Sepracor Inc. announced last week that it has been awarded a U.S. patent on toothpaste and mouthwash formulations of single-isomer non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) for treating periodontal disease. The patent, No. 5,190,981, covers the NSAIDS S-ketoprofen and S-flurbiprofen. In preclinical studies, both compounds have proven effective in reducing inflammation and bone loss, the manifestations of periodontal disease, which affects almost 80 percent of all adults. The two drugs
AntiCancer Inc., a privately held biotechnology company, said it has received from the National Cancer Institute two Phase I small business innovation research grants -- its 11th and 12th --totaling $100,00 to further develop its tumor-specific therapeutics. SBIR grants are awarded by government agencies to companies whose prospects show high scientific merit and commercial potential. The San Diego company is developing drugs that distinguish specific properties of tumors. Its main product
Endotronics Inc. announced that it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed offering of 1.17 million units, each consisting of six shares of common stock and six warrants to purchase one share of stock each. The overallotment for the secondary offering is 175,000 units, the Minneapolis company said. Whale Securities Co., L.P. is the offering's underwriter. The company intends to use the proceeds for continued research and development
Molecular Biosystems Inc. (NYSE:MB) announced Tuesday that its wholly owned subsidiary, Syngene Inc., has granted to Abbott Laboratories the exclusive option to acquire worldwide rights to Syngene's non-radioactive DNA probe technology for the in vitro diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancer. Syngene's operations were discontinued as of the end of September 1992, the San Diego, company said. Molecular Biosystems is developing contrast agents for medical imaging, including ultrasound, MRI
Besides his role as Zeneca's executive director for research, technology and manufacturing, Peter Doyle continues as chairman of the seven-company multinational Advisory Group on Biotechnology at the European Economic Commission. This group comprises these bio-giants : Farmitalia Carlo Erba of Italy; Hoechst AG of Germany; ICI of England; Monsanto-Europe of Belgium; Rhone-Poulenc Sant of France; Sandoz Pharma Ltd. of Switzerland; Unilever Research of the Netherlands. Late last year, Doyle
Nancy Garcia Associate Editor A privately held Salt Lake City pharmaceutical company concentrating on the role of calcium in cells has agreed to sponsor the research of two Harvard Medical School physicians. "Calcium's role is so ubiquitous in regulating cell function it's been called the universal signal," said Hunter Jackson, chairman and chief executive officer of NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. NPS will collaborate with Edward M. Brown and Steven C. Hebert, associate professors of medicine at
Quidel Corp. announced Thursday that it has received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on an immunoassay test system composed of enzyme and color- enhancing solutions. The patent covers the use of alkaline phosphatase derived from E. coli (ECAP), which is more heat stable than the most widely used alkaline phosphatase, which is derived from calf intestine (CIAP). Previously, ECAP was not sensitive enough for rapid diagnostic test kits. The San Diego company
Seragen Inc. said Thursday that it has completed a secondary offering of 1.75 million shares of common stock (NASDAQ:SRGN) at $8.75 per share. Seragen filed to sell 2.5 million shares on Jan. 12, when the stock was trading at $14.50 a share. If all the shares were sold at that price, the company would have raised $36.25 million. Instead, it grossed about $15.3 million. The managing underwriters, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Kidder, Peabody & Co. Inc., have an option to purchase up to 262,500
Interested parties have until April 2 to give the Environmental Protection Agency their opinions concerning field trials this summer of corn plants that pack their own built-in insecticide against the pestilential European corn borer. A notice in the Federal Register on Wednesday invited public comment on the trials, to be conducted on experimental acreage in Iowa, Nebraska and Maryland by Crop Genetics International Corp. (CGI) of Hanover, Md. Joseph Kelly, CGI's (NASDAQ:CROP) chairman, told
Researchers have identified the putative gene for the familial form of Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Collaborating research teams led by Robert Brown of Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital and Teepu Siddique of Northwestern University in Chicago report in today's issue of Nature that the gene responsible for many cases of familial ALS (FALS) codes for copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD). It is located on the long arm of human chromosome 21. ALS is a
Athena Neurosciences Inc. announced Wednesday that it has completed a secondary offering of 2 million shares at $6.75 per share, grossing a total of $13.5 million. An overallotment option of 300,000 shares is available to managing underwriters for the deal, PaineWebber Inc. and Alex. Brown & Sons Inc. The South San Francisco, Calif., company filed for an offering of 3 million shares on Jan. 15, but reduced the number of shares offered by 1 million due to poor market conditions, the company's
Enzo Biochem Inc. said Wednesday that it has filed suit against Calgene Inc., alleging antisense patent infringement. Enzo (ASE:ENZ) of Farmingdale, N.Y., filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware on Tuesday, the same day the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent covering antisense technology in both lower and higher organisms. Enzo holds exclusive rights to the patent issued to the Research Foundation of the State University of New York (SUNY). Enzo said
Cortecs International Ltd. commenced trading its American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) on the NASDAQ small-cap stock market on Wednesday. The London company's ADRs will trade under the symbol DLVRY. Cortecs develops new delivery systems for pharmaceuticals. For trading, one ADR will represent five shares of common stock. Cortecs has 74.9 million common shares, of which the ADRs constitute approximately 5 percent. (c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.
Researchers have identified the particular immune cells that are the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune neurological disease. Stanford University's Lawrence Steinman and his colleagues report in today's issue of Nature that they have identified the specific T-lymphocytes that attack a fragment of the myelin basic protein (MBP), a component of the mylein sheath that surrounds nerve fibers. "Now we can turn our focus toward developing a therapeutic which destroys the cells provoking
Symphony Pharmaceuticals Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company formed in 1991 to discover and develop drugs to regulate ion currents in the brain, announced that it has completed a $3 million private placement. The financing, led by Fostin Capital, also included S.R. One Ltd., Euclid Partners III L.P., Gateway Venture Partners III L.P. and Grotech. Symphony's research focuses on discovering new drugs to treat neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases such as central nervous
Genetic Therapy Inc. said Wednesday it has been granted permission to begin two human gene therapy trials. The Gaithersburg, Md., company (NASDAQ:GTII) received permission from the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) of the National Institutes of Health to administer the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator gene to patients in a modified adenovirus and to introduce the thymidine kinase gene into brain tumor patients. This enzyme makes tumor cells susceptible to the anti-viral drug
Inspired by the concept of using genes as drugs and fueled by a research collaboration with Genentech Inc., a new biotechnology company, GenVec, entered the world on Wednesday, with up to $25.5 million in backing. In vivo gene therapy pioneer Ronald Crystal, an 18-year veteran of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institutes of Health, is a founder and will be chief scientific adviser of the company, which will be located in Maryland. Hal Broderson, acting chief executive officer, announced
Calgene Fresh announced Tuesday that it has completed FDA submissions for public comment on its Flavr Savr tomato. The subsidiary of Calgene Inc. (NASDAQ:CGNE) of Davis, Calif., said the final submissions came in response to FDA questions raised during review of information the company provided with its Aug. 12, 1991, request for an advisory opinion. Calgene Fresh on Jan. 5 asked the FDA to consider use of the kanamyacin-resistant marker as a food additive. "They wanted to take the high road
ChemTrak Inc.'s stock jumped $5.25 -- 75 percent -- on Tuesday to $12.25 after FDA approved the company's AccuMeter Cholesterol Test for home use. The kit will be marketed as CholesTrac by Whitehall Laboratories, a division of American Home Products Corp., under a licensing agreement with ChemTrak. CholesTrac is the first cholesterol test available for home use by consumers without a prescription. The kit allows the user to find the level of cholesterol in the blood in about 15 minutes
Enzo Biochem Inc. announced on Tuesday that it was issued a U.S. patent, No. 5,190,931, involving genetic antisense technology. Enzo said it plans to use its technology to develop its own proprietary products, largely in the field of human therapeutics and plants, and to sublicense others as well as engage in joint ventures. Enzo received a notice of allowance for the patent last August. In February, Calgene Inc. (NASDAQ:CGNE) of Davis, Calif., developer of Flavr Savr tomatoes, sued Enzo (ASE
Sepracor Inc. announced last week that it has been awarded a U.S. patent on toothpaste and mouthwash formulations of single-isomer non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) for treating periodontal disease. The patent, No. 5,190,981, covers the NSAIDS S-ketoprofen and S-flurbiprofen. In preclinical studies, both compounds have proven effective in reducing inflammation and bone loss, the manifestations of periodontal disease, which affects almost 80 percent of all adults. The two drugs