TP20, the product name for sCR1sLex, targeted injured lung tissue, resulting in reductions in vascular permeability and inflammation. • BioChem Pharma Inc., of Laval, Quebec, said the European Union’s Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products recommended approval of Zeffix, an oral treatment for chronic hepatitis B. The European Commission will make a final determination. • Cangene Corp., of Mississauga, Ontario, filed an investigational new drug application seeking permission to begin

Celera Genomics, a Rockville, Md., unit of Perkin-Elmer Corp., signed a five-year agreement that gives Novartis Pharma, of Basel, Switzerland, a subscription to Celera’s database products and early access to new genomic information...G3139 is designed to reduced the Bcl-2 protein level in cancers through an antisense mechanism that specifically targets the Bcl-2 protein. • Nanoscale Combinatorial Synthesis Inc., of Tucson, Ariz., said ChemDiv Inc., of San Diego, and its wholly owned subsidiary

AnorMed Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, said underwriters for its initial public offering exercised their overallotment option on an additional 160,000 shares at C$6.10 (US$4.08) per share, bringing gross proceeds to C$31.48 million. (See BioWorld Today, March 17, 1999, p. 1.) • BioChem Pharma Inc., of Laval, Quebec, said data presented at a liver conference in Europe showed fewer hepatitis B patients treated with Zeffix (lamivudine) progressed to cirrhosis compared to those treated with

The modifier is designed to improve the effectiveness and lower the treatment dose for chemotherapy, heat and radiation treatment of localized cancers.• Gilead Sciences Inc., of Foster City, Calif., presented the first of its clinical data on adefovir dipivoxil, which showed it had potent antiviral activity in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection who have failed antiviral therapy with lamivudine due to the development of resistance mutations...The results will be presented at the 34th annual

The goal of the study is to compare ReoPro to standard therapy in reducing the composite endpoint of death or myocardial infarction when percutaneous coronary intervention is not planned...and Targretin gel and capsules. • MGI Pharma Inc., of Minneapolis, began enrolling patients in a Phase II study of MGI 114, its drug for pancreatic cancer...for its SangCya capsules to prevent rejection in solid-organ transplant recipients

The approval also includes an important revision to the indication for use of Epivir in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV infection in adults and children...Epivir was developed by BioChem Pharma, of Laval, Quebec, and licensed to Glaxo. • Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, reported that a study of its lead anti-HIV drug, HE2000, showed the drug significantly extended survival and showed a decrease in viral load versus animals in a control group...Pk

The FDA had agreed to a Phase III trial protocol last October...Cellegy will now seek another partner to complete clinical development and regulatory approvals. • Digene Corp., of Beltsville, Md., received marketing clearance from the FDA for its Hybrid Capture II HPV Test, a DNA-based technology to detect the human papillomarvirus (HPV...The company hopes to launch the test this spring. • Ergo Science Corp., of Boston, said it will appeal the FDA’s not-approvable letter for Ergoset tablets for the

Phytopharm plc , of Godmanchester, Cambridge shire, has received approval to start a Phase IIa trial of P54 in cancer of the colon...A Phase II study of P54, licensed from Phytochemindo, of Indonesia, is under way in osteoarthritis, with results expected in the second quarter of of 1999. • SR Pharma, of London, entered a research collaboration with Genesis Research and Development Cor poration, of New Zealand, to jointly exploit certain aspects of SR’s immunotherapeutic agent Mycobacterium vaccae

to explore ophthalmic indications for glutamate receptor antagonist compounds...The chemoprotective agent already is in Phase II trials in Canada. • Imutec Pharma Inc., of Toronto, is changing its name and location, effective Feb. 22, to Lorus Therapeutics Inc., in Markham, Ontario. • La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co., of San Diego, said it confirmed a biological defect in blood clotting caused by autoimmune antibodies might contribute to stroke, heart attack, deep-vein thrombosis and fetal loss

Sosei will also act as an independent, nonexclusive advisor to ExonHit in negotiating commercial partnerships with Asian companies...Financial terms were not disclosed. * IGT Pharma Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, reported that preliminary results from tests performed at the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, of Copenhagen, showed that IGT's first series of compounds, known as IGT440101, are specifically active as blockers of the mGluR 1 receptor...The trial is expected to enroll 15 patients, all

A second pivotal study, which is needed for regulatory filing, will involve combination treatment and is expected to begin later this year. * Genentech Inc., of South San Francisco, signed an agreement with Schwarz Pharma AG, of Monheim, Germany, for development and distribution of the growth hormone products Nutropin AQ and Nutropin Depot in Europe and other countries outside North America and Japan...The merger is expected to be competed this quarter. * Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Corona

COR has rights to all markets except Asia, in return for undisclosed license, milestone and royalty payments to Telik...MDX-33 has been shown to diminish the activity of monocytes, macrophages or other white blood cells that can destroy healthy platelets...Ltd., of Point Richmond, Calif., entered into an agreement to commercialize TKT's alpha-galactosidase-A enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry's disease in Japan and other Asian countries

Financial terms were not disclosed. * Infigen Inc., of DeForest, Wis., and Imutran Ltd., a subsidiary of Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland, formed a partnership to develop technologies for porcine targeting and nuclear transfer for use in xenotransplantation...Oral mucositis is expected to be a lead indication for further testing. * Medco Research Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., began a Phase III Acute Myocardial Infarction Study of Adenosine, called AMISTAD-II, combining adenosine

The stock deal is connected to the formation of the Hoechst-Ariad Genomics Center LLC, which earlier led to Hoechst's purchase of $24 million in preferred stock. * Aronex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of The Woodlands, Texas, reported initiation of a Phase I/II study combining Atragen (injectable all-trans retinoic acid) and interferon alpha in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. * Axys Pharmaceuticals Inc., of South San Francisco, entered into an agreement with Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc., of

to send investors jumping from the tallest buildings, but general disenchantment with the sector served to put the brakes on what was otherwise a very good year for the biotech industry. (See attached charts for a list of the various products that are now in clinical trials, for instance.) While Ezra Lwowski, the healthcare analyst at Toronto-based Yorkton Securities Inc., believes that the bear market is still with us, the recent news from Biomira and BioChem Pharma has definitely caused an

Specific financial details were not disclosed, but the agreement calls for up-front funding and potential milestone and royalty payments to EnzyMed. * MGI Pharma Inc. , of Minneapolis, said it is expanding its Phase II study with MGI 114, an anticancer drug, to include 16 more evaluable patients...The decision to expand the trial was made after the minimum response criteria for expansion were observed in patients in the trial

Appligène Oncor, of Strasbourg, France, has reported a 12.9 percent increase in revenues to FFr9.3 million (US$1.6 million) in the third quarter of 1998 relative to the corresponding three months of 1997, when revenues totaled FFr8.3 million...Novartis, through its Novartis Pharma AG division, is the second pharmaceutical company to enter a collaboration based on the RAPiD technology

The payment was triggered by the issuance of a patent on Medarex's HuMAb-Mouse technology. * MGI Pharma Inc., of Minneapolis, began enrolling patients in a Phase II clinical study with MGI 114 to treat ovarian cancer...The Phase I trial is scheduled to be conducted early next year at the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland...difficile is a spore-forming bacterium responsible for diseases ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening colitis, and is common in hospitalized elderly

o MGI Pharma Inc., of Minneapolis, began enrolling patients in a Phase II clinical trial with MGI 114, the company's anticancer drug, to evaluate its ability to treat pancreatic cancer