NEW YORK -- A brain inflammation in macaque monkeys that resembles multiple sclerosis in humans cleared up completely after a seven-day treatment with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) that targets a pro-inflammatory "cell-trafficking" molecule. George B. Rathmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Icos Corp. in Seattle, described the unpublished preclinical trial here Thursday at the Third Annual Healthcare Conference of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Icos' strategy, Rathmann said, is "to
Genta Inc. on Thursday announced that it filed an investigational new drug application (IND) with the FDA to begin testing a new topical corticosteroid formulation for treating eczema and atopic dermatitis. The formulation, G-203, is a patented fluocinonide single-use wipe designed to localize the corticosteroid at the site of application, the San Diego company said. Fluocinonide is the generic name for the leading corticosteroid used to treat mild inflammation, including eczema and atopic
Shaman Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced Thursday an agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. to explore plant extracts exhibiting anti-fungal activity. Lilly made a $4 million equity investment in Shaman, representing a 6.5 percent stake. Lilly also will fund a four- year renewable research and development collaboration for an undisclosed sum in return for an option to obtain exclusive worldwide marketing rights to certain identified anti-fungal products. Under the terms of the agreement, Shaman of San
BioChem Pharma Inc. announced Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with AB Astra of Sweden to develop BioChem's pain control compounds. BioChem of Laval, Quebec, would not disclose the precise terms of this agreement, but Jean-Yves Duthel, vice president of communications, said that Astra will fund all the research. Astra will also provide an up-front payment and milestone payments totaling U.S.$4 million to $5.6 million (C$5million to $7 million), Duthel said. BioChem Pharma will supply
Bio-Imaging Technologies Inc. of West Trenton, N.J., announced Wednesday that it has signed separate project contracts with Warner-Lambert Co. of Morris Plains, N.J., and Cytogen Corp. of Princeton, N.J., totaling $500,000. Bio-Imaging said it will assist Warner-Lambert in preparing clinical data summaries in relation to a future regulatory submission. Bio-Imaging will help Cytogen in an image- processing project to support one of Cytogen's clinical development programs. (c) 1997 American
MedClone Inc. said Wednesday that it has filed a request with the FDA for Orphan Drug Designation for its MAb3E10, an anti- idiotype vaccine intended to treat nephritis associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the second most prevalent systemic autoimmune disease after rheumatoid arthritis. The Los Angeles company said it plans to start clinical trials with MAb3E10 in December with 12 patients at the VA Medical Center in Sepulveda, Calif., and the Hospitalier Universitaire de Vaudois
Spectral Diagnostics Inc. of Toronto, Ontario, named George Jackowski president, succeeding Bob Gilson, who resigned. Jackowski is a director of the company and had been its executive vice president and director of research and development. Arcturus Pharmaceutical Corp. of Woburn, Mass., named Richard J. Sharpe senior vice president of research, development and clinical affairs, and Lewis M. Branscomb to its board of directors. Sharpe, a co-founder of the company and a member of its board of
T Cell Sciences Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., announced Wednesday that its subsidiary, T Cell Diagnostics Inc., has filed for FDA approval to market its TRAx CD4 test kit. The kit is used to count serum levels of CD4 cells, which provide a measure of a patient's immune status. Monitoring CD4 levels has become routine in managing patients with HIV infection, for instance, but can also be used for other infectious diseases, cancer and immune-related disorders. "The clinical use of cell enumeration
NEW YORK -- Sphinx Pharmaceuticals Inc. is ready to proceed with Phase II trials of its psoriasis drug, protein kinase C inhibitor, with treatments scheduled to begin next Monday, the company announced on Wednesday. "In the absence of any adverse news from the FDA on Thursday (today), Dr. Gerald Weinstein, head of dermatology at the University of California School of Medicine in Irvine, will screen candidate psoriasis patients, and begin treatment next Monday," said David P. Ward, vice
Oncor Inc. announced Wednesday that it will fund research on identifying genetic markers that are predictive of lung and bladder cancer. The Gaithersburg, Md., diagnostics company (NASDAQ:ONCR) has committed undisclosed but "substantial resources for a minimum of three years" to fund the research of David Sidransky at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In return, Oncor can commercialize any diagnostics resulting from the research by exercising its option on an exclusive, worldwide
Amgen Inc.'s stock (NASDAQ:AMGN) was up $2.38 a share on Tuesday to $66.50 as a result of better-than-expected third- quarter earnings. Shares in the Thousand Oaks, Calif., company may gain even more today as analysts scramble to update their earnings estimates. Amgen's third-quarter results were "at the very high end, the very top end," of the estimates made by Jim McCamant, editor of the Medical Technology Stock Letter of Berkeley, Calif. Montgomery Securities analyst Brandon Fradd agreed
Chiron Corp. announced late Tuesday that it has received a U.S. patent relating generally to use of recombinant HIV envelope antigens in immunoassays and immunoassay kits. The U.S. patent, No. 5,156,949, is based on the same research that formed the basis of the Emeryville, Calif., company's (NASADAQ:CHIR) European patent relating generally to HIV polynucleotides and polypeptides, Larry Kurtz, Chiron's vice president of corporate communications, told BioWorld. The European patent will have
The first drugs designed by computers are finally ready for U.S. clinical trials. One of these, Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s anti-tumor agent, is already in Phase I human trials in Britain at hospitals associated with the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The other, BioCryst Pharmaceutical Inc.'s compound for treating inflammatory autoimmune diseases, should be in clinicals by the first part of November, said Frederick Dechow, BioCryst's president and chief executive officer. Agouron
Isis Pharmaceuticals of Carlsbad, Calif., announced Tuesday that Jacqueline Siegel has joined the company as vice president and chief financial officer. Siegel was senior biotechnology analyst at the investment firm Hambrecht & Quist in New York. Siegel will be responsible for all of Isis' corporate financial transactions, financial reporting and investor relations. "Jacqueline's combination of biotechnology and finance experience and her wealth of knowledge of the industry makes her a
Alamar Biosciences Inc. announced that it has entered into a research development agreement with Pfizer Inc.'s Roerig division to develop an in vitro anti-fungal susceptibility test kit. Using Alamar's proprietary Redox colorimetric reduction method, the partnership will develop a test kit to determine which medication and what dosage will be effective in treating yeast infections, a condition affecting more than 5 million people annually in the U.S. No such diagnostic kit is commercially
British Bio-technology Group plc (BBL) of Oxford, England, announced Monday that the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will sponsor U.S. trials on the British company's AIDS treatment vaccine, p24-VLP. The trials of this vaccine, which is designed to slow down or prevent the progression of HIV-positive patients to AIDS, should begin in 1993, the company said. The vaccine, p24-VLP, is a genetically engineered product designed to stimulate immunity to the HIV core
HEM Pharmaceuticals Corp. of Philadelphia announced Monday that it has received approval from the FDA to take its ribonucleic acid drug Ampligen into Phase II/III trials for chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME, syndrome). Ampligen is the double-stranded synthetic RNA compound Poly I: poly C12U. This RNA therapeutic is believed to act in two ways: by switching on enzymes that are critical to anti-viral defense mechanisms and by regulating the level of immune system
DNA Plant Technology Corp. announced Monday that it has created a "sense" genetic engineering technology to control ripening in tomatoes. The company (NASDAQ:DNAP) uses its gene suppression method, termed transwitch technology, to insert a segment of the ACC synthase gene into tomatoes. This extra gene segment somehow inhibits the tomato's production of the gas ethylene, which is primarily responsible for ripening. "We know that the sense construct we introduce has to be transcribed, and that
Immunex Corp. opened its new 100,000-square-foot biopharmaceutical manufacturing and development center last week in Bothell, Wash. The center contains a new 80,000-square-foot microbial production facility, which the Seattle company will use to produce Leukine, its flagship product, and Pixykine. Leukine, or granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), is used to speed recovery and improve survival in cancer patients undergoing bone marrow transplants. Pixykine, a second
Biotechnology stocks continued to surge upward on Monday as the AMEX Biotechnology Stock Index rose 5.24 to 144.21 and the Chicago Board Options Exchange BioTechnology Index was up 5.65 to 138.85. The Dow Jones average was up 14.04 points for the day to 3,188.45 and the NASDAQ index rose 8.06 to 590.67 on the fifth anniversary of the crash of 1987. Among the top biotech stock gainers for the day were: -- Collagen Corp. (NASDAQ:CGEN), up $3 per share to $20. The Palo Alto, Calif., company
NEW YORK -- A brain inflammation in macaque monkeys that resembles multiple sclerosis in humans cleared up completely after a seven-day treatment with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) that targets a pro-inflammatory "cell-trafficking" molecule. George B. Rathmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Icos Corp. in Seattle, described the unpublished preclinical trial here Thursday at the Third Annual Healthcare Conference of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Icos' strategy, Rathmann said, is "to