Eyetech Pharmaceuticals Inc. , of New York, said the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency issued a positive opinion recommending approval of Macugen (pegaptanib sodium injection) to treat neovascular wet age-related macular degeneration...In other news, the company started a Phase I trial of IPdR in gastric, pancreatic, colorectal and liver cancers

The results are consistent with the safety and efficacy findings from two other double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in patients with moderate to severe pain following dental surgery...In other news, Vical agreed to grant Merck & Co

7TM Pharma, of Horsholm, Denmark, said Johnson & Johnson Development Corp., a unit of New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson, made an undisclosed investment in 7TM, which will use proceeds to advance its development and discovery programs focused on metabolic disorders...TopoTarget said it aims to gain marketing approval by late 2006

The goal of the program is to develop a cost-effective process to convert corn and other biomass feedstocks to sugars for production of fuels and chemicals...A similar application to market Preos in Europe, under the name Preotact, is under review by the European Medicines Agency. (See BioWorld Today, Oct. 25, 2004

In other news, Bone Medical completed its Phase I trial of Perthoxal, an oral parathyroid hormone product in development to treat osteoporosis...In other news, Emisphere said Winstanley Enterprises LLC completed its purchase of a facility previously used by Emisphere for preclinical, toxicology and analytical laboratory work for $4.2 million, following the adjustment for ongoing environmental remediation

OnSource Corp., of Denver, changed its name to Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals Inc., following its May 11 merger with Boulder, Colo.-based Osmotics Pharma Inc., to reflect its revised business strategy to deliver products for dermatology and infectious

Borean Pharma A/S , of Aarhus, Denmark, raised a total of €5.5 million (US$6.7 million) in a Series A private equity financing, including the most recent €1.5 million from new investor ABN Amro...Compugen is expected to provide Biosite with data on several gene targets to be nominated by Biosite...Endotis Pharma , of Paris, received €4 million (US$4.9 million) in a Series A financing round from investor Sofinnova Partners, also of Paris

In the year since the companies began working together, they said they have validated Prolysis' approach to anti-infectives through an investment from Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc...Revotar Biopharmaceuticals AG , of Brandenburg, Germany, said the European Medicines Agency granted orphan drug designation to bimosiamose disodium, its pan-selectin antagonist for the treatment of acute lung injury...Other studies are ongoing to evaluate VX-680 in patients with recurrent or non-responsive solid tumors

MNL Pharma Ltd. , of Reading, UK, released preclinical data showing its orally administered small-molecule MNLP 462a reduced tumor load by 70 percent compared to controls in a mouse model of melanoma...The company will proceed directly to a major efficacy study after completing a small Phase IIa trial by the end of the year and other standard prerequisites for Phase III...Novagali Pharma , of Evry, France, initiated a Phase I trial to test

GTC Biotherapeutics Inc. , of Framingham, Mass., plans to respond by July 8 to the European Medicines Agency's list of outstanding issues from its review of the company's marketing authorization application for ATryn, a recombinant form of human antithrombin...to assist the company in identifying and recruiting a president and CEO to succeed Bitterman

7TM Pharma A/S , of H rsholm, Denmark, entered a joint research project with Procter & Gamble Co., of Cincinnati, to identify development candidates for vascular indications...Bavarian Nordic also reported that all other activities to prepare for the commercial manufacture at the Kvistgard site are proceeding as planned, and expects to produce 60 million doses of Imvamune vaccine per year beginning in September 2005

Bavarian Nordic A/S , of Copenhagen, Denmark, said its quality-control laboratory at the Kvistgard site has been granted authorization by the Danish Medicines Agency to perform its own analysis and release on production batches of Imvamune smallpox vaccine and MVA-BN products for use in the company's development programs...Bavarian Nordic also reported that all other activities to prepare for the commercial manufacture at the Kvistgard site are proceeding as planned, and expects to produce 60

The company is performing preclinical studies on other lead compounds in order to select a backup compound...to develop improved interferon-alpha protein therapeutics to treat hepatitis B and C. The companies are completing late-stage preclinical studies and GMP manufacturing and said they are on track to file an investigational new drug application to begin Phase I trials in 2006...Predix Pharmaceuticals Inc. , of Woburn, Mass., initiated two Phase Ib multiple-dose studies with PRX-03140, its

The company presented those and other results involving applications of TranscriptionPath to toxicology and pharmaco/toxicogenomics at the 2005 Society of Toxicology annual meeting in New Orleans...GTC Biotherapeutics Inc. , of Framingham, Mass., expects to receive a list of outstanding issues with additional questions from the European Medicines Agency as part of the review of its market authorization application for ATryn, a recombinant form of the human antithrombin protein

BioAlliance Pharma SA , of Paris, said data presented at the 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston suggested that styrlquinolines (SQLs), a family of integrase binding inhibitors, might offer a way to overcome HIV resistance...LEO Pharma A/S , of Ballerup, Denmark, and PFC Therapeutics LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp., of San Diego, agreed to modify their exclusivity agreement related to the development and marketing of Oxygent in

Aphton's stock fell more than 45 percent in February following news that its lead pancreatic cancer drug, Insegia, failed to meet the primary endpoint in a Phase III trial. (See BioWorld Today, Feb. 15, 2005...The company said the FDA approved the trial protocol for testing FK228, which was granted fast-track status as a monotherapy for treating CTCL in patients who have relapsed following, or become refractory to, one other systemic therapy...Under a licensing agreement, MediciNova obtained exclusive

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd. , of Melbourne, Australia, provided updated data from a Phase I/II study of Quinamed (amonafide dihydrochloride) and new preclinical data showing the drug's ability to enhance the activity of other standard cancer drugs...Gastrotech Pharma A/S , of Copenhagen, Denmark, named Hans Schambye CEO, replacing Claes Post who will continue to serve as a board member and senior vice president

The share price rose 11 percent to £1.02 on news of the Allerpharma deal...AstraZeneca plc , of London, withdrew its marketing authorization application in Europe for Iressa (gefitinib) to treat non-small-cell lung cancer following a meeting with the European Medicines Agency...In 2004, BioOne reached an agreement with Cerus to commercialize the Intercept system - designed to enhance safety by inactivating viruses, bacteria and other pathogens in donated blood components - for platelets in several

In other news, Alnylam received a $7 million milestone payment from Merck & Co...to license the patent and other intellectual property rights related to Lisofylline (LSF) for development in diabetes and related complications