In other news, the company also entered an early collaborative effort with AstraZeneca Investment Co...OriGene Technologies Inc., of Rockville, Md., entered an alliance with Essen Instruments Inc., of Ann Arbor, Mich., to co-develop ion channel cell lines, which will be co-marketed by the companies...The pharma also reiterated that it intends to nominate a slate of directors for OSI's upcoming shareholder meeting. (See BioWorld Today, March 2, 2009

Advanced Cell Technology Inc., of Worcester, Mass., said the FDA granted orphan designation to its MA09-hRPE cells for use in Stargardt's macular dystrophy, which makes the company eligible for assistance during the development process and guarantees seven years of marketing exclusivity upon approval...To date, the firm has created 10 human parthenogenetic stem cell lines...SCII also will provide other research and cell culture services to Agennix

Emisphere Technologies Inc., of Cedar Knolls, N.J., said that Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland, has agreed to further extend the maturity date of Emisphere's convertible promissory note to May 26

ExonHit will continue to lead the medicinal chemistry effort related to the target...Forest will work with the agency to determine its next steps

Alkermes Inc., of Waltham, Mass., said it has developed a LinkeRx technology platform to enable the creation of injectable extended-release versions of antipsychotics and other central nervous system therapies...Prior to the acquisition, Serica had raised less than $24M in equity financing...The FDA letter to Sanofi related to a patient brochure with misleading claims about acne drug Benzaclin

The extended collaboration, which is funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Association, aims to advance the development of Oxford BioMedica's preclinical gene therapy candidate, MoNuDin, and to evaluate other gene-based strategies for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...Tranzyme Pharma Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., said that it has received approval to use the generic name ulimorelin for the company's late-stage, prokinetic agent TZP-101...To date, ulimorelin has been successfully

Alcon also acquired the global rights, excluding Latin America, for Zyclorin, in development to treat dry eye and other ocular surface diseases...subsidiary, Teikoku Pharma USA Inc., have received a Paragraph IV certification notice from Watson Laboratories Inc., of Corona, Calif., advising of the filing of an abbreviated new drug application for a generic version of Endo's Lidoderm (lidocaine topical patch 5 percent...Maxygen Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., said that its majority-owned subsidiary

Merz Pharma Group, of Frankfurt, Germany, plans to acquire all of the outstanding shares of BioForm Medical Inc., of San Mateo, Calif., for $5.45 per share in cash pursuant to a cash tender offer followed by a second-step merger...Theralase Technologies Inc., of Toronto, reported positive results of a preclinical study of its photodynamic compounds and their ability, when used with Theralase lasers, to destroy breast cancer cells

Funds are expected to support work on the company's SIMPLE Antibody engine and to build a preclinical antibody portfolio...Noxxon Pharma AG, of Berlin, achieved a milestone in its discovery and development partnership with Eli Lilly and Co., of Indianapolis, by successfully identifying a Spiegelmer (L-aptamers), chemical entities based on synthetic mirror-image oligonucleotides, with picomolar affinity and high selectivity for its target and met contractually specified milestone criteria

Advanced Cell Technology Inc., of Worcester, Mass., filed an investigational new drug application with the FDA to initiate a Phase I/II multicenter study using embryonic stem cell-derived retinal cells to treat patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy (SMD...Claims to hybrid meganucleases were cancelled or severely restricted

In separate news, Nabi said Biotest Pharmaceuticals Corp., of Boca Raton, Fla., withdrew the claim and agreed to release the remaining $5.7 million of the original $56 million indemnification claim made March 31 against Nabi...Senesco Technologies Inc., of New Brunswick, N.J., received a notice from the NYSE Amex LLC stating that the firm does not meet one of the continued listing standards, specifically having stockholders' equity of less than $6 million and losses from continuing operations and

Endotis Pharma, of Paris, said it formed a strategic alliance with Catalent Pharma Solutions, of Somerset, N.J., to develop certain oral formulations of small-glyco drugs...Rockwell Medical Technologies Inc., of Wixom, Mich., said data on its lead drug candidate soluble ferric pyrophosphate (SFP) showed that all available iron present in SFP was delivered to both iron-binding sites on human apo-transferrin, rapidly and completely

Critical Outcome Technologies Inc., of London, Ontario, said new data showed that its lead oncology compound COTI-2 inhibited the activation of the protein AKT2 and to a lesser extent AKT1, but not AKT3...Neurobiological Technologies Inc., of Emeryville, Calif., said stockholders voted in favor of the company's dissolution pursuant to a plan of liquidation and dissolution and also declared an extraordinary dividend of 75 cents per share...NovaDel Pharma Inc., of Flemington, N.J., entered a licensing

Neurobiological Technologies Inc., of Emeryville, Calif., submitted written notice to Nasdaq of its intention to seek voluntary delisting, if its stockholders approve the dissolution of the company at an Oct. 27 meeting

Biotech and pharma drug developers with any capacity for making vaccines were lining up for their chances at the governmental jackpot, even as the world lined up resources to fight a widening pandemic...And in other cancer vaccine news: Merck KGaA started a Phase III breast cancer trial with Stimuvax, Merck & Co...Other Phase III cancer vaccines include Merck KGaA and Oncothyreon Inc.'s Stimuvax, now in Phase III trials for both lung and breast cancer based on a Phase II lung cancer trial that failed

Biotech and pharma drug developers with any capacity for making vaccines were lining up for their chances at the governmental jackpot, even as the world lined up resources to fight a widening pandemic...And in other cancer vaccine news: Merck KGaA started a Phase III breast cancer trial with Stimuvax, Merck & Co...Other Phase III cancer vaccines include Merck KGaA and Oncothyreon Inc.'s Stimuvax, now in Phase III trials for both lung and breast cancer based on a Phase II lung cancer trial that failed

Biotech and pharma drug developers with any capacity for making vaccines were lining up for their chances at the governmental jackpot, even as the world lined up resources to fight a widening pandemic...And in other cancer vaccine news: Merck KGaA started a Phase III breast cancer trial with Stimuvax, Merck & Co...Other Phase III cancer vaccines include Merck KGaA and Oncothyreon Inc.'s Stimuvax, now in Phase III trials for both lung and breast cancer based on a Phase II lung cancer trial that failed

To date, no adverse events have occurred in testing...BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, said a U.S. District Court judge granted the motion to dismiss a civil action against the company and one of its executives filed by Eurofins Pharma US Holdings Inc., of Des Moines, Iowa, regarding the diagnostic technology Phenoscript, a test for HIV drug resistance

MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said that Bayer Schering Pharma AG, of Berlin, has filed all necessary documentation to initiate a Phase I trial with a HuCAL-derived antibody-drug conjugate in oncology...Proceeds will be used to advance PBT2 in Alzheimer's disease and to support other programs...Verona Pharma plc, of London, announced the final results of a Phase I/IIa trial of RPL554 given by inhalation to clinically stable mildly asthmatic patients who were not on maintenance anti-asthma