Lidak Pharmaceuticals announced Monday that it has started its third Phase II clinical trial of the anti-viral compound Lidakol for treating oral herpes infections. The double-blind, placebo-controlled U.S.-based trial will test the safety, tolerance and efficacy of Lidakol as a topical treatment for recurrent oral herpes in a minimum of 40 patients, according to Michael Lorber, vice president and chief financial officer of the La Jolla, Calif., company. Lidak initiated two other Phase II
The American Stock Exchange on Monday began trading the first long-term options or LEAPS (long-term equity anticipation securities) on its pharmaceutical index (ASE:DGR). The DRG LEAPS Index is valued at 1/10 the stock exchange's pharmaceutical index. DRG LEAPS have initial expirations of January 1994 and January 1995 and trade as WRG and VRG, respectively. The new LEAPS offer investors an additional way to act on an opinion of the long-term movements of the pharmaceutical industry as a whole
A small human virus that elicits no symptoms is the basis of a new gene therapy company that has just raised its first $2 million in seed capital. Formed by John Monahan, the former vice president of research and development at Somatix Therapy Corp. of Alameda, Calif., Avigen Inc. was incorporated last December in Alameda to focus on treatments for red blood cell disorders such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemias, as well as a treatment for AIDS and chemotherapy drug tolerance. Instead of
Alkermes Inc. announced that it has initiated two U.S. clinical trials evaluating the use of RMP-7, its compound designed to enable drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier. One of the trials, a Phase I/II, will test the ability of RMP-7 to deliver the anti-infective drug amphotericin B to the central nervous systems of patients suffering from cryptococcal meningitis, an AIDS-related opportunistic infection. The second, a Phase I study, will test the safety of RMP-7 in patients with brain tumors
Cellco Inc. and Haemonetics Corp. announced last week that they have entered into an investment and development agreement to determine the feasibility of combining Cellco's cellular therapy systems with Haemonetics' automated blood processing systems to produce an integrated system for cell separation, enhancement and expansion. Haemonetics (NYSE:HAE) of Braintree, Mass., also made an undisclosed equity investment in privately held Cellco of Germantown, Md. The agreement also allows for
Cangene Corp. announced last week that it has been issued U.S. Patent No. 5,200,568 covering its proprietary production system for making recombinant proteins. The patent covers both method and product claims. Cangene's protein manufacturing system, termed Cangenus, uses Streptomyces as host cells to crank out recombinant proteins. The Toronto company claims that this host organism is "especially efficient in producing clean human proteins in biologically active form." The patent covers
Canguard Health Technologies Inc. changed its corporate name to Canguard Pharma Inc. last week. The company retains the same trading symbol on the Vancouver Stock Exchange. Canguard (VSE:CGD) of Vancouver, British Columbia, also announced that it has reorganized its senior management team to reflect new marketing and management responsibilities. John Armstrong, who had been president and chief executive officer, becomes Canguard's chairman of the board and chief scientific officer. Armstrong
Cellular Products Inc. of Buffalo, N.Y., named Bert Del Villano president, chief executive officer and director. He was executive vice president of SangStat Medical Corp. Also, Richard Montagna has resigned as company president and from the board of directors. He was the company's co-founder and president since its inception in 1982. Glycomed Inc. of Alameda, Calif., named Robert Terifay assistant vice president of marketing and sales. Terifay was senior director of marketing, gastro
Published March 17 & 24 (EPO & GB); March 18 (WO) Ag./Food Research Coun. YAK gene WO 93/05165 Cambridge, U.K. expression Embryonic stem cells are prepared from yeast artificial chromosomes, for transfering large-size DNA segments into organisms. American Cyanamid Co. HSV infection EPO 531 728 Stamford, Conn. vaccine Recombinant herpes simplex virus in baculovirus expression system produces highly immunogenic glycoprotein, useful in HSV vaccines. American Cyanamid Co. Cardiac adenylyl WO 93
Last year Gail Wilensky was the president's chief adviser on health care policy. She's now back at Project Hope, a health care policy research institute, from whence President Bush first tapped her to run the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), which administers Medicare and Medicaid, before drawing her into his inner circle of advisers. Wilensky remains very influential in Republican circles, but her thoughtful, non-dogmatic approach to policy enables her to cross party boundaries
Although he gave President Clinton high marks for including high technology in his budget proposal, the head of the new biotechnology trade association cautioned that the president must also keep in mind that price controls could seriously damage the biotechnology industry. On Friday, Carl Feldbaum, president of the newly merged biotechnology trade association, praised Clinton for including proposals for increased spending in high-technology research -- including biotechnology -- in the $1.52
Cantab Pharmaceuticals plc announced that a preliminary analysis of a Phase I/II clinical trial on LM-CD45, its drug for preventing acute rejection episodes following organ transplantation, was presented last week at the British Transplant Society meeting in Exeter. In the open-label safety study on 40 patients, donor kidneys were treated prior to transplantation with LM-CD45, which is a pair of monoclonal antibodies that bind to the CD45 antigen on the surface of the kidney's dendritic cells
Advanced Polymer Systems Inc. (APS) announced that it has completed its acquisition of Premier Inc., a marketing and distribution company specializing in over-the-counter drug and toiletry products. APS (NASDAQ:APOS) of Redwood City, Calif., will exchange approximately 450,000 shares of common stock for all the shares of Premier. Premier had 1992 revenues of about $7. 5 million. The company said the merger represents an ongoing vertical integration of APS and should allow the company to
Collaborative Research Inc. announced Thursday that it intends to sell its genetic and cancer testing business, Collaborative Diagnostics. The move is part of the strategic restructuring initiated by the company's new president and chief executive officer, Robert Hennessey. "The financial commitment required for a successful growth strategy in cancer and genetic diagnostic testing falls well beyond available resources," Hennessey explained. In fact, Hennessey brought with him to Collaborative
Hybridon Inc., a privately held antisense technology company, announced Thursday that it has garnered $65 million in private stock placements and strategic collaborations since the beginning of 1993. The most recent capital infusion -- about $20 million -- came from two private placements of convertible preferred stock. In addition, Hoffmann-La Roche has taken a $4 million equity position in the Worcester, Mass., company, per the terms of the strategic alliance reached between the two companies
With the resignations on Thursday of its chief executive officer, president and director, Jon Saxe, and vice president of clinical research, Michael Catalano, Synergen Inc. will scale down into a "more entrepreneurial" company, said Ken Collins, executive vice president. Collins and Mark Young were both promoted from vice president to executive vice president, and with executive vice presidents Greg Abbot and Robert Thompson will work as a presidential team. Larry Soll, one of four University
Ortho Biotech Inc. announced that its recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin alfa), sold as Procrit, has been approved by FDA for treating anemia caused by chemotherapy in patients with non-myeloid malignancies. In clinical studies, Procrit decreased blood transfusion requirements and their related risks after the first month of therapy and increased hematocrit levels in anemic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The placebo-controlled double-blind trials involved 131 anemic cancer
You won't find Taxomyces andreanae in even the latest directory of taxonomy. But you will find it in newspaper headlines and TV news programs. You will also find it as the fungal focus of a paper in Thursday's issue of Science, titled "Taxol and Taxane Production by Taxomyces andreanae, an Endophytic Fungus of Pacific Yew." Its lead author, chemistry research assistant professor Andrea Stierle at Montana State University, Bozeman, gave her given name to designate the species of the Taxomyces
Arcturus Pharmaceutical Corp. announced that it has completed a $5 million second round of venture financing. The financing was led by Highland Capital Partners. Three first- round investors -- Dillon Read & Co. Inc., Commonwealth BioVentures Inc. and BancBoston Ventures -- also participated in this latest financing. Arcturus was formed in 1991 to develop and commercialize products for dermatological disorders. In August of that year the Cambridge, Mass., company received $600,000 seed capital
Diatech Inc. announced that it has filed an investigation new drug (IND) application with FDA on its imaging agent for detecting deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. The Londonderry, N.H., company is developing a technetium- 99m labeled peptide -- called P280 -- that is specific for activated platelets. In pilot studies on nine patients in Naples, Italy, P280 was able to detect thrombi in the legs "as quickly as five minutes after administering the product," explained Richard Dean
Lidak Pharmaceuticals announced Monday that it has started its third Phase II clinical trial of the anti-viral compound Lidakol for treating oral herpes infections. The double-blind, placebo-controlled U.S.-based trial will test the safety, tolerance and efficacy of Lidakol as a topical treatment for recurrent oral herpes in a minimum of 40 patients, according to Michael Lorber, vice president and chief financial officer of the La Jolla, Calif., company. Lidak initiated two other Phase II