BioWorld International articles from November 2003

BioWorld International archives from November 2003

Astex acquires genomics firm MetaGen, raises 8M [pounds sterling] privately.(Astex Technology Ltd.; MetaGen Pharmaceuticals GmbH)
November 5, 2003... LONDON -- Astex Technology Ltd. raised 23 million [pounds sterling] (US$38.9 million) through its acquisition of German genomics company MetaGen Pharmaceuticals GmbH with its 15 million [pounds sterling] cash, and by raising 8 million [pounds...

5T4 molecule provides stem cell researchers unexpected benefit.
November 5, 2003... LONDON -- A molecule that switches on a cell's ability to move around--whether in the embryo or in a malignant tumor--could help make stem cell research more efficient, as well as provide new strategies for cancer treatment. The molecule,...

German government planning 100m [euro] in support for biotech.
November 5, 2003... The German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) has pledged about 100 million [euro] in funds to support all facets of biotechnology in Germany. The publicly funded programs would range from research money for individual investigators or...

European Trade Unions fight against genetic screening use.(European Trade Union Confederation)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Trade Union Confederation called on Oct. 29 for the prohibition of genetic screening in the work place. European Union rules on personal data protection should clearly state that prohibition, it said in a...

European Parliament wants tougher rules on cell use.
November 5, 2003... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Parliament is returning this week to the proposed European Union rules on the use of human tissues and cells--and it is determined to tighten up the draft legislation. Member state ministers in the EU's Health...

Amersham Biosciences, the life sciences business of Amersham PLC, of London, signed an agreement with the Windber Research Institute in Windber, Pa., to develop a Scierra Solutions Laboratory Workflow System to manage the data generated in its clinical breast cancer project.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Amersham Biosciences, the life sciences business of Amersham plc, of London, signed an agreement with the Windber Research Institute in Windber, Pa., to develop a Scierra Solutions Laboratory Workflow System to manage the data generated in its...

Budget cuts threaten technology incubators, could force closings.
November 5, 2003... ZICHRON YA'AKOV, Israel -- The Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor will have to make do with a 44 million-shekel (US$11 million) budget cut, reducing its annual operating funds from about NIS130 million to NIS85 million. "This...

Swedish Research coalition seeking more R&D support.(Swedish Research Council)
November 5, 2003... The Swedish Research Council is spearheading a campaign by all of Sweden's stakeholders in science and technology in an effort to convince government to increase support for public research by SEK7.5 billion (US$950 million) or 37.5 percent by...

Ark Therapeutics Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Ark Therapeutics Ltd., of London, was granted a U.S. patent for EG009, its gene-based therapy for brain cancer. EG009 is injected following the removal of a tumor and prompts the production of thymidine kinase that subsequently converts a...

Artus GmbH, of Delkenheim, Germany, together with Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., released three tests for detecting infectious diseases, including the virus believed to cause severe acute respiratory syndrome.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Artus GmbH, of Delkenheim, Germany, together with Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, III., released three tests for detecting infectious diseases, including the virus believed to cause severe acute respiratory syndrome. The SARS test is based...

Berna Biotech Ltd., of Bern, Switzerland, granted Dynavax Technologies Corp., of Berkeley, Calif., worldwide, nonexclusive rights to a hepatitis B surface antigen, HBsAg.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Berns Biotech Ltd., of Bern, Switzerland, granted Dynavax Technologies Corp., of Berkeley, Calif., worldwide, nonexclusive rights to a hepatitis B surface antigen, HBsAg. Dynavax will use the product in its programs for the disease to develop a...

Biobase GmbH.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Biobase GmbH, of Wolfenbuttel, Germany, launched its Brenda enzyme database. It includes information on 80,000 enzymes, which have been largely extracted by hand from scientific publications, and the company already has customers in Europe, the...

BioGeneriX AG, of Mannheim, Germany, entered an exclusive agreement with Cangene Corp., of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in which it will market and distribute Cangene's recombinant human growth hormone in Europe.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... BioGeneriX AG, of Mannheim, Germany, entered an exclusive agreement with Cangene Corp., of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in which it will market and distribute Cangene's recombinant human growth hormone in Europe. Both parties will jointly pursue...

Celltech Group PLC, of Slough, UK, said a milestone was achieved in its deal with Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., regarding the research, development and global commercialization of treatments for osteoporosis using Celltech's antibody fragment technology, which aims to identify antibody fragments against sclerostin, a protein discovered by Celltech.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Celltech Group PLC, of Slough, UK, said a milestone was achieved in its deal with Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., regarding the research, development and global commercialization of treatments for osteoporosis using Celltech's antibody...

Chiron Corp.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Chiron Corp., of Emeryville, Calif., announced the formal launch of Chiron Vaccines, to be headquartered in Oxford, UK, following the integration of PowderJect Pharmaceuticals plc, acquired by Chiron earlier this year. Sales for the combined...

Curacyte AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Curacyte AG, of Munich, Germany, said its wholly owned subsidiary, Curacyte Chemistry GmbH, of Jena, Germany, was awarded a $1.2 million research and development grant from the German state of Thuringia's Corporate Technology Development...

Elan Corporation PLC.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Elan Corp. PLC, of Dublin, Ireland, said the lead manager exercised its option to purchase an additional $60 million of guaranteed convertible notes due 2008 to cover overallotments in connection with the convertible notes offering announced...

Girindus AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Girindus AG, of Kuensebeck, Germany, said its U.S. subsidiary won a grant from the state of Ohio to accelerate the expansion of the oligonucleotide production at its facility in Cincinnati. The grant comes from a state fund to provide...

GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, reported the achievement of several milestones in its five-and-a-half-year alliance with Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, to build the U.S. Altana Research Institute (ARI) in Waltham, Mass.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, reported the achievement of several milestones in its five-and-a-half-year alliance with Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, to build the U.S. Altana Research Institute (ARI) in Waltham, Mass. The...

Hybrigenics SA, of Paris, entered an agreement with Group de Recherche Servier, also of Paris, to begin a pair of drug discovery collaborations and license arrangements related to cancer drugs.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Hybrigenics SA, of Paris, entered an agreement with Group de Recherche Servicer, also of Paris, to begin a pair of drug discovery collaborations and license arrangements related to cancer drugs. Servier will provide research funding for two...

Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, and Molecular Engines Laboratories SA, of Paris, entered an agreement under which MEL gained exclusive rights to Ingenium's Ingenotypes TSAP6 genetic mouse model.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, and Molecular Engines Laboratories SA, of Paris, entered an agreement under which MEL gained exclusive rights to Ingenium's Ingenotypes TSAP6 genetic mouse model. TSAP6 is a gene discovered by...

Inpharmatica Ltd., of London, said UCB Research Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., became the first subscriber to its Biopendium Online proteomics database, launched in June.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Inpharmatica Ltd., of London, said UCB Research Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., became the first subscriber to its Biopendium Online proteomics database, launched in June. Biopendium Online contains 10 billion precalculated protein relationships...

LION bioscience AG, of Heidelberg, Germany, and Silicon Genetics, of Redwood City, Calif., completed their first joint products, the LION Target Engine and SRS-GeneSpring Connectors.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... LION biocscience AG, of Heidelberg, Germany, and Silicon Genetics, of Redwood City, Calif., completed their first joint products, the LION Target Engine and SRS-GeneSpring Connectors. The companies entered a multiyear joint development and...

Medical Marketing International Group PLC.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Medical Marketing International Group PLC., of Cambridge, UK, said it would be granted a European patent for its ruthenium chemotherapy compounds, being developed by its wholly owned subsidiary, Oncosense Ltd. In September, MMI claimed the...

Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, said its Australian pharmaceuticals subsidiary, Alphapharm Pty. Ltd., filed for marketing approval in that country for Erbitux (cetuximab) to treat metastatic colorectal cancer.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, said its Australian pharmaceuticals subsidiary, Alphapharm Pty. Ltd., filed for marketing approval in that country for Erbitux (cetuximab) to treat metastatic colorectal cancer. Alphapharm, which is seeking...

MetaGen Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Berlin, and Astex Technology Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, are merging.(Other News To Note)
November 5, 2003... MetaGen Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Berlin, and Astex Technology Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, are merging. The merged company will operate as Astex Technology Ltd. The new company will continue work on Astex's fragment-based drug discovery and...

MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, is cooperating with Quanta Biotech, of Somerton, UK, to develop new thermocycling technologies.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, is cooperating with Quanta Biotech, of Somerton, UK, to develop new thermocycling technologies. Thermocyclers ate analytical devices used in polymerase chain reactions for amplification or sequencing...

Optimata Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Optimata Ltd., of Tel Aviv, Israel, using predictive computer-based biosimulation, showed that significantly lower doses of a treatment when given at repeated intervals that respect natural biokinetics work better than a single, higher dose....

Orchid BioSciences Inc., of Princeton, N.J., signed a definitive agreement to sell the assets of its diagnostics unit for $4.3 million to Tepnel Life Sciences plc, of Manchester, UK.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Orchid BioSciences Inc., of Princeton, N.J., signed a definite agreement to sell the assets of its diagnostics unit for $4.3 million to Tepnel Life Sciences plc, of Manchester, UK. Orchid Diagnostics provides systems, consumables and services...

Pevion Biotech Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Pevion Biotech Ltd., of Bern, Switzerland, moved its lead candidate vaccine, a synthetic peptide in development for treatment of malaria, into a Phase I trial in 46 healthy volunteers. Pevion, a joint venture established in January 2002 by...

Pharmexa A/S, of Horsholm, Denmark, and Bavarian Nordic A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, entered a collaborative agreement that will test the use of Bavarian Nordic's MVA-BN vector technology in combination with Pharmexa's HER-2 DNA AutoVac vaccine.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Pharmexa A/S, of Horsholm, Denmark, entered Bavarian Nordic A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, entered a collaborative agreement that will test the use of Bavarian Nordic's MVA-BN vector technology in combination with Pharmexa's HER-2 DNA AutoVac...

Phytopharm PLC, of Godmanchester, UK, completed a Phase 1b study of its Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease product, PYM50028, a neuroprotective agent derived from an Asian plant, and now is planning a placebo-controlled Phase II study in Alzheimer's patients.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Phytopharm PLC, of Godmanchester, UK, completed a Phase lb study of its Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease product, PYM50028, a neuroprotective agent derived from an Asian plant, and now is planning a placebo-controlled Phase II study in...

Progen Industries Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Progen Industries Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, said the terms of the placement agreement announced on Sept. 18 have been renegotiated. As a consequence of the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index falling by more than 10 percent since signing the...

Pyrosequencing AB, of Uppsala, Sweden, completed its purchase of Biotage L.L.C., the separations subsidiary of Dyax Corp., of Cambridge, Mass.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Pyrosequencing AB, of Uppsala, Sweden, completed its purchase of Biogate LLC, the separations subsidiary of Dyax Corp., of Cambridge, Mass. Dyax received about $35 million for the unit. The sale was first reported earlier this month.

Qiagen N.V., of Venlo, the Netherlands, and Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., entered a collaboration to optimize Qiagen's siRNA-mediated gene silencing technology using Affymetrix's GeneChip microarray technology.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Qiagen N.V., of Venlo, the Netherlands, and Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., entered a collaboration to optimize Qiagen's siRNA-mediated gene silencing technology using Affymetrix's GeneChip microarray technology. The collaboration aims...

Serono S.A.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Serono SA, of Genera, said the European Commission approved its new prefilled syringe for Ovitrelle (choriogonadotropin alfa). Designed to make infertility treatment easier for patients, the new Ovitrelle Solution for Injection is designed to...

Teva Neuroscience Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Teva Neuroscience Inc., a unit of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, said 16-month retrospective data published in the November issue of the European Journal of Neurology showed that Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) was...

The UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) Business Division, of Porton Down, UK, licensed exclusive rights to a meningitis B vaccine to Chiron Vaccines, of Oxford, UK.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... The UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) Business Division, of Porton Down, UK, licensed exclusive rights to a meningitis B vaccine to Chiron Vaccines, of Oxford, UK. Financial terms were not disclosed but the deal includes an up-front payment,...

Transgene S.A.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Transgene SA, of Strasbourg, France, entered an agreement with the French AIDS Research Agency (ANRS) and the French Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in which it will make constructs consisting of modified vaccinia ankara...

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Corona, Calif., acquired Amarin Development AB, a wholly owned drug development subsidiary of Amarin Corp. plc, of London, for about $15 million in cash.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Corona, Calif., acquired Amarin Development AB, a wholly owned drug development subsidiary of Amarin Corp. plc, of London, for about $15 million in cash. Watson said expects the deal to have no financial impact...

Xcellsyz Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2003... Xcellsyz Ltd., of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, secured a $125,892 DTI Grant for research and development. The grant will be used to help test the feasibility of Xcellsyz's human cell-based approach to drug discovery through further development of...

Maxim's electronic Ceplene application is Europe's first.(Maxim Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
November 12, 2003... LONDON -- Maxim Pharmaceuticals Inc. became the first to make an all-electronic submission in Europe last week, when it filed for Ceplene in combination with interleukin-2 for the treatment of advanced malignant melanoma. Larry Stambaugh,...

Aging cells' response to short telomeres could fight cancer.
November 12, 2003... LONDON -- New insights into the mechanisms that call a halt to cell division once a cell begins to age could provide clues as to how cancer cells continue multiplying. Researchers in the UK have discovered clusters of molecules around the ends...

T-cellic raises DKK40M for its 'T-cell guided therapy'.
November 12, 2003... T-cellic A/S, a Danish firm developing cancer therapy that uses a patient's own T cells as drug carriers to home in on tumors, raised DKK40 million (US$6.2 million) in second round financing, boosting its total funding to date to DKK82 million....

Galapagos signs pharma deals with siRNA discovery platform.(Galapagos Genomics N.V.)
November 12, 2003... Belgian functional genomics firm Galapagos Genomics N.V. scored two target discovery deals based on its recently completed SilenceSelect platform, which uses small interfering RNAs to identify genes involved in disease-related processes. ...

Acambis PLC, of Cambridge, UK, reported the start of a Phase I trial of its investigational vaccine against West Nile virus, ChimeriVax-West Nile.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Acambis PLC, of Cambridge, UK, reported the start of a Phase I trial of its investigational vaccine against West Nile virus, ChimeriVax-West Nile. The trial is a randomized, double-blind out-patient study in 60 healthy adult volunteers. The...

Alchemia Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Alchemia Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, filed a prospectus for an A $21 million (US$15 million) follow-on public offering and to seek a listing on the Australian Stock Exchange. The company plans to issue 30 million shares at A70 cents each,...

Antisoma PLC, of London, reported final results from its pilot Phase II study of R1549 in gastric cancer.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Antisoma PLC, of London, reported final results from its pilot Phase II study of R1549 in gastric cancer. The trial evaluated the drug in a small group of patients who had received surgery to treat advanced gastric cancer. Eight patients who...

Debiopharm S.A.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Debiopharm SA, of Lausanne, Switzerland, reported in vivo data at the Neurobiology of Aging conference in New Orleans, suggesting that an injectable, once-monthly, sustained-release formulation of ZT-1 for Alzheimer's disease could confer...

Elan Corp. PLC.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Elan Corp. PLC., of Dublin, Ireland, completed the sale of 35 million ordinary shares at $4.95 apiece. Also, it said it completed the offering of 6.5 percent convertible guaranteed notes due 2008. The gross proceeds from the ordinary shares...

Flamel Technologies S.A., of Lyon, France, received the $20 million up-front payment from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, with respect to their partnership on Basulin, a recombinant human insulin product.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Flamel Technologies SA, of Lyon, France, received the $20 million up-front payment from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, with respect to their partnership on Basulin, a recombinant human insulin product. The companies signed a potential...

Correction.(Other News To Note)(Correction Notice)
November 12, 2003... A story in the Oct. 29, 2003, edition of BioWorld International should have said that Pfizer Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV and Novartis AG contributed funding to the formation of Xceleron Ltd., of York, UK, not that they...

Sachs Bloomberg Investor Forum: Biotech seen as 'still in a trough'.
November 12, 2003... MUNICH, Germany -- At the Sachs Bloomberg Investor Forum here, many investors and biotech company representatives said that 2003 had not been as difficult as 2002, but that any upswing in Europe was still tenuous and dependent on developments...

Gene Logic Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., and Genetraks Pty. Ltd., an Australian-based venture-funded firm, entered and agreement to develop a custom equine gene expression data resource.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Gene Logic Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., and Genetraks Pty. Ltd., an Australia-based venture-funded firm, entered an agreement to develop a custom equine gene expression data resource. Gene Logic will build Genetraks a database of genomic content...

GW Pharmaceuticals PLC, of Salisbury, UK, said it would receive additional milestone payments of 7.75 million [pounds sterling] (US$12.9 million) after extending its marketing agreement with Bayer Healthcare AG, a division of Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, Germany, for Sativex, GW's cannabis-based product, to include Canada.(Other News to Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... GW Pharmaceuticals PLC, of Salisbury, UK, said it would receive additional milestone payments of 7.75 million [pounds sterling] (US$12.9 million) after extending its marketing agreement with Bayer Healthcare AG, a division of Bayer AG, of...

Mindset's Alzheimer's vaccine receives U.S. patent allowance.(Mindset BioPharmaceuticals Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... ZICHRON YA'AKOV, Israel -- Citing an "an urgent need to rethink the goals of Alzheimer's disease treatment," Mindset BioPharmaceuticals Ltd. President and CEO Daniel Chain is stressing his company's Alzheimer's vaccine, which was the subject of...

Immuno-Designed Molecules S.A.(Other News To Note)(Kerry Segal appointed vice president)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... * Immuno-Designed Molecules S.A., of Paris, appointed Kerry Segal vice president, business development. Segal will be based in Irvine, Calif., where the company's U.S. operations are. Previously, Segal had been director of licensing and...

IsoTis OrthoBiologics S.A.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... * IsoTis OrthoBiologics S.A., of Lausanne, Switzerland, reported the listing of its common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "ISO," effective today. IsoTis OrthoBiologics was created through the merger of GenSci...

Jerini AG, of Berlin, reported that the company successfully passed its first milestones in two research alliances with Baxter Healthcare Corp., of Deerfield, Ill., in 2001 and 2002.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... * Jerini AG, of Berlin, reported that the company successfully passed its first milestones in two research alliances with Baxter Healthcare Corp., of Deerfield, Ill., in 2001 and 2002. Jerini has optimized peptide lead molecules identified...

Medgenics Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... * Medgenics Inc., of Teradyon Misgav, Israel, began a Phase I trial of its Biopump technology for delivery of erythropoietin (EPO) in chronic kidney disease patients suffering from anemia. The Biopump protein therapy technology uses tissue and...

ML Laboratories.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... ML Laboratories, of Warrington, UK, said it was starting a Phase II study of a gene therapy treatment for prostate cancer. Prostate tumors will be injected with a virus containing the gene for nitroreductase, which will subsequently activate a...

Molecular SkinCare Ltd., a start-up biotechnology company located in Sheffield, UK, sold about 5 percent of its outstanding equity to Interleukin Genetics Inc., of Waltham, Mass., in exchange for Interleukin granting Molecular SkinCare and Asterion Ltd., an affiliate of the University of Sheffield, rights in certain intellectual property licensed to Interleukin by the university.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Molecular SkinCare Ltd., a start-up biotechnology company located in Sheffield, UK, sold about 5 percent of its outstanding equity to Interleukin Genetics Inc., of Waltham, Mass, in exchange for Interleukin granting Molecular SkinCare and...

MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, entered an agreement to place more than 100 automated sample processor platforms with the Diagnostics Division of Bayer HealthCare LLC, of Tarrytown, N.Y., through its Canadian affiliate Bayer Inc. and its Irish affiliate Bayer Diagnostics Europe Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... MWG Biotech AG, of Ebersberg, Germany, entered an agreement to place more than 100 automated sample processor platforms with the Diagnostics Division of Bayer HealthCare LLC, of Tarrytown, N.Y., through its Canadian affiliate Bayer Inc. and its...

Novagali Pharma.(Other News To Note)(Damien Salauze appointed chairman)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Novagali Pharma, of Evry, France, appointed Damien Salauze chairman. He was previously a partner in the life sciences division of Paris-based Auriga Partners, one of two French venture capital firms that provided Novagali with its initial...

November AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... November AG, of Erlangen, Germany, agreed to work with Siemens Medical Solutions to develop technologies for blood diagnoses at patients' point of care. The products are intended to detect viruses, cancer cells and genetic risk factors. The...

NovImmune SA., of Geneva, and Miikana Therapeutics Inc., of Fremont, Calif., established a collaboration to develop fully human antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and immune diseases.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... NovImmune S.A., of Geneva, and Miikana Therapeutics Inc., of Fremont, Calif., established a collaboration to develop fully human antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and immune diseases. The resulting synergies between...

Novuspharma S.p.A.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Novuspharma SpA, of Milan, Italy, said it would report preliminary Phase I results at next month's American Society of Hematology meeting in San Diego showing that use of Pixantrone (BBR 2778) as a variant of the CHOP regimen results in an...

Shionogi and Company. Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Shionogi & Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, entered a joint research agreement with the University of Hokkaido to pair carbohydrate-related functional bioinformatic technology developed at the school with Shionogi's research and development strategy...

Shire Biologics, a unit of Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc, of Andover, UK, said it would invest C$46.5 million (US$34.5 million) to expand its vaccine production facility in Quebec City.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Shire Biologics, a unit of Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc, of Andover, UK, said it would invest C$46.5 million (US$34.5 million) to expand its vaccine production facility in Quebec City. The growth stems from a July announcement that Shire was...

Strakan Group Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Strakan Group Ltd., of Galashiels, UK, was granted a European patent on its topical nitrogen oxide technology for treating microbial infections. The company is developing a treatment for onychomysis, a chronic fungal infection of toenails and...

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, and Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc., of East Brunswick, NJ., mutually agreed to terminate their acquisition talks due to an inability to reach an agreement on terms.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2003... Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, and Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc., of East Brunswick, NJ., mutually agreed to terminate their acquisition talks due to an inability to reach an agreement on terms. In early October, Teva had...

Pfizer stalls Celltech deal, wants bigger profit share.
November 19, 2003... Celltech Group plc said partner Pfizer Inc. has decided to delay development of the rheumatoid arthritis drug CDP 870, thereby stalling the potential launch for at least one year, and wants to renegotiate the terms of the companies'...

New mouse model could unlock mystery of autoimmune disease.
November 19, 2003... LONDON -- A mistake over how long cells were left in culture has serendipitously led to a new and simple mouse model for autoimmune inflammation of the heart. The researchers who made the finding hope that they will now be able to analyze...

Galapagos genomics, Wyeth enter $40m osteoporosis deal.
November 19, 2003... Announcing its second deal this week, Galapagos Genomics NV formed a discovery alliance with Wyeth in osteoporosis that could bring the Belgian firm $40 million. Through the agreement, Wyeth, of Madison, N.J., obtains an exclusive option...

Lorantis' 25m [pounds sterling] in third round gives it funds for four years.(Lorantis Ltd.)
November 19, 2003... LONDON -- Lorantis Ltd. raised 25 million [pounds sterling] (US$42 million) in its third round, giving it sufficient funds for the next four years and enabling the company to move two lead immunotherapeutic products through to proof of...

Stem cell research funding still a source of debate in EU.
November 19, 2003... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Parliament is voting this week to formalize its opinion on EU funding of stem cell research. Following discussion by its committees earlier this month, the Parliament is debating amendments to proposed European...

Abbott pulls out of diabetes collaboration with Karo Bio.
November 19, 2003... Swedish drug discovery firm Karo Bio AB suffered its second setback with a major pharmaceutical partner in three months, as Abbott Laboratories decided to withdraw from their alliance to find glucocorticoid receptor antagonists for treatment of...

Opening European IPO window tantalizes companies, investors.(initial public offerings discussed at Bio-Europe conference)
November 19, 2003... FRANKFURT, Germany -- At the ninth annual Bio-Europe conference, the buzz from investors and biotech company representatives was that the public markets might welcome initial public offerings from the sector beginning early next year. ...

Amersham plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 19, 2003... Amersham plc, of Buckinghamshire, UK, reported the in-licensing of a class of molecules from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania targeting amyloid plaques in the brain. Amersham's strategy is to identify a lead candidate for clinical...

UK plans to hold position as Europe's best biotech country.
November 19, 2003... LONDON -- UK biotech has set out battle plans to hang onto its position as European leader and No. 2 after the U.S., following the biggest policy review of the sector to date. More than 70 leaders of the industry contributed to the review...

Antisoma plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
November 19, 2003... Antisoma plc, of London, said it completed recruitment in a Phase I dose-ranging study of its small-molecule vascular targeting agent, AS1404, in solid tumors. It is the third Phase I study of the product, which works by selectively disrupting...

Australian Cancer Technology.(enters partnership agreement with the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research)(Brief Article)
November 19, 2003... Australian Cancer Technology, of Perth, Australia, entered a partnership agreement with the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (TICHR) in Perth, which developed a test that can detect the loss of genes in cancer cells, paving the way...

European commission reports biotechnology research plans.(European Union Roundup)
November 19, 2003... The European Union announced on Nov. 17 that it was in discussions to fund more than 500 projects proposed by health care companies and academics under its new 2 billion [euro] program to support life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for...

Avecia Biotechnology Inc.(Other News To Note)(Grangemouth Scotland facility receives certification)(Brief Article)
November 19, 2003... Avecia Biotechnology Inc., of Billingham, UK, said its DNA medicines production facility in Grangemouth, Scotland, received European Union certification to produce DNA-active pharmaceutical ingredients for clinical trials and commercial...