In separate news, Hyperion said it exercised its option to acquire Buphenyl (sodium phenylbutyrate) tablets and powder, an FDA-approved therapy for the chronic management of the most prevalent UCDs, and Ammonul (sodium phenylacetate and sodium benzoate) injection, a hospital-based product used to treat UCD patients in hyperammonemic crisis, from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Montreal...According to a March 2012 agreement between Hyperion and Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. (later

Institut de Recherches Servier, of Paris, inked a nonexclusive collaboration to use the enhanced spine platform (ESP) technology developed by Afraxis Inc., of San Diego, to discover central nervous system (CNS) drugs...Pfenex Inc., of San Diego, awarded Glide Pharma, of Oxford, UK, a subcontract to develop a solid formulation containing the recombinant protective antigen (rPA) from Bacillus anthracis expressed in Pfenex Expression Technology, suitable for delivery with the Glide SDI (solid dose

Celgene Corp., of Summit, N.J., said the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted a positive opinion for Revlimid (lenalidomide) for the treatment of patients with transfusion-dependent anemia due to low or intermediate-1 risk myelodsyplastic syndromes associated with an isolated deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality when other therapeutic options are insufficient or inadequate...Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, reported preclinical data showing highly targeted liver

Addex Therapeutics, of Geneva, said regulatory authorities in the Netherlands gave approval to start in the first half of this year a Phase I study of ADX71441, a GABA-B receptor positive allosteric modulator, for Charcot-Marie-Tooth1A (CMT1A) neuropathy and other disease indications...EpiVax Inc., of Providence, R.I., and BioAtla LLC, of San Diego, formed a collaboration to incorporate EpiVax's immunogenicity screening technology, EpiMatrix, into BioAtla's antibody Express Humanization platform

Net proceeds will be used to complete a Phase II Squalamine eye drop clinical trial for the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, to further the clinical development of the eye drops for the treatment of other neovascular ophthalmic disorders, to fund development of other pipeline molecules, and for general corporate purposes

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co., of San Diego, said the FDA granted orphan designation to LJPC-6417 for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP...OPKO also said it is partnering with Pharmsynthez to develop and market several OPKO products for sale in Russia and certain other Eastern European countries...The assets are to be acquired in exchange for the satisfaction and discharge of $15 million outstanding under the secured notes

In separate news, another Galapagos unit, Argenta, inked a deal with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, to apply its respiratory drug discovery services to an undisclosed target within Boehringer's respiratory disease portfolio

Pfenex Inc., of San Diego, and Agila Biotech Private Ltd., of Bangalore, India, a subsidiary of Strides Arcolab Ltd., entered a joint venture to develop, manufacture and commercialize an initial pipeline of six biosimilar products for the global market

Amylin Pharmaceutical Inc., of San Diego, (later acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. with help from AstraZeneca plc) is the subject of a three-defendant lawsuit along with Merck & Co...Pradax is used to prevent clotting in patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation

In other news, Prana reported that it received a A$2.5 million (US$2.6 million) cash refund under the R&D Tax Incentive Program...The refund was received to support research and clinical development of PBT2 for Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases, as well as for other Prana research activities into Parkinson's disease and other neurological indications

Hovione, of Lisbon, Portugal, entered a co-promotion and collaboration agreement to provide its customers with access to Captisol technology from San Diego-based Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc...SionX is designed to enable high-density expression of recombinant human ion channels on the cell membranes of Tetrahymena thermophile

to explore strategic options for Stedivaze, a highly selective adenosine A2A agonist in development as a pharmacological stress agent for use in myocardial perfusion imaging...Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said partner Eisai Inc., of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., submitted a marketing authorization application for Belviq (lorcaserin HCl) in Mexico for use as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults with an initial body mass

Mast Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, said it engaged ESC Advisors, a division of investment bank KEMA Partners LLC, to serve as its exclusive financial advisor to identify potential partners for MST-188 and advise the company in transactions discussions...In other news, SCT closed its previously announced private placement for gross proceeds of C$3.2 million (US$3.1 million

The product is designed to neutralize IL20 and IL22, which are involved in proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes and are implicated in autoimmune diseases of the skin such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis...Mast Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, said the European Commission designated MST-188 (purified poloxamer 188) as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of sickle cell disease

Another $13 million to $15 million in equipment, integration service and testing will be provided by Agila...The resolution would authorize the board to effect a share consolidation at a rate of up to 10 to 1...The compounds are thought to have relevance for Parkinson's disease

The parties agreed to a settlement payment of $40 million, $38 million of which will be funded by Dendreon's insurers...An independent assessment to confirm the diagnosis and evaluate the cause is planned...Visionary Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, obtained a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research award to develop small-molecule retinoic acid-related orphan receptor (ROR) modulators targeting TH17 T-lymphocytes in inflammatory bowel disease

Save for Wolbern Private Equity GmbH (WPE), no other partner who took part in the formal sale process made an offer, and WPE later withdrew its offer...Ark has been struggling to keep itself afloat since 2010, when the European Medicines Agency rejected gene therapy candidate Cerepro for use in glioma...Vanda said it intends to reassess its European regulatory strategy once those results become available

Apricus Biosciences Inc., of San Diego, said it intends to cease financing its French subsidiaries, Finesco SAS, its French holding company, Scomedica SAS, its French sales company and NexMed Pharma SAS, its marketing company...In other news, law firm Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC, of New York, said it is investigating claims on behalf of purchasers of Spectrum securities, after shares (NASDAQ:SPPI) fell as much as 38 percent on March 13 on news that the company slashed its revenue projections

That news "shocked the Street," according to Roth Capital Partners analyst Joseph Pantginis...Investors took the news hard, sending shares of Spectrum (NASDAQ:SPPI) falling $4.64, or 37.3 percent, to close Wednesday at $7.79