The European Commission is expected to make a licensing decision by midyear...Medigene AG, of Martinsreid, Germany, and Triton Pharma AG, of Concord, Ontario, partnered to commercialize Veregen in Canada for the treatment of genital warts

The company plans to submit a patent application for another asthma candidate, SOM-1033, within the next three months...Zevalin is approved to treat patients with previously untreated follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who achieve a partial or complete response to first-line chemotherapy and those with relapsed or refractory, low-grade or follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma...Zealand Pharma A/S, of Copenhagen, and Pepscan Holding NV, of Lelylstad, the Netherlands, jointly received an EU research

MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, signed a manufacturing agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, to cover the process of developing and manufacturing additional clinical material for MorphoSys' anti-CD19 antibody MOR208 and other drug candidates...In other news, the FDA has approved Oxford BioMedica plc's investigational new drug application for StarGen, a gene-based treatment for Stargardt disease

To date, the wholly owned subsidiary of Medicago Inc., of Quebec City, has received $10.7 million of a $21 million DARPA grant it was awarded last year to build an influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The company expects the facility, which will produce plant-expressed, virus-like particles vaccines, to be operational during the second half of 2011...Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., of Tokyo, plans to launch its gastric cancer drug Teysuno (tegafur) in Europe during the

ERYtech Pharma Inc., of Lyon, France, completed enrollment and safety follow-up in a Phase II trial of GRASPA (encapsulated L-asparaginase in red blood cells) in first-line acute lymphoblastic leukemia in patients older than 55...package insert to allow patients to be treated on a dosing interval for up to eight weeks, which could reduce the number of injections required

The European Commission will be making a final decision in the coming weeks...Spencer Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Boston, signed a deal with Polyvalor LP, the commercial partner of Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, to further develop the technologies related to efficient delivery of nucleic acids using chitosan, as well as for an innovative discovery of therapeutic nanocomplexes for Type II diabetes treatment and other possible derivative applications

In other news, Elan and Celgene Corp., of Summit, N.J., entered a settlement and license agreement resolving a patent infringement suit involving breast cancer treatment Abraxane...In other news, Intercell and partner Biological E. Ltd., of Hyderabad, India, started a pediatric Phase II/III trial of a vaccine designed to protect children from Japanese encephalitis...In other news, Neovacs reported results from a Phase I/II study showing that its TNF-Kinoid was found to be safe in 21 patients with

The company said the milestone will be used to advance perifosine, AEZS-108 and its other oncology compounds...As consideration for the Entera shares, Oramed said it will receive a promissory note issued by D.N.A for $450,000, with an annual interest rate of 0.45 percent, to be paid within four months from closing, and 84 million ordinary shares of D.N.A, having an aggregate market value of approximately $700,000...Santaris Pharma A/S, of Hoersholm, Denmark, obtained an exclusive license from

BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, said preliminary Phase I results showed satisfactory safety and a well-accepted electrotransfer technology in the first patients treated with AMEP biotherapy, which is designed to target integrins and is in development for metastatic melanoma...Innate Pharma SA, of Marseilles, France, started patient inclusion in a Phase II trial of IPH 2101, an anti-KIR monoclonal antibody potentiating the antitumor activity of NK cells...Verona Pharma plc, of London, started a higher

Acasti Pharma Inc., of Loval, Quebec, a subsidiary of Neptune Technologies and Bioressources Inc., completed a preclinical program comparing its drug candidate CaPre to Lovaza for lipid management...Accentia Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of Tampa, Fla., acquired the right to purchase cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) from Baxter Healthcare Corp., of Deerfield, Ill., for use in its Revimmune therapy for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases

Acorda plans to start Phase I studies in heart failure patients and is pursuing GGF2 in other cardiac and neurological applications...Genzyme's board twice rejected Sanofi's $69-per-share offer before the big pharma firm took its bid directly to shareholders in a hostile takeover attempt. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 31, 2010, and Oct. 5, 2010...Phosphagenics plans to reformulate the oral compound into a topical cream

In other news, AbD Serotec, a research unit of MorphoSys, signed a two-year contract to supply custom monoclonal antibodies to the Research Councils UK Shared Services Centre Ltd

Archimedes Pharma Ltd., of Reading, UK, received marketing authorization from the European Commission for PecFent, a fentanyl nasal spray for breakthrough cancer pain for patients already on maintenance opioid therapy

Archimedes Pharma Ltd., of Reading, UK, received marketing authorization from the European Commission for PecFent, a fentanyl nasal spray for breakthrough cancer pain for patients already on maintenance opioid therapy...The news coincides with PDL's quarter revenue guidance showing a 20 percent year-over-year revenue growth for the third quarter – $86 million as compared to $71 .4 million in the third quarter of 2009

Bionor Pharma ASA, of Skein, Norway, reported that immune memory in HIV vaccination can be safely reactivated seven years after immunization with Vacc-4x, a peptide-based, therapeutic HIV vaccine, by re-vaccinating with Vacc-4x...Pluristem Therapeutics Inc., of Haifa, Israel, said that its PLX cell therapy product, derived from human placenta, a noncontroversial, nonembryonic, adult stem cell source, was selected as the only cell therapy product candidate to enter into a study seeking treatments

EUSA Pharma Inc., of Oxford, UK, licensed Japanese development and commercialization rights for its cancer drug Erwinase (L-asparaginase) to Tokyo-based Ohara Pharmaceutical Co...In other news, OctoPlus signed a pharmaceutical development and manufacturing contract with The Medicines Co., of Parsippany, N.J. The undisclosed contract value will make a material contribution to OctoPlus' annual revenues, said the firm, which will perform process development and clinical manufacturing for The Medicines

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, said the European Commission approved Orencia (abatacept) in combination with methotrexate in moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adults who have responded inadequately to previous therapy with one or more disease-modifying drugs, including MTX or a TNF-alpha inhibitor...Perseid Therapeutics LLC, a majority-owned subsidiary of Maxygen Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., achieved a second preclinical milestone of $5 million from Astellas Pharma Inc

EUSA Pharma Inc., of Oxford, UK, licensed Japanese development and commercialization rights for its cancer drug Erwinase (L-asparaginase) to Tokyo-based Ohara Pharmaceutical Co...Neurim Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Tel Aviv, Israel, said the European Commission approved a change in treatment duration with Circadin from three weeks to 13 weeks

In other news Benitec said data published in Cancer Research showed that the BIII-tubulin protein has a key role in the pathobiology and aggressiveness of human lung cancer by influencing drug sensitivity, tumor incidence and progression...Oxford BioMedica, of Oxford, UK, signed an amendment to its licence agreement with Cancer Research Technology Ltd., covering the use and exploitation of the 5T4 antigen used in TroVax, Oxford BioMedica's cancer vaccine, and other products