology Ltd., of London, announced a license agreement that provides Viragen with worldwide, exclusive rights to commercialize the anti-CD55 antibody, which is in preclinical development...

NovImmune, Serono enter antibody deal worth $122m.
May 18, 2005... NovImmune SA entered its first product out-licensing pact, a deal with Serono SA, which is potentially worth up to $122 million for two preclinical fully human antibodies, NI-0401 and NI-0501. In return for obtaining exclusive worldwide...

To increase pipeline, CAT pushing back profitability.(Cambridge Antibody Technology)
May 18, 2005... LONDON -- Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) Group plc dropped its target of becoming profitable by 2008, saying that sticking to the plan would severely limit its capacity to invest in products coming out if its collaboration with AstraZeneca...

Positive results at ASCO for nicotine vaccine raise hopes.
May 18, 2005... LONDON -- A trial of a vaccine against nicotine has produced promising results, raising hopes that it could be used to treat smoking addiction by 2010. Significantly more of the people whose immune systems responded most strongly to the...

AC Immune gets CHF21M for sensitive antibodies.
May 18, 2005... AC Immune SA raised CHF21 million (US$17.2 million) in a Series B round from an undisclosed group of investors to advance its immunotherapy-based programs in what it calls "conformational diseases" and cancer. The Lausanne,...

Initiatives aim to make UK top spot for clinical trials.
May 18, 2005... LONDON -- Funding of 74 million [pounds sterling] (US$135.9 million) was announced for the UK Clinical Research Collaboration to create a single gateway to the largest pool of patients in the world in the National Health Service (NHS), with the...

4SC AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 18, 2005... 4SC AG, of Martinsried, Germany, received funding as part of the BioChancePLUS support program from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research for development of new drug candidates. The two-and-a-half year, ?2.9 million (US$3.7 million)...

Abingworth Management Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 18, 2005... Abingworth Management Ltd., of London, opened a new office in Waltham, Mass., which will be run by Michael Bigham. The office will enable Abingworth to focus on East Coast deals in the U.S. The life sciences venture capital group also appointed...

Law on agricultural biotech stuck in German parliament.
May 18, 2005... MUNICH, Germany -- Germany's political leaders are still wrestling with national regulations for agricultural biotechnology. A law passed in November was supposed to resolve questions about field trials and commercial planting of...

Intec Pharma gets new CEO, plans 'accordion pill' program.(Interview)
May 18, 2005... ZICHRON YAAKOV, Israel -- The "accordion pill," the first product from Intec Pharma, is pushing open the narrow absorption window. Intec, of Jerusalem, has an oral capsule packed with a proprietary bioengineered expandable matrix, designed...

Acambis plc, of Cambridge, UK, acquired a Rockville, Md.-based fill/finish facility from BioReliance Corp., a subsidiary of Invitrogen Corp., of Carlsbad, Calif.(Other News To Note)
May 18, 2005... Acambis plc, of Cambridge, UK, acquired a Rockville, Md.-based fill/finish facility from BioReliance Corp., a subsidiary of Invitrogen Corp., of Carlsbad, Calif. Acambis intends to develop a commercial-scale fill/finish capability for many of...

Allergy Therapeutics plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 18, 2005... Allergy Therapeutics plc, of Worthing, UK, received approval from Health Canada for a pivotal trial of its ragweed allergy vaccine. If successful the study would allow the submission for registration in the first half of 2006.

Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp., of San Diego, said its PFC Therapeutics LLC subsidiary and Beijing Double-Crane Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Beijing, entered a development, license and supply agreement for Oxygent, an intravascular oxygen therapeutic, in the Peoples' Republic of China.(Other News To Note)
May 18, 2005... Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp., of San Diego, said its PFC Therapeutics LLC subsidiary and Beijing Double-Crane Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Beijing, entered a development, license and supply agreement for Oxygent, an intravascular oxygen...

Antisoma plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 18, 2005... Antisoma plc, of London, treated the first patient in the Phase II trial of AS 1404, as it released Phase I data on the product, a vascular disrupting agent designed to destroy existing tumor blood vessels. The Phase I identified a suitable...

Atugen AG, of Berlin, has achieved nine milestones in its target validation research contract with Schering AG, also of Berlin.(Other News To Note)
May 18, 2005... Atugen AG, of Berlin, has achieved nine milestones in its target validation research contract with Schering AG, also of Berlin. Atugen validated nine cancer drug targets out of several dozen identified by Schering since 2002. Atugen has...

Benitec Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 18, 2005... Benitec Ltd., of St. Lucia, Australia, identified a clinical candidate for its RNA interference-based therapeutic against the hepatitis C virus. Benitec also reported the beginning of efficacy and safety studies of its clinical candidate in...

Biosystems Informatics Institute.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 18, 2005... The Biosystems Informatics Institute, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, formed a trading arm, Turbinia Ltd., to commercialize its bioinformatics and systems biology software tools for use in drug development. Turbinia also secured exclusive rights to...

Cambridge Biostability Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, plans to develop a temperature-stable vaccine against diarrhea caused by entertoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), for use in developing countries.(Other News To Note)
May 18, 2005... Cambridge Biostability Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, plans to develop a temperature-stable vaccine against diarrhea caused by entertoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), for use in developing countries. The product will be based on HoloVax-ETEC, a Phase I product...

Co.don AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
May 18, 2005... Co.don AG, of Berlin, began sales of its autologous, 3-dimensional cartilage transplants for treatment of arthritic joints. The application is being undertaken together with Zurich Sport Clinic. Co.don estimated the market for its product at...