BioWorld International articles from October 2007

BioWorld International archives from October 2007

Franco-American alliance targets hemophilia market.(EuroBIO 2007)
October 3, 2007... LILLE, France -- At least one player in France has the muscle to swim against the tide in biotechnology financings and buy into an American firm to achieve its strategic goals--the French government. A state-owned company, the Laboratoire...

European sentiment on biotech remains positive.
October 3, 2007... Despite a couple of late-stage misses this year, sentiment on European biotechnology remains largely positive, according to the third annual Biotech Investment Barometer compiled by the venture capital firm Global Life Science Ventures (GLSV)...

Parasite with minimalist genome may offer clues to metabolism.
October 3, 2007... LONDON -- The newly available genome sequence of the intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia could lead to alternative therapies for treating the diarrhea it causes, as well as better understanding of many of the metabolic reactions that take place...

Frova rejection by FDA leaves partners annoyed.
October 3, 2007... LONDON -- The FDA issued Vernalis plc and its partner Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. a not approvable letter for the supplemental new drug application for Frova (frovatriptan) in the treatment of menstrual migraine, questioning if the positive...

New Acambis CEO vows to revitalize its pipeline.
October 3, 2007... LONDON -- Ian Garland, the new CEO at Acambis plc, outlined his strategy, saying the focus on smallpox had forced the company to neglect other vaccines, leading it to be perceived as a biodefense specialist with a "thin pipeline of modest value...

Ablynx NV.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Ablynx NV, of Ghent, Belgium, said it was awarded a 1.855 million [euro] (US$2.6 million) grant from the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders. The grant will allow Ablynx to accelerate exploration of...

Argenta Discovery Ltd., of Harlow, UK, entered a fee-for-service contract drug discovery collaboration with CellCentric Ltd., of Cambridge, UK.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Argenta Discovery Ltd., of Harlow, UK, entered a fee-for-service contract drug discovery collaboration with CellCentric Ltd., of Cambridge, UK. The companies will utilize Argenta's screening and assay technologies to discover inhibitors for...

Test for immune response lowers clinical stage risk.
October 3, 2007... LILLE, France -- An advanced French research laboratory is offering to the pharmaceutical industry a new tool to evaluate the immune response risks a therapeutic protein candidate may induce in order to determine the epitopes associated with...

DBV and Numico extend their allergy pact globally.
October 3, 2007... PARIS -- DBV Technologies and Numico signed an exclusive, multiannual promotion and distribution agreement covering Diallertest Milk, the ready-to-use patch test developed by DBV for the diagnosis of delayed allergy to cow's milk proteins. ...

Avecia Biologics Ltd., of Tees Valley, UK, and Renovo Group plc, of Manchester, UK, entered an agreement for process development and manufacture of Renovo's developmental product, Prevascar, a therapeutic formulation of human recombinant interleukin-10 (IL-10).(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Avecia Biologics Ltd., of Tees Valley, UK, and Renovo Group plc, of Manchester, UK, entered an agreement for process development and manufacture of Renovo's developmental product, Prevascar, a therapeutic formulation of human recombinant...

Austrianova sets up shop in Singapore.
October 3, 2007... Austrianova Biomanufacturing AG has established a research subsidiary in Singapore to conduct feasibility studies on its cell encapsulation technology, and to plug into the network of academic researchers, biotech and big pharma firms and...

Basilea Pharmaceuticals Ltd.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Basilea Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, submitted a marketing authorization application to Swissmedic for alitretinoin in severe refractory chronic hand eczema. The company previously filed for marketing approval in various...

BioBase GmbH, of Wolfenbuttel, Germany, and Integrated Genomics Inc., of Chicago, entered a collaboration to expand and curate Integrated Genomics' ERGO microbial genomic database.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * BioBase GmbH, of Wolfenbuttel, Germany, and Integrated Genomics Inc., of Chicago, entered a collaboration to expand and curate Integrated Genomics' ERGO microbial genomic database. BioBase scientists in Bangalore, India, will add manually...

BioLineRx Ltd., of Jerusalem, has signed a worldwide exclusive license agreement with Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, the technology transfer company of the Weizmann Institute of Science, to develop and commercialize BL-4050, a peptide for treating cancer.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * BioLineRx Ltd., of Jerusalem, has signed a worldwide exclusive license agreement with Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, the technology transfer company of the Weizmann Institute of Science, to develop and...

Bionas GmbH, of Rostock, Germany, has signed a service contract with Solvay Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Hannover, Germany, covering the metabolic profiling of several drug candidates identified in the context of Solvay's obesity research program.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Bionas GmbH, of Rostock, Germany, has signed a service contract with Solvay Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Hannover, Germany, covering the metabolic profiling of several drug candidates identified in the context of Solvay's obesity research...

Crucell NV.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, reported the discovery of a set of 21 human monoclonal antibodies against H5N1. All were found to be able to neutralize the H5N1 virus of avian influenza, with the most potent shown to neutralize a...

CSL Ltd.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * CSL Ltd., of Parkville, Australia, received FDA approval Friday for Afluria, a seasonal influenza vaccine for the immunization of people ages 18 and older. Afluria is intended to protect adults from influenza type A and type B flu viruses....

Cytheris SA.(Other News To Note)(product developement for HIV)(Brief article)
October 3, 2007... * Cytheris SA, of Paris, initiated a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of its recombinant interleukin-7, CYT107, in HIV-infected patients. The trial is being conducted at sites in France, Italy, Canada and the U.S. and follows the completion of...

Eisai Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and TorreyPines Therapeutics Inc., of La Jolla, Calif., extended for one year Alzheimer's disease.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Eisai Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and TorreyPines Therapeutics Inc., of La Jolla, Calif., extended for one year Alzheimer's disease. Eisai's has been supporting the research at TorreyPines since 2001. The agreement focuses on discovery of Alzheimer's...

Evogene Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, and Monsanto Co., of St. Louis, entered a collaboration to improve nitrogen use efficiency in corn, soybeans, canola and cotton.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Evogene Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, and Monsanto Co., of St. Louis, entered a collaboration to improve nitrogen use efficiency in corn, soybeans, canola and cotton. Monsanto got exclusive rights to a number of genes discovered by Evogene that...

Flynn Pharma Ltd., of Hitchin, UK, acquired exclusive marketing and distribution rights to DepoDur (morphine sulphate extended release liposome injection) for Europe and a number of other markets from Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Flynn Pharma Ltd., of Hitchin, UK, acquired exclusive marketing and distribution rights to DepoDur (morphine sulphate extended release liposome injection) for Europe and a number of other markets from Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San...

Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, and ProStrakan Group plc, of Galashiels, UK, said they achieved the third milestone under Galapagos' collaboration with Novartis AG, of Basel, Switzerland, related to antibodies for bone-related diseases.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, and ProStrakan Group plc, of Galashiels, UK, said they achieved the third milestone under Galapagos' collaboration with Novartis AG, of Basel, Switzerland, related to antibodies for bone-related diseases....

GammaCan International Inc., of Kiryat Ono, Israel, signed a second plasma supply agreement, under which DCI Biologicals Inc. will collect plasma from vitiligo donors for the manufacture of VitiGam, the company's lead product for Stage III and Stage IV melanoma.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * GammaCan International Inc., of Kiryat Ono, Israel, signed a second plasma supply agreement, under which DCI Biologicals Inc. will collect plasma from vitiligo donors for the manufacture of VitiGam, the company's lead product for Stage III...

Genomatix Software GmbH, of Munich, Germany, said Sanofi-Aventis, of Paris, renewed its licenses for multisite access to Genomatix microarray products.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Genomatix Software GmbH, of Munich, Germany, said Sanofi-Aventis, of Paris, renewed its licenses for multisite access to Genomatix microarray products. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Keygene NV, of Wageningen, the Netherlands, signed an agreement with UK-based D1 Oils plc for molecular genetics research in Jatropha curcas, an oilseed tree that grows in tropical and subtropical regions and produces high yields of inedible vegetable oil that can be refined into high-quality biodiesel.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Keygene NV, of Wageningen, the Netherlands, signed an agreement with UK-based D1 Oils plc for molecular genetics research in Jatropha curcas, an oilseed tree that grows in tropical and subtropical regions and produces high yields of inedible...

Onyvax Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Clinical report)
October 3, 2007... * Onyvax Ltd., of London, said a Phase IIb clinical trial of its prostate cancer vaccine, Onyvax-P, has started at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. The trial, being conducted under Onyvax's investigational new drug application, is...

Protherics plc, of London, signed a licensing agreement granting the Korean firm Myungmoon Pharma Co. Ltd. rights to develop anti-inflammatory products using Protherics' sustained-release ReGel delivery system.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Protherics plc, of London, signed a licensing agreement granting the Korean firm Myungmoon Pharma Co. Ltd. rights to develop anti-inflammatory products using Protherics' sustained-release ReGel delivery system. Protherics will receive a...

Recordati SpA, of Milan, Italy, said it is acquiring pharmaceutical firm Orphan Europe, of Paris, for 135 million [euro] (US$192 million), which will be funded mostly from existing liquidity.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Recordati SpA, of Milan, Italy, said it is acquiring pharmaceutical firm Orphan Europe, of Paris, for 135 million [euro] (US$192 million), which will be funded mostly from existing liquidity. The deal, subject to certain conditions, including...

Sloning BioTechnology GmbH, of Puchheim, Germany, said it has successfully synthesized a unique gene mutant library, called SlonoMax--Screen, for Novozymes A/S, of Franklin, N.C.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Sloning BioTechnology GmbH, of Puchheim, Germany, said it has successfully synthesized a unique gene mutant library, called SlonoMax--Screen, for Novozymes A/S, of Franklin, N.C. Sloning used its Slonomics gene synthesis technology to...

Stem Cell Sciences plc.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Stem Cell Sciences plc, of Edinburgh, UK, said it is to lead Neuroscreen, a European Union-funded drug screening collaboration, using stem SCS's proprietary neural stem. The project is worth 2.4 million [euro] over three years, of which SCS...

Sysmex Corp., of Kobe, Japan, and Matritech Inc., of Newton, Mass., mutually agreed to terminate their 2002 agreement under which Sysmex was granted an exclusive, worldwide license to Matritech's NMP 179 cervical cancer technology for automated, nonslide-based laboratory instruments.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Sysmex Corp., of Kobe, Japan, and Matritech Inc., of Newton, Mass., mutually agreed to terminate their 2002 agreement under which Sysmex was granted an exclusive, worldwide license to Matritech's NMP 179 cervical cancer technology for...

Transgene SA.(Other News To Note)
October 3, 2007... * Transgene SA, of Strasbourg, France, initiated a Phase I trial in Canada of its therapeutic vaccine candidate TG4040 on patients suffering from chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) who have relapsed after standard treatment with ribavirin and...

Trophos.(Other News To Note)(product developement for muscular atrophy)(Brief article)
October 3, 2007... * Trophos, of Marseille, France, initiated a Phase Ib trial of its lead compound, TRO19622, in the indication of juvenile spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It is being conducted at three centers in France on 20 patients ages 6-25 suffering from...

Loss of $1b Amgen plant is major blow to Ireland.
October 10, 2007... The fallout from Amgen Inc.'s woes spread to Ireland last week, as the company said it would "postpone indefinitely" plans to build a $1 billion biologics production facility at Carrigtwohill, near Cork City. The move is a major blow for...

EU industry puts brave face on clinical trials dead end.
October 10, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European biopharmaceutical industry still is claiming to be optimistic about the future of Europe's clinical trials regime, despite its trenchant criticisms of the system, and despite explicit reluctance among European...

Vascular growth factor linked to motor neurone disease.
October 10, 2007... LONDON -- Angiogenin, a molecule previously known to encourage the growth of blood vessels in tumors, has now been shown to encourage the normal growth and survival of motor neurons. The discovery provides the first evidence that mutations...

Haptogen acquisition brings shark therapies to Wyeth.
October 10, 2007... In yet another deal in which a large pharmaceutical maker has sought to boost its development pipeline by taking over a biotechnology firm, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has acquired Scottish biotech Haptogen Ltd. No terms of the deal were disclosed....

Drug designer e-Therapeutics using AIM to boost coffers.(alternative investment market)
October 10, 2007... LONDON -- Systems biology drug design specialist e-Therapeutics Ltd. is to float on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in London, raising 3 million [pounds sterling] to 5 million [pounds sterling] (US$6.1 million to $10.2 million),...

Ark Therapeutics Group plc, of London, said it signed an exclusive agreement to out-license the rights to its oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) auto-antibody diagnostic test kit (EG010) to Lab21 Ltd., a UK diagnostics company.(Other News To Note)
October 10, 2007... Ark Therapeutics Group plc, of London, said it signed an exclusive agreement to out-license the rights to its oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) auto-antibody diagnostic test kit (EG010) to Lab21 Ltd., a UK diagnostics company. EG010...

Group gains big pharma aid for 'safer' stem cell program.
October 10, 2007... LONDON -- Big pharma publicly dipped its toe into human embryonic stem cells for the first time with the formation of Stem Cells for Safer Medicines (SC4SM), a public-private consortium that will research the use of stem cells for preclinical...

Gilde gets 150m [euro] for second health care fund.
October 10, 2007... Gilde Healthcare Partners closed a 150 million [euro] (US$213 million) investment fund, adding to the list of large-scale fundraisings completed by European venture capital groups during 2007. Utrecht, the Netherlands-based Gilde, had...

Asterand plc.(Other News To Note)(government contracts)(Brief article)
October 10, 2007... Asterand plc, of Royston, UK, said the U.S. government awarded it a $2.9 million contract to assess the condition and value of the Department of Defense Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) Tissue Repository, the largest tissue bank in...

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd., of Basel Switzerland, said Swissmedic has accepted for assessment the marketing authorization application of ceftobiprole for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI) including diabetic foot infections.(Other News To Note)
October 10, 2007... Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd., of Basel Switzerland, said Swissmedic has accepted for assessment the marketing authorization application of ceftobiprole for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI) including diabetic...

Bavarian Nordic.(Other News To Note)(Imvamune smallpox vaccin production)(Brief article)
October 10, 2007... Bavarian Nordic, of Kvistgard, Denmark, said it received permission to invoice an advance payment of $50 million under the RFP-3 contract to manufacture 20 million doses of its Imvamune smallpox vaccine. In addition to the advance payment, the...

French biotech growing but still lagging behind.
October 10, 2007... LILLE, France -- The French biotechnology industry took off in 2006-2007, which were record years in terms of funding, according to the industry association France Biotech, which presented the results of its sixth annual survey, "French...

CellCentric Ltd.(Other News To Note)
October 10, 2007... CellCentric Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, raised $4.3 million from Morningside Venture Investments Ltd.; Takeda Research Investment Inc.; the National Endowment for Sciences, Technology and the Arts; and Providence Investment Company Ltd. The funding...

Eurofins Scientific, of Nantes, France, concluded an agreement with Lantmannen Invest AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, for the acquisition of its subsidiary, Lantmannen Analycen AB, which provides analytical testing services in various areas, such as agro-food products for both human and animal consumption, agronomic complements, pharmaceuticals and the environment.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
October 10, 2007... Eurofins Scientific, of Nantes, France, concluded an agreement with Lantmannen Invest AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, for the acquisition of its subsidiary, Lantmannen Analycen AB, which provides analytical testing services in various areas, such as...

Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said partner F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, filed a clinical trial application with British regulatory authorities for a Genmab antibody developed under the companies' collaboration, triggering an undisclosed milestone payment to Genmab.(Other News To Note)
October 10, 2007... Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said partner F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, filed a clinical trial application with British regulatory authorities for a Genmab antibody developed under the companies' collaboration,...

Laboratorios Almirall SA, of Barcelona, Spain, entered a definitive agreement to acquire a portfolio of eight marketed products along with their associated European sales teams from Shire plc, of Cambridge, UK.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
October 10, 2007... Laboratorios Almirall SA, of Barcelona, Spain, entered a definitive agreement to acquire a portfolio of eight marketed products along with their associated European sales teams from Shire plc, of Cambridge, UK. Almirall will pay Shire $213...

MorphoSys AG, of Munich, Germany, has signed a research agreement with Genesis Research and Development Corp. Ltd., of Auckland, New Zealand, in which Genesis will continue to use MorphoSys' HuCAL-based antibodies against the human fibroblast growth factor receptor 5 (FGFR5) for target validation and preclinical studies as part of its proprietary Zyrogen program.(Other News To Note)
October 10, 2007... MorphoSys AG, of Munich, Germany, has signed a research agreement with Genesis Research and Development Corp. Ltd., of Auckland, New Zealand, in which Genesis will continue to use MorphoSys' HuCAL-based antibodies against the human fibroblast...

Orexo AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, said it is developing a new, oral drug delivery technology using bioceramics developed by its Swedish partner Doxa AB.(Other News To Note)
October 10, 2007... Orexo AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, said it is developing a new, oral drug delivery technology using bioceramics developed by its Swedish partner Doxa AB. This delivery technology will provide a controlled release of the active substance and also...

Palau Pharma SA.(Other News To Note)
October 10, 2007... Palau Pharma SA, of Barcelona, Spain, announced the formation of its scientific advisory board of six international experts in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The board will be chaired by Roderick Flower, a Fellow of the Royal Society,...

Phosphagenics Ltd.(Other News To Note)(starting Phase II trial for Phospha E)(Brief article)
October 10, 2007... Phosphagenics Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, and Nestle Nutrition, of Vevey, Switzerland, said they will jointly start a Phase II trial in Australia shortly to establish the efficacy of Phosphagenics' Phospha E in the management of metabolic...

Plethora Solutions Holdings.(Other News To Note)(treating interstitial cystitis and painful bladder syndrome)(Brief article)
October 10, 2007... Plethora Solutions Holdings, of London, announced further results and analysis of a Phase II clinical study of PSD597 in the treatment of interstitial cystitis and painful bladder syndrome, confirming and extending the initial positive outcomes...

Protalix BioTherapeutics Inc.(Other News To Note)
October 10, 2007... Protalix BioTherapeutics Inc., of Carmiel, Israel, said it intends to sell 3,726,708 shares of common stock in an underwritten public offering. Shares have not yet been priced. In addition, Protalix plans to grant underwriters a 30-day...

PSivida Ltd.(Other News To Note)(financial status)(Brief article)
October 10, 2007... PSivida Ltd., of Perth, Australia, said its financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30 contain a going concern qualification from its independent accounting firm due to recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations....

Serentis, of Cambridge, UK, has completed the acquisition of Surface Therapeutics Ltd., of Abingdon, UK, for the issue of shares in Serentis.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
October 10, 2007... Serentis, of Cambridge, UK, has completed the acquisition of Surface Therapeutics Ltd., of Abingdon, UK, for the issue of shares in Serentis. Financial details were not disclosed. Surface was founded in 2004 as a spinout from the University of...

Summit Corp. plc.(Other News To Note)(Brief article)
October 10, 2007... Summit Corp. plc, of Abingdon, UK, said that it has received 220,000 [pounds sterling] from the UK muscular dystrophy charity Parent Project UK. The funds will support Summit's preclinical Duchenne muscular dystrophy program and an earlystage...

Trinity Biotech plc.(Other News To Note)
October 10, 2007... Trinity Biotech plc, of Dublin, Ireland, said its shareholders voted Oct. 1 to delist the company from the Irish Stock Exchange. The firm said it notified the exchange of its decision, which is anticipated to take effect on Nov. 5. The...

Look at health care through different lens, P&G advises.(BioPartnering Europe)
October 17, 2007... LONDON -- Proctor and Gamble (P&G) is applying its expertise as a consumer products giant to get a patient's eye view of disease and use the insights to inform development programs with biotech partners. "Don't be confused by the Pringles...

EuropaBio takes its message to the top.(European Roundup)
October 17, 2007... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Steen Riisgaard, president and CEO of Novozymes and chairman of EuropaBio, set out the European biotech industry's policy priorities to two top European Union officials Monday. In an unprecedented face-to-face meeting...

Genetic screening for bowel cancer risk closer to reality.
October 17, 2007... LONDON -- The discovery of more genetic variants that are linked to bowel cancer has provided additional confirmation that common variants conferring relatively small risks play an important role in determining a person's chances of developing...

Victoria sets a lofty goal for advancing its biotech.
October 17, 2007... The state of Victoria, Australia, launched its third three-year development plan and reviewed progress to date in its ambition to be in the global top five biotech sectors by 2010. The goal of the latest plan is that by 2010 the sector...

Cellectis and Servier enter cell engineering alliance.
October 17, 2007... PARIS -- Cellectis SA and the French pharmaceutical company Laboratoires Servier signed a collaboration agreement covering the engineering of industrial cell lines for use in pharmaceutical research and development. Servier, of...

Agendia BV.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Agendia BV, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, acquired the rights to the discovery of a mechanism of resistance to Herceptin (trastuzumab, Genentech Inc.), a frequently-used breast cancer drug. That discovery, recently published in Cancer Cell,...

Alizyme plc.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Alizyme plc, of Cambridge, UK, said it completed recruitment in the first Phase III pivotal efficacy study of Renzapride in treating irritable bowel syndrome, with headline results expected in April. The company has agreed on a special protocol...

Antisoma plc.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Antisoma plc, of London, said it received further data from its 74-patient randomized Phase II trial of ASA404 in hormone-refractory prostate cancer, which is comparing ASA404 plus docetaxel with docetaxel alone. Tumor response rates were...

Apogenix GmbH.(Other News To Note)(chemotherapy and interlukin blockers found to kill human cancer stem cells)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Apogenix GmbH, of Heidelberg, Germany, said a paper published by its scientific advisors in the October 2007 issue of Cell Stem Cell demonstrated that the combination of chemotherapy and IL-4 blockers can kill human cancer stem cells. Apogenix...

Nobel laureate's interests are as broad as his technology.('I'm Curious About Many Things')
October 17, 2007... PITTSBURGH -- The program announcement for Mario Capecchi's lecture last Friday at the University of Pittsburgh mentions his "numerous awards, including the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research and the National Medal of Science." ...

Deals to M&As: the culture of false-flagging, shape-shifting.(BioPartnering Europe)(mergers and acquisitions)(Conference notes)
October 17, 2007... LONDON -- Meeting with potential biotech partners sometimes can seem like a Covent Garden street act, where innocent interest in a little juggling and magic can turn into a much bigger proposition. "Now that I have your attention, let's...

Orexo acquires a pipeline in $133m deal for Biolipox.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Drug delivery specialist Orexo AB is acquiring Swedish neighbor Biolipox, taking on the latter's pipeline in inflammatory diseases, pain management and respiratory conditions in exchanges for SEK856 million (US$133 million) in Orexo stock. ...

Argenta Discovery Ltd., of Harlow, UK, said it reached a milestone in its program with AstraZeneca plc, of London, to find improved bronchodilators for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Argenta Discovery Ltd., of Harlow, UK, said it reached a milestone in its program with AstraZeneca plc, of London, to find improved bronchodilators for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ten months after signing the deal, the team...

Ark Therapeutics Group plc, of London, has agreed to spin out discovery stage anti-angiogenic peptides and peptoid leads and associated data to Eyecopharm AG, of Hamburg, Germany, a newly formed company focused on eye diseases.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Ark Therapeutics Group plc, of London, has agreed to spin out discovery stage anti-angiogenic peptides and peptoid leads and associated data to Eyecopharm AG, of Hamburg, Germany, a newly formed company focused on eye diseases. Eyecopharm was...

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, announced that its marketing authorization application (MAA) for alitretinoin submitted to various European Union member states was accepted for review under the decentralized procedure. The...

Bavarian Nordic AS.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Bavarian Nordic AS, of Copenhagen, Denmark, has received an extension of an existing government contract to include the initiation of a larger Phase II study with Imvamune, the company's investigational smallpox vaccine, in persons diagnosed...

Biofusion plc, of Sheffield, UK, divested two of its portfolio companies, Cardiff ProTides Ltd. and Cardiff Biologicals Ltd., in each of which Biofusion had a 50 percent share, to Morvus Technology Ltd., of Cardiff, UK, a privately owned cancer drug discovery and development specialist.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Biofusion plc, of Sheffield, UK, divested two of its portfolio companies, Cardiff ProTides Ltd. and Cardiff Biologicals Ltd., in each of which Biofusion had a 50 percent share, to Morvus Technology Ltd., of Cardiff, UK, a privately owned cancer...

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., of Petach Tikvah, Israel, has named Rami Efrati CEO. Efrati is a former commander of technological and operational elite units and a retired colonel of the Israeli Defense Forces.

Cellestis Ltd.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Cellestis Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, received FDA approval for its QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube blood test for tuberculosis. The test is intended to replace the first-generation QuantiFERON-TB Gold blood test as well as the 100-year-old...

Genfit.(Other News To Note)(phase II clinical trials of GFT505)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Genfit, of Lille, France, initiated two Phase II clinical trials of GFT505, a drug candidate it is developing for the global treatment of risk factors associated with cardio-metabolic diseases. In the first, the primary objectives are to...

Genmab A/S.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, amended its ongoing pivotal trial of HuMax-CD4 (zanolimumab) in refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) to include patients with Sezary syndrome. The company also discontinued dosing at 8 mg/kg in favor...

Karo Bio AB.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... Karo Bio AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, cut 14 staff positions in an effort to reorganize and focus on core programs. The move is estimated to save SEK20 million (US$3.1 million) annually. The company said it will focus internally on KB2115 for...

Mimotopes Pty Ltd.(Other News To Note)(Mimotopes Proprietary Ltd. contracts with Baker Heart Research Institute)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Mimotopes Pty Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, has entered into a licensing agreement with the Baker Heart Research Institute for jointly developed drug candidates targeting pulmonary arterial hypertension. As part of the licensing agreement,...

NicOx SA.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... NicOx SA, of Sophia-Antipolis, France, opened its new U.S. headquarters in Warren, NJ, where its commercial affairs and U.S. clinical operations departments are based. The U.S. office is headed by Sanjiv Sharma, who was appointed vice president...

ValiRx plc, of London, has signed a full license agreement with Chroma Therapeutics, of Abingdon, UK, to commercialize a noninvasive diagnostic technology patent developed by Chroma that identifies epigenetic signal changes, in particular changes to the histone code, which occur in cancer-related illnesses.(Other News To Note)
October 17, 2007... ValiRx plc, of London, has signed a full license agreement with Chroma Therapeutics, of Abingdon, UK, to commercialize a noninvasive diagnostic technology patent developed by Chroma that identifies epigenetic signal changes, in particular...