BioWorld International articles from October 2004

BioWorld International archives from October 2004

NicOx placement gets $29.8m to advance CINOD compound.(Could Help Fill Vioxx Gap)(NicOx SA, COX-inhibiting nitric oxide-donating )
October 6, 2004... Almost exactly a year after AstraZeneca plc quit its deal with NicOx SA for COX-inhibiting nitric oxide-donating (CINOD) drugs, NicOx said it expects to net about 24 million [euro] (US$29.8 million) through a private placement that will be used...

Bavarian Nordic, Acambis stay in smallpox vaccine stockpile race.(United States. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases granted vaccine supply contract to Bavarian Nordic A/S and Acambis plc )
October 6, 2004... Bavarian Nordic A/S will book $100 million in revenues over the next three years from a U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases contract to supply 500,000 doses of its Imvamune third-generation modified vaccinia Ankara...

Chloroquine-resistance secrets could beget new antimalarials.
October 6, 2004... LONDON -- A better understanding of the genetic changes that allow the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to become resistant to the malaria drug chloroquine could pave the way for a new generation of malaria drugs, researchers believe....

UK consolidation: etiologics, Argenta plan for 12m [pounds sterling] merger.(Etiologics Ltd., Argenta Discovery Ltd.)
October 6, 2004... LONDON -- Privately held Etiologics Ltd. and Argenta Discovery Ltd. are merging to create a 12 million [pounds sterling] (US$21.4 million) turnover drug discovery services company, with existing investors committing a further 5.9 million...

CeNeS, with Phase III data under belt, raises 11.4m [pounds sterling].(CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc)
October 6, 2004... LONDON -- CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc announced a fully underwritten placing and open offer raising 1 1.4 million [pounds sterling] (US$20.3 million) to fund a second Phase III trial and registration of its morphine metabolite, M6G, in the...

Amarin Corp. plc, of London, signed an agreement with Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Costa Mesa, Calif., on a dispute related to the sale of Amarin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (API).(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... * Amarin Corp. plc, of London, signed an agreement with Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Costa Mesa, Calif., on a dispute related to the sale of Amarin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (API). Amarin sold API and a majority of its U.S....

Biota, consortium bring in $10m in NIAID grant money.(Biota Holdings Ltd., National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases )
October 6, 2004... SYDNEY, Australia -- Two Australian companies received grants totaling $10 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for two projects--one to develop a flu vaccine and another to develop a vaginal cream...

Biacore International AB.(Other News To Note)(downsizing)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Biacore International AB, of Neuchatel, Switzerland, is cutting its R&D work force from 95 to 65 employees following a business review. The move, combined with a reduction in the use of external consultants, will yield cost savings of SEK55...

BioAlliance Pharma SA.(Other News To Note)(clinical trials of styrylquinolines)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, reported preclinical data demonstrating that styrylquinolines, a new family of inhibitors the company is developing, specifically and efficiently inhibit the nuclear import of integrase, thereby blocking the...

BioInvent International AB, of Lund, Sweden, entered a long-term collaborative research and licensing agreement with ThromboGenics Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, to co-develop antibody-based drugs for vascular indications.(Other News To Note)
October 6, 2004... BioInvent International AB, of Lund, Sweden, entered a long-term collaborative research and licensing agreement with ThromboGenics Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, to co-develop antibody-based drugs for vascular indications. Both parties will provide...

VASTox seeking 15m [pounds sterling] on AIM for chemical genomics.(VASTox plc, Alternative Investment Market)
October 6, 2004... LONDON -- Four years after the genomics bubble burst, a new player, VASTox plc, is heading for an initial public offering to raise 15 million [pounds sterling] (US$26.7 million) and aiming to lure investors with the claim it has worked out how...

Cosmo Bio Co. Ltd.(Other News To Note)(new subsidiary in United States)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Cosmo Bio Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, launched its new U.S. subsidiary, Cosmo Bio USA, in West Carlsbad, Calif. Cosmo Bio USA will offer more than 2,000 products and services, including its Bioruptor multi-sample cell disruptor, I-MyRun HTS agarose gel...

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.(Other News To Note)(meetings)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control held its official start-up meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. David Byrne, EU health commissioner, said the center will provide more effective surveillance of infectious diseases, improve...

Evolutec Group plc of Oxford, UK, said its partner Merial Animal Health Ltd., of Harlow, began the treatment phase of cattle trials with Evolutec's vaccine against ticks and tick-borne disease.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Evolutec Group plc of Oxford, UK, said its partner Merial Animal Health Ltd., of Harlow, began the treatment phase of cattle trials with Evolutec's vaccine against ticks and tick-borne disease. Results are due toward the end of 2005, and if...

Genmab A/S.(Other News To Note)(clinical trials of HuMax-EGFr )(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, got positive safety data in a HuMax-EGFr Phase I/II study in head and neck cancer. No patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity receiving doses up to 8 mg/kg, and preliminary pharmacokinetic data suggest...

GenOway, of Lyon, France, entered a research agreement with Pfizer Inc., of New York, to provide Pfizer researchers in the U.S. with a genetically modified rat model based on GenOway's nuclear transfer program.(Other News To Note)(genOway S.A.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... GenOway, of Lyon, France, entered a research agreement with Pfizer Inc., of New York, to provide Pfizer researchers in the U.S. with a genetically modified rat model based on GenOway's nuclear transfer program. It is GenOway's second agreement...

GPC Biotech AG.(Other News To Note)(clinical trials of cancer monoclonal antibody 1D09C3)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said that data on its cancer monoclonal antibody, 1D09C3, were presented at the 1 6th annual EORTC-NCI-AACR meeting in Geneva. The data demonstrate that 1D09C3 selectively induced apoptosis in a variety...

Henderson Morley plc.(Other News To Note)(clinical trials Ionic Contra Viral Therapy)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Henderson Morley plc, of Birmingham, UK, released interim results from a Phase II named-patient study of its Ionic Contra Viral Therapy (ICVT) in the treatment of warts caused by herpes papillomavirus. ICVT is designed to prevent viruses...

The Institut Pasteur, of Paris, and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, of Cincinnati, signed an agreement providing for P&GP to develop and commercialize EFD, a new immunomodulating drug, for the treatment of asthma and other allergies.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... The Institut Pasteur, of Paris, and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, of Cincinnati, signed an agreement providing for P&GP to develop and commercialize EFD, a new immunomodulating drug, for the treatment of asthma and other allergies. The drug...

KaroBio AB.(Other News To Note)(securities)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... KaroBio AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, said its preferential rights issue was fully subscribed and generated SEK96 million (US$13.1 million) net of expenses. The company said its board will decide whether it will authorize the issue of an additional...

Nitec Pharma AG.(Other News To Note)(finance)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Nitec Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland, raised $10 million in a Series A funding led by Atlas Venture and Global Life Science Ventures. Nitec was recently spun out of Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany. The company will focus on...

Nucleonics Inc., of Horsham, Pa., requested that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office re-examine a patent belonging to Benitec Ltd., of Queensland, Australia, and the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.(Other News To Note)
October 6, 2004... Nucleonics Inc., of Horsham, Pa., requested that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office re-examine a patent belonging to Benitec Ltd., of Queensland, Australia, and the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. U.S....

PharmaMar SA.(Other News To Note)(clinical trials of cancer drugs)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... PharmaMar SA, of Madrid, Spain, presented data from six studies, four of which were from pharmacogenomics research projects at the EORTC-NCI-AACR conference in Geneva. The results presented at the conference reported on two studies of Yondelis,...

Pierre Fabre Dermotologie, of Castres, France, signed an agreement with Connetics Corp., of Palo Alto, Calif., for exclusive commercial rights to Connetics' Olux (clobetasol propionate) Foam, 0.05 percent for Europe, excluding Italy where the product is licensed to Mipharm SpA, of Milan.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Pierre Fabre Dermotologie, of Castres, France, signed an agreement with Connetics Corp., of Palo Alto, Calif., for exclusive commercial rights to Connetics' Olux (clobetasol propionate) Foam, 0.05 percent for Europe, excluding Italy where the...

ProBioGen AG, of Berlin, entered an agreement with Chiron Vaccines, a unit of Emeryville, Calif.-based Chiron Corp. to evaluate ProBioGen's vaccine cell lines for vaccine production.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... ProBioGen AG, of Berlin, entered an agreement with Chiron Vaccines, a unit of Emeryville, Calif.-based Chiron Corp. to evaluate ProBioGen's vaccine cell lines for vaccine production. ProBioGen will create cell lines derived from primary tissue...

SC Biosciences, of Tokyo, and Cyntellect Inc., of San Diego, formed a marketing agreement in which SC will exclusively market Cell Xpress cell line development service in Japan.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... SC Biosciences, of Tokyo, and Cyntellect Inc., of San Diego, formed a marketing agreement in which SC will exclusively market Cell Xpress cell line development service in Japan. The service is based on Cyntellect's highthroughput LEAP platform,...

Schering AG, of Berlin, and Tripos Inc., of St. Louis, expanded their contract that governs the companies' ongoing discovery informatics collaboration on the Enterprise Chemical Information Management System.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Schering AG, of Berlin, and Tripos Inc., of St. Louis, expanded their contract that governs the companies' ongoing discovery informatics collaboration on the Enterprise Chemical Information Management System, which is designed to allow Schering...

Sirenade Pharmaceuticals AG.(Other News To Note)(Lynn Butler appointed)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Sirenade Pharmaceuticals AG, of Martinsried, Germany, appointed Lynn Butler CEO. Pierfausto Seneci, who had been interim CEO, has been named chief scientific officer. Butler joins Sirenade from Swentibold sprl, of Ghent, Belgium, where she was...

SkyePharma plc, of London, said it reached accord with Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, to assign the companies' agreement signed in August 1998 to a new Swiss company founded by former Merck executives.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... SkyePharma plc, of London, said it reached accord with Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, to assign the companies' agreement signed in August 1998 to a new Swiss company founded by former Merck executives. The agreement surrounded the...

Swiss government.(Other News To Note)(Switzerland's legislation on stem cell research is under referendum)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... The Swiss government launched a referendum campaign in support of a law permitting embryonic stem cell research that would use fertilized eggs left over from in vitro fertilization procedures. The legislation already has been passed by the...

Teva Neuroscience Inc., a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, said Agilect (rasagiline mesylate) taken once daily significantly improved symptoms of Parkinson's disease both as initial monotherapy in patients with early Parkinson's disease and as adjunct treatment to levodopa in moderate to advanced patients.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Teva Neuroscience Inc., a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, said Agilect (rasagiline mesylate) taken once daily significantly improved symptoms of Parkinson's disease both as initial monotherapy in patients with...

UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research.(Other News To Note)(funding the research projects to control animal experimentation)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... The UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research announced funding for projects totaling 860,000 [pounds sterling] (US$1.5 million) following the inaugural meeting of the center, which was set up...

Trinity Biotech plc.(Other News To Note)(Uni-Gold Recombigen HIV test gets approval)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Trinity Biotech plc, of Dublin, Ireland, received FDA approval for the use of its Uni-Gold Recombigen HIV test with finger-stick whole-blood samples. The test gives results within 10 minutes and is approved for the detection of antibodies to...

Vernalis plc, of Reading, UK, licensed exclusive worldwide rights to an Hsp90 inhibitor program from Cancer Research Technology Ltd. and the Institute of Cancer Research, both of London.(Other News To Note)(Vernalis Group PLC)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2004... Vernalis plc, of Reading, UK, licensed exclusive worldwide rights to an Hsp90 inhibitor program from Cancer Research Technology Ltd. and the Institute of Cancer Research, both of London. Vernalis will pay an upfront fee, potential milestones...

Allergy Therapeutics raises 15m [pounds sterling] on AIM in London IPO.
October 13, 2004... LONDON -- Allergy Therapeutics Ltd. met the target of 15 million [pounds sterling] (US$26.7 million) in its listing on the Alternative Investment Market in London, but fell short of the hoped-for valuation of 55 million [pounds sterling],...

ReNeuron presents rat data, raises 10m [pounds sterling] in private round.
October 13, 2004... LONDON -- The UK's only stem cell therapy company, ReNeuron plc, bounced back from problems that forced it to delist from the Alternative Investment Market and go private last year, releasing new animal data and announcing a 10 million [pounds...

Net tightens around genes for autoimmune diseases.
October 13, 2004... A search for the gene or genes responsible for the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis has been narrowed down to a small segment of chromosome 6. The French researchers who carried out the study believe that they soon will find the gene linked...

ObeTherapy, Zambon Group to develop drugs for obesity.
October 13, 2004... PARIS -- ObeTherapy Biotechnology and Zambon Group SpA entered a research collaboration to discover and develop low-molecular-weight compounds for metabolic disorders, such as lipidemia, metabolic syndrome and obesity. The companies are to...

Sienabiotech, Wyeth team up on Alzheimer's disease work.
October 13, 2004... Sienabiotech SpA entered its first major drug discovery collaboration, an alliance with Wyeth to identify and develop compounds as candidate treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Terms were not...

ACE Biosciences A/S.(Other News To Note)(Ingelise Saunders )(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... ACE Biosciences A/S, of Odense, Denmark, named Ingelise Saunders CEO. Saunders was CEO of the Celltech Pharmaceuticals subsidiary of Celltech Group plc, until its acquisition by UCB SA, of Brussels, Belgium, in May. She previously spent 15...

ACO HUD, of Stockholm, Sweden, and Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, signed an exclusive agreement to manufacture and market Avanir's docosanol 10 percent cream as a treatment for cold sores in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... ACO HUD, of Stockholm, Sweden, and Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, signed an exclusive agreement to manufacture and market Avanir's docosanol 10 percent cream as a treatment for cold sores in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. ACO...

Amarin Corp. plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Amarin Corp. plc, of London, raised gross proceeds of $12.75 million after completing a private placement of about 13.4 million ordinary shares at about 95 cents apiece to a group of new and existing accredited investors and management. Amarin...

Antisense Therapeutics Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Antisense Therapeutics Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, accepted a proposal from the Bank of New York to establish a Level 1 American depository receipt program. The company, which expects the stock listing to provide exposure to its programs, is...

Santhera, Genzyme in deal on muscular dystrophy program.
October 13, 2004... Santhera Pharmaceuticals AG entered its first agreement since its formation, through a German-Swiss merger last month between Graffinity Pharmaceuticals AG and MyoContract AG. The company entered a two-pronged agreement on Duchenne muscular...

Arexis AB, of Gothenburg, Sweden, entered a commercial agreement with Beiersdorf AG, of Hamburg, Germany, under which the latter will develop skincare products based on Arexis' research on skin enzyme biology and biochemistry.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Arexis AB, of Gothenburg, Sweden, entered a commercial agreement with Beiersdorf AG, of Hamburg, Germany, under which the latter will develop skincare products based on Arexis' research on skin enzyme biology and biochemistry. The companies...

Artemis Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Cologne, Germany, and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, signed service and license agreements in the area of mouse genetics and genomics.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Artemis Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Cologne, Germany, and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, signed service and license agreements in the area of mouse genetics and genomics. Boehringer Ingelheim granted Artemis a worldwide...

Australian Cancer Technology Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, said it received A$1.9 million (US$1.4 million) through a share placement with Bioaccelerate Inc., of New York.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Australian Cancer Technology Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, said it received A$1.9 million (US$1.4 million) through a share placement with Bioaccelerate Inc., of New York. Terms call for the sale of about 4.9 million AustCancer shares at about A38...

Benitec Ltd., of Queensland, Australia, granted a nonexclusive license to Revivicor Inc., of Blacksburg, Va., to use Benitec's ddRNAi technology in the field of regenerative medicine to replace human cells, tissues and organs.(Other News To Note)
October 13, 2004... Benitec Ltd., of Queensland, Australia, granted a nonexclusive license to Revivicor Inc., of Blacksburg, Va., to use Benitec's ddRNAi technology in the field of regenerative medicine to replace human cells, tissues and organs. The ddRNAi will...

Biofrontera AG, of Leverkusen, Germany, acquired a Phase II compound for various cancerous and precancerous skin lesions, and some gynecological indications, from ASAT AG, of Zug, Switzerland.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Biofrontera AG, of Leverkusen, Germany, acquired a Phase II compound for various cancerous and precancerous skin lesions, and some gynecological indications, from ASAT AG, of Zug, Switzerland. The product applies aminolevulinic acid in a...

BioInvent International AB.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... BioInvent International AB, of Lund, Sweden, said the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation, presented in its latest issue a report on antibody-based treatment of atherosclerosis. The report describes research performed by a team...

bioMerieux, of Paris, its affiliates and Gen-Probe Inc., of San Diego, signed licensing agreements granting access to Gen-Probe's ribosomal RNA technologies and, in turn, providing Gen-Probe admittance to bioMerieux's intellectual property related to genetic mutation detection, specifically in blood clotting disorders.(Other News To Note)
October 13, 2004... bioMerieux, of Paris, its affiliates and Gen-Probe Inc., of San Diego, signed licensing agreements granting access to Gen-Probe's ribosomal RNA technologies and, in turn, providing Gen-Probe admittance to bioMerieux's intellectual property...

BioVision.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... BioVision, of Hannover, Germany, said improvements on its Peptidomics technologies were presented at the Protein Biomarkers Conference in Philadelphia. Peptidomics comprises methods and technologies for analyzing small proteins and peptides in...

Cellectricon AB.(Other News To Note)(Ulf Jonsson )(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Cellectricon AB, of Gothenburg, Sweden, named Ulf Jonsson CEO effective Jan. 1. He has served as CEO of Biacore and worked for London-based Amersham Pharmacia Biotech (now Amersham plc) as marketing manager for molecular biological systems.

Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, began patent-infringement proceedings in the District Court of Dusseldorf against Cevec Pharmaceuticals GmbH.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, began patent-infringement proceedings in the District Court of Dusseldorf against Cevec Pharmaceuticals GmbH. Crucell alleges that Cevec is planning to create a company based on a human cell line that...

Debiopharm SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Debiopharm SA, of Lausanne, Switzerland, said researchers presented data at the 11th international symposium on hepatitis C and related viruses held in Heidelberg, Germany, on the inhibition effect of DEBIO-025 on the replication of the...

DeCode Genetics Inc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... DeCode Genetics Inc., of Reykjavik, Iceland, was awarded a five-year, $23.9 million contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Under the contract, DeCode...

Epigenomics AG, of Berlin, began a research collaboration with Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., to identify potential biomarkers for use in an oncology program.(Other News To Note)
October 13, 2004... Epigenomics AG, of Berlin, began a research collaboration with Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., to identify potential biomarkers for use in an oncology program. Epigenomics will use its DNA methylation technology to examine candidate...

Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, signed an agreement with Altana Pharma AG, a division of Altana AG, of Konstanz, Germany, to advance the discovery of one of their kinase targets.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, signed an agreement with Altana Pharma AG, a division of Altana AG, of Konstanz, Germany, to advance the discovery of one of their kinase targets. The companies will seek to identify and optimize lead...

Ferring Pharmaceuticals A/S.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Ferring Pharmaceuticals A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said degarelix, its new gonadotrophin-releasing hormone blocker (GnRH), showed rapid onset and sustained activity in a Phase II study in men with prostate cancer. Degarelix is designed to...

GeneMedix plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... GeneMedix plc, of Newmarket, UK, raised 830,000 [pounds sterling] (US$1.5 million) through a placing of 7.5 million new shares. The shares, representing 2.4 percent of the biogenerics company's equity, were placed with new and existing...

Genetic Technologies Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, granted a licensed to Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., for human-testing applications, as part of a new collaboration.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Genetic Technologies Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, granted a licensed to Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., for human-testing applications, as part of a new collaboration. Genzyme will pay GTL a signing fee and an annual fee for the life of...

GNI Ltd., of Tokyo, entered a research and development collaboration with Toyama Chemical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, for use of its gene regulatory network technology platform in Toyama's drug development efforts.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... GNI Ltd., of Tokyo, entered a research and development collaboration with Toyama Chemical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, for use of its gene regulatory network technology platform in Toyama's drug development efforts. GNI will also offer its...

Hapto Biotech Inc., of Jerusalem, and Ortec International Inc., of New York, formed a joint venture partnership for the purpose of further developing product leads identified through a research collaboration established in September 2002.(Other News To Note)
October 13, 2004... Hapto Biotech Inc., of Jerusalem, and Ortec International Inc., of New York, formed a joint venture partnership for the purpose of further developing product leads identified through a research collaboration established in September 2002. The...

Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, granted exclusive Israeli rights to palonosetron (Aloxi) to Rafa Ltd., of Jerusalem.(Other News To Note)
October 13, 2004... Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, granted exclusive Israeli rights to palonosetron (Aloxi) to Rafa Ltd., of Jerusalem. The 5-HT3 receptor antagonist was approved by the FDA to prevent acute nausea and vomiting associated with...

Karo Bio AB.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Karo Bio AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, carried out a new share issue with preferential rights for the company's shareholders generating about SEK96 million (US$13.1 million), excluding transaction costs. The subscription period ended Oct. 1. The...

Medicon Valley Academy.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... The Medicon Valley Academy (MVA) and the UK government established a collaboration, the MVA-UK Challenge Programme, to foster cooperation in biotechnology research between the UK and the Medicon Valley region, which spans the greater Copenhagen...

Mologen AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Mologen AG, of Berlin, started a collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Infectious Biology to develop a DNA-based prophylactic tuberculosis vaccine. The collaboration will make use of Mologen's "minimalistic immunogenically defined...

MorphoSys AG.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, reported initial in vitro and in vivo data on its internal cancer antibody program, MOR202, at the Human Antibodies & Hybridomas conference in Dublin, Ireland. By directing the antibodies against primary...

Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA, of Bresso, Italy, licensed a series of ion channel modulators to Dynogen Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Boston.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA, of Bresso, Italy, licensed a series of ion channel modulators to Dynogen Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Boston, which will apply its predictive pharmacology platform to assess their potential as treatments for...

Paion GmbH, of Aachen, Germany, licensed the rights to develop and market the neuroprotective drug Enecadin from Nippon Shinyaku.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Paion GmbH, of Aachen, Germany, licensed the rights to develop and market the neuroprotective drug Enecadin from Nippon Shinyaku. Paion's license covers global rights, except for Japan, where the companies will have coexclusive rights. Paion...

Peplin Biotech Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, and Allergan Inc., of Irvine, Calif., agreed to discontinue their collaboration for the development and commercialization of skin cancer products in North and South America based on Peplin's cancer compound PEP005.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Peplin Biotech Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, and Allergan Inc., of Irvine, Calif., agreed to discontinue their collaboration for the development and commercialization of skin cancer products in North and South America based on Peplin's cancer...

PharmaMar SA, of Madrid, Spain, received orphan drug status for Aplidin, its second marine-derived compound, now in Phase II development.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... PharmaMar SA, of Madrid, Spain, received orphan drug status for Aplidin, its second marine-derived compound, now in Phase II development. Aplidin has twice been granted orphan designation--the first time in June for acute lymphoblastic...

Pharmaplaz, of Athlone, Ireland, and Samaritan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Las Vegas, entered a collaboration for the production and supply of Samaritan's lead compound, SP-01A, and its product pipeline that includes AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, cancer and cardiovascular disease products.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Pharmaplaz, of Athlone, Ireland, and Samaritan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Las Vegas, entered a collaboration for the production and supply of Samaritan's lead compound, SP-01A, and its product pipeline that includes AIDS, Alzheimer's disease,...

Phynova Group plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Phynova Group plc, of Oxford, UK, launched a fund raising for up to 3 million [pounds sterling] (US$5.4 million) to fund development of treatments for infectious diseases and cancer that are based on Chinese herbal medicines. Phynova has a...

pSivida Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, and Singapore General Hospital announced interim data from a Phase IIa trial of Brachysil in the treatment of inoperable liver tumors.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... pSivida Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, and Singapore General Hospital announced interim data from a Phase IIa trial of Brachysil in the treatment of inoperable liver tumors. The first four patients, reviewed three months after treatment, had...

Sareum Holdings plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Sareum Holdings plc, of Cambridge, UK, raised 2 million [pounds sterling] (US$3.6 million) in a placing of 100 million shares at 2 pence per share, and joined the Alternative Investment Market in London. Sareum was founded by executives made...

Serono International SA.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Serono International SA, of Geneva, said data reported at the European Committee for Treatment and Research In Multiple Sclerosis meeting in Vienna, Austria, showed that relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients who were on placebo and...

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, said data presented at the 20th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis held in Vienna, Austria, demonstrated the clinical benefits of Copaxone in...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services granted four new contracts totaling more than $232 million to fund development of vaccines against three potential agents of bioterrorism: smallpox, plague and tularemia.(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services granted four new contracts totaling more than $232 million to fund development of vaccines against three potential agents of bioterrorism: smallpox, plague and tularemia. The National Institute...

Varian Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., entered a definitive agreement to acquire Magnex Scientific Ltd., of Oxford, UK, for $32 million in cash and assumed net debt.(Other News To Note)(Magnex Scientific Ltd., )(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Varian Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., entered a definitive agreement to acquire Magnex Scientific Ltd., of Oxford, UK, for $32 million in cash and assumed net debt. The transaction also includes an opportunity for additional purchase price...

Wilex AG, of Munich, Germany, entered an agreement with Centocor Inc., of Malvern, Pa., that gives Wilex the option to acquire exclusive U.S. marketing rights on the antibody Rencarex (WX-G250).(Other News To Note)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2004... Wilex AG, of Munich, Germany, entered an agreement with Centocor Inc., of Malvern, Pa., that gives Wilex the option to acquire exclusive U.S. marketing rights on the antibody Rencarex (WX-G250). Under the deal, Centocor received an option fee...

Arpida acquires Combio through all-share deal, brings in CHF33M.
October 20, 2004... Arpida Ltd. acquired its erstwhile partner Combio A/S in an all-stock transaction that will boost its chemistry capabilities and expand its head count from 47 to 73 employees. The Muenchenstein, Switzerland-based company also raised CHF33...

Insurance costs prompt mass exodus from LION bioscience.
October 20, 2004... The co-CEOs and supervisory board of LION bioscience AG resigned last week because of prohibitive costs for obtaining new directors and officers' insurance for its executives. Daniel Keesman, chief operating officer and co-CEO, and Martin...

HIV receptor blocker holds hope for vaginal microbicide.
October 20, 2004... LONDON -- It might be possible to prevent male to female transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus by applying a drug to the vagina, a new study in macaque monkeys suggests. The findings also support a hypothesis on which receptor HIV...