SR Pharma plc, of London, formed a 50-50 joint venture with Rademacher Group Ltd., of Oxford, UK, to investigate bacterial inosital phosphoglycans (IPGs), cellular messenger molecules that mediate the action of certain hormones and growth factors...SR Pharma, which specializes in using mycobacteria to elicit immune responses, has discovered IPG-like molecules in mycobacteria, while Rademacher specializes in phosphoglycans and has developed novel libraries of IPG mimetics...SR Pharma was due to release

Abgenix Inc., of Fremont, Calif., formed a research collaboration with Diabetogen Biosciences Inc., of London, Ontario, to develop a fully human monoclonal antibody therapy against human antigen CD28 for the treatment of Type I diabetes, and possibly other autoimmune diseases...The hearing date should be within 45 days. • GeneData AG, of Basel, Switzerland, entered a multiyear collaboration with Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland, to functionally characterize the genomes of pathogenic

But that figure excludes a charge of EUR5.1 million for amortization of goodwill and other intangible assets related to the merger between IntroGene BV and U-BiSys BV (out of which Crucell was born), as well as a nonrecurring, noncash write-off of EUR84.1 million associated with the merger and a noncash charge of EUR13.2 million relating to stock option plans...SR Pharma said it now is planning further trials using a new formulation of SRL 172, developed specifically for the treatment of allergic

Its lead drug, Periostat, is designed to treat adult periodontitis. • Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, submitted an investigational new drug application with the FDA to begin trials of HE2200, an immune-regulating hormone drug candidate...That study is designed to evaluate the unnamed vaccine candidate's safety and efficacy in 300 women. • OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Uniondale, N.Y., began a Phase Ib trial of OSI-774 in combination with docetaxel (Taxotere) in patients with

Aurora agreed to issue up to 1.9 million shares as payment for the transaction, announced in November...The company plans to begin Phase I safety trials evaluating the drug's tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile upon clearance by Canadian officials. • StemCells Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $300,000-per-year, two-year Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health, of Bethesda, Md

Pursuant to the original terms of the acquisition, the prior shareholders of ImmGenics now have the right to receive the cash instead of stock and Abgenix intends to fund the purchase price from cash on hand...Atugen will retain all other rights related to target discovery, validation and therapeutic use

GeneData has installed the system at all major Novartis Pharma research sites from where it can be accessed through the Intranet by Novartis scientists worldwide. • GenVec Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., initiated Phase I trials with TNFerade, a product candidate intended for use in combination with radiation therapy to improve the treatment of cancer...It is seeking to conduct a Phase Ib/Ic study to assess the tolerance of multiple intramuscular doses of Tetrodin. • La Jolla Pharmaceuticals Co., of

IsoTis plans to launch its first-generation tissue-engineered cartilage product later in 2001...SR Pharma plc, of London, said the Phase I trial of Avac, an intranasally administered treatment for asthma, will be extended from 20 to 40 patients

government review of Abbott's pending acquisition of BASF Pharma's pharmaceutical business has expired. • Access Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Dallas, completed and released initial data from a 400-patient, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial of OraDisc, its canker sore treatment, an amlexanox formulation in a polymer disc designed to adhere to the disease site...The decision to file earlier than the company expected follows a meeting with the TPP

AnorMED said it will use the proceeds to fund research and development in its chemokine receptor program. (See BioWorld Today, Jan. 24, 2001.) • Antares Pharma, of Minneapolis, completed the private placement of $7 million in common shares with banks and institutional investors...Genset's shares (NASDAQ:GENXY) rose 15 percent on the news, or $2.375, to close Tuesday at $17.812. • Genzyme Transgenics Corp., of Framingham, Mass., said it does not expect to complete its intended re-acquisition of

It plans to enroll between 12 and 17 patients, two of whom have already received their first doses...Four doses of IDD-3 are to be administered to each patient over 85 days and the first results are expected in the autumn...The vaccine is designed to generate or stimulate an immune system reaction against the patient's tumor so that it is rejected and attacked by the organism itself

According to research published in the Feb. 3, 2001, issue of The Lancet, obese people have fewer receptors for dopamine, and may eat more in an effort to stimulate the dopamine circuits of their brains...to develop interleukin-16 as a therapy for a variety of pathological immune responses

The trial will enroll more than 100 patients at four sites. • YM BioSciences Inc., of Mississauga, Ontario, and SR Pharma plc, of London, agreed to collaborate to investigate the use of YMB's proprietary cancer antigen, IPS-21, in conjunction with SR Pharma's SRL172, a vaccine adjuvant

The new drug application was submitted on Dec. 7 and Amylin is seeking approval to market Symlin as an adjunctive therapy to insulin for the treatment of people with Type I or Type II diabetes using insulin. (See BioWorld Today, Dec. 8, 2000.) • BioTransplant Inc., of Charlestown, Mass., and Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland, named their newly formed company Immerge BioTherapeutics Inc...The system is being developed to inactivate viruses, bacteria, other pathogens and white blood cells in

The company expected to report more than $25 million in cash on hand as of Dec. 31...Collateral will develop and commercialize the research and technology pursuant to the agreement, which gives it an option for exclusive worldwide rights to genes and technologies discovered by the university. • Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., achieved the second milestone in its three-year collaboration with Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland...The company expects to file an investigational

Further bioinformatic analysis of the new genes identified a large number of potential drugable targets, including integrins, kinases, phosphotases, proteases, transcription factors, zinc fingers and G protein-coupled receptors. • Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Genesis Pharma SA, of Athens, Greece, signed an agreement granting Genesis certain exclusive rights to distribute, market and sell Aranesp in Greece and Cyprus...in head and neck cancer in addition to funding oncology product

That collaboration calls for Aradigm to conduct a Phase IIb trial for the development of the AERx Pain Management System for pulmonary delivery of morphine. • Arakis Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, said Bioglan Pharma plc, of Hertfordshire, UK, agreed to develop and commercialize AD 177, a novel treatment for psoriasis and one of Arakis' proprietary performance-enhanced medicine-based therapies...According to the company, 91 percent of precancerous skin lesions were completely cured compared to 68 percent

for access to Geron's nuclear transfer technology to produce superior cattle and sheep for agricultural applications in Australia, New Zealand and China...The deal calls for the companies to combine technologies to develop single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping systems to be marketed by Qiagen in addition to joint development of Masscode tag chemistry and mass spectrometry instrumentation solutions for SNP discovery, proteomics and other applications...Paul Capital will fund clinical

AeroGen plans to introduce the inhaler to the market in 2003. • Alteon Inc., of Ramsey, N.J., said it received about $1.55 million from the sale of its net operating loss carryovers under the state of New Jersey's Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program...The purchase included a cash consideration of $25 million, and the remainder, $12 million, was paid as a convertible note carrying a two-year term and a 2 percent interest rate convertible into shares of Charles River Laboratories at