THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Zonagen Inc. said Tuesday that it nearing completion of two strategic alliances with unnamed international pharmaceutical companies aimed at taking its contraceptive vaccine for animals into overseas markets. The two agreements, one with a Japanese company, are expected to be signed in August, according to Marty Scudder, Zonagen's chairman. A letter of intent has been signed on one of the pacts. The privately held company also announced that its chief operating officer
Molecular Biosystems Inc. of San Diego announced Tuesday that the Radiological Devices Advisory Panel of the FDA voted to recommend approval of its Albunex for ultrasound of the heart. The approval is subject only to minor changes in labelling and inserts and post-marketing surveillance of patients in which Albunex is used. The company's stock (NYSE:MB) closed up $3.25 a share at $27 on Tuesday after gaining $2.13 on Monday. The stock has traded at a 52-week range of $20.50 to 40.88. (c) 1997
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Neupogen, Amgen Inc.'s drug for treating neutropenia, is on a pace to become biotechnology's brightest star. Beyond its sole FDA-approved use as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy, Neupogen is being cast for a wide range of roles, from fortifying HIV-infected individuals to treating autologous bone marrow transplant patients. Already the third-ranked biotechnology product in terms of sales behind Genentech Inc.'s Activase and Amgen's Epogen, Neupogen is stirring perhaps
Argus Pharmaceuticals Inc. completed a 1.7 million-share initial public offering that should net the company about $10.8 million. The Houston-based company sold the shares Friday at $7 each. At the company's closing stock (NASDAQ:ARGS) price of $7.25 a share on Monday, Argus has an indicated market value of $48.4 million. Argus is pursuing therapeutics based on its own research and technology licensed from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center concerning macrophages, a key disease-fighting cell of
Calgene Inc.'s Calgene Fresh division is aiming to price its Flavr Savr tomato, which could become the first genetically engineered food product to reach the U.S. commercial market, at a premium of something less than double the price of standard fresh tomatoes. Calgene said the exact price of the Flavr Savr has yet to be set. The company continues to probe consumers' attitudes in focus groups and meet with food distributors. The Flavr Savr is expected to make its market debut in mid-1993. "We
Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Steven B. Gerber upgraded his rating on Elan plc to "short-term buy." Gerber predicted that shares should rebound to the $45-a-share level over the next few months and hit $50 within 12 months. Elan shares (ASE:ELN) closed Monday at $42.13, up 25 cents. (c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.
BETHESDA, Md. -- The era of gene therapy "is almost upon us," buttechnical and regulatory complexities will delay its widespread use, Bruce Merchant, vice president of Viagene Inc., said Monday. Merchant told a meeting of the Food and Drug Law Institute here that gene therapy will be the next major development in pharmaceuticals. However, he said "it will take many decades of effective development before it will have major impacts on the way in which health care is provided to the public
ChemTrak Inc. said R. Terry Duryea has resigned as vice president and chief financial officer to pursue other business opportunities. Jerry Gin, executive vice president of the Sunnyvale, Calif., company will temporarily assume Duryea's responsibilities. ChemTrak develops and markets health care diagnostic tests. (c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday gave the go- ahead to Schering-Plough Corp.'s recombinant alfa interferon as the first approved treatment of chronic hepatitis B. The decision follows an FDA advisory board's recommendation last November to approve interferon alfa-2b injections for treating hepatitis B. Schering's Intron A was approved for treating hepatitis C (also called non-A, non-B hepatitis) in February 1991. "Hepatitis B is a serious public health problem that is too often
Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Monday said it signed a three-year cooperative research agreement with two Japanese companies aimed at developing antisense nucleotides for treating hepatitis C virus. Under the agreement with the non-profit Chem-Sero- Therapeutic Research Institute (Kaketsuken) of Kumamoto, Japan, and Mochida Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, Isis is to receive an option fee, research funding and milestone payments amounting to between $5 million to $10 million dollars, according
Pharmaceutical Proteins Ltd. (PPL) of Edinburgh, Scotland, said it signed a long-term collaboration with the Wyeth-Ayerst Division of American Home Products Corp. to produce human proteins from the milk of transgenic animals. PPL will bring its transgenic technology to the collaboration, which is intended to focus on products that address the metabolic, geriatric and pediatric markets, according to a jointly released statement. No details of the agreement were disclosed. Wyeth-Ayerst has
WASHINGTON -- EPA Administrator William Riley said the Bush administration is considering an appeal of a federal appeals court decision last week that prohibited the use of cancer-causing pesticides. Speaking to a meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation state presidents on Monday, Riley said the EPA and the Justice Department would weigh a reaction to the court decision over the next 10 days. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco means that a
Icos Corp. said Monday that it signed the first two agreements with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory researchers under a broader agreement reached last October. The Seattle-based company said it signed agreements with Bruce Futcher, whose research is focused on certain areas of cell growth and metabolism, and Nicholas Tonks, who is working on targeting kinase, an enzyme family involved in cell activation. No financial details of the two agreements were disclosed. "It fits right into our overall
AgriDyne Technologies Inc. of Salt Lake City started marketing its Azatin bioinsecticide Saturday at florists' trade show in Cincinnati. The insecticide targets whiteflies and leaf-eating caterpillars. It received EPA approval last January for non-food crop applications, which the company considers a step toward approval for food crops. The company early this year petitioned the EPA for food crop approval of the product, said David Martin, AgriDyne's executive vice president. Azatin uses
Stronger public outreach and education programs could make food produced through biotechnology much easier to swallow. What might help even more is if biotechnology can cut the family's grocery bill. Those are two views drawn from a federal study, scheduled for release today, of consumer attitudes toward biotechnology in agriculture and food production. The interim report to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Extension Survey also turned up underlying attitudes that might offer some helpful
Epitope Inc. of Beaverton, Ore., said its wholly owned subsidiary, Agritope Inc., signed an agreement with Rogers NK Seed Co., an affiliate of Sandoz Seeds Ltd. of Basel, Switzerland, to develop tomatoes with improved qualities. Agritope is developing fruits, flowers and vegetables that control the production of ethylene and plant hormones involved in the ripening process. The objective is to prolong post-harvest shelf life. Rogers NK breeds tomatoes with improved flavor and texture. "Our goal
Therion Biologics Corp., which comprises the vaccine development business spun off from the former Applied bioTechnology Inc. last July, is taking a second swing at the initial public offering market. Therion of Cambridge, Mass., last week filed a prospectus proposing to sell 1 million units at $5 each. The company switched underwriters from a prior IPO effort last spring. Each unit of the new proposed offering consists of one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase within three years
Applied Bioscience International Inc. named Robert F. Amundsen chief financial officer and John H. Timoney senior vice president. Timoney has been with the company since its inception and has been given special responsibility for investor relations. Amundsen was chief financial officer of Pharmaco, with which ABI merged earlier this year. Applied Bioscience of East Millstone, N.J., conducts biological safety testing and agrichemical research. Oculon Corp. named William L. Matier vice president
Oxford GlycoSystems (OGS) of Oxford, England, announced Friday that it signed a research agreement with SmithKline Beecham to develop carbohydrate-based inhibitors of selectin- mediated cell adhesion for use in treating inflammatory diseases. OGS President Dale Pfost declined to disclose the terms of the deal, but said that it is worth several million dollars to his company and includes research and milestone payments, and royalties from any products resulting from the partnership. Privately
Enzon Inc and Emisphere Technologies Inc. agreed to evaluate the potential of combining proteins modified through Enzon's Pegnology with Emisphere's oral drug delivery system (ODS). The companies believe the combination should lead to drugs that last longer in the bloodstream, are protected from gastrointestinal acids and exhibit fewer allergic reactions. "Harnessing the advantages of oral and protein delivery systems opens doors to greater patient management options and will lead to
THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Zonagen Inc. said Tuesday that it nearing completion of two strategic alliances with unnamed international pharmaceutical companies aimed at taking its contraceptive vaccine for animals into overseas markets. The two agreements, one with a Japanese company, are expected to be signed in August, according to Marty Scudder, Zonagen's chairman. A letter of intent has been signed on one of the pacts. The privately held company also announced that its chief operating officer