THYMOSIN MANUFACTURING PLANT IN ITALY Alpha 1 Biomedicals and Sclavo SpA of Siena, Italy, announced that Sclavo will build, at its own expense, a Thymosin alpha 1 manufacturing facility in Italy. The facility will produce annually sufficient quantities of the drug to treat 100,000 patients with chronic hepatitis B. Alpha 1 (NASDAQ:ALBM) of Bethesda, Md., and Sclavo will share equally in the profits from product manufactured at the Italian facility, which could be operational by 1994. Sclavo
Cyanotech Corp. and Aquasearch Inc. announced Monday that they have formed a joint venture to produce astaxanthin, a red feed pigment used by the aquaculture industry to make salmon flesh "pink," from microalgae. The new company, OceanColor Inc., will be located at Cyanotech's (NASDAQ:CYAN) 23-acre facility in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. All astaxanthin is presently manufactured synthetically. Its use has come under increasing scrutiny by regulatory agencies in many of the major salmon-growing
Calgene Chemical has agreed to market industrial rapeseed oil from Canada's largest oilseed processor. The Skokie, Ill., subsidiary of Calgene Inc. (NASDAQ:CGNE) of Davis, Calif., struck the agreement with CanAmera Foods. Half of CanAmera is owned by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and Manitoba Pool Elevators, and the other half by Central Soya Co. Inc., which had a previous oilseed processing agreement with Calgene, said Andrew Baum, oils division president. Both partners hope the agreement will
Immunomedics Inc. has published results of a new and improved agent to bind tumor cells in the current issue of the journal Cancer. This second-generation monoclonal antibody (MAb), MN-14, successfully targeted 89 percent of disease sites in 22 colorectal cancer patients in the Phase I/II trial, as confirmed by CAT scans. The Morris Plains, N.J., company (NASDAQ:IMMU) is developing MAbs linked to radioisotopes for detection and treatment of cancer. The first-generation ImmuRAID-CEA has been
North American Biologicals Inc. (NABI) announced Monday that it has been awarded a three-year, $35 million contract to supply plasma to the pharmaceutical division of Miles Inc. of New Haven, Conn. The contract can be extended for three to five additional years. NABI of Miami will supply Miles with a minimum of $35 million in source plasma and certain hyperimmune plasmas from 1993 to 1995. The contract will then continue through 1996 at 1995 supply levels, with provisions for extending the
Imutec Corp. announced Monday its plans for a series of Phase III clinical trials on its drug Virulizin. The Toronto company intends to run randomized, controlled Phase III trials on Virulizin for treating advanced pancreatic cancer at the Montreal General Hospital; for treating advanced malignant melanoma at the National Cancer Institute in Mexico City; and for treating advanced cervico-uterine cancer, also in Mexico. Imutec (NASDAQ:IMUTF) expects to file investigational new drug (IND
BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. has been granted U.S. patent No. 5,173,295 for a collagenase enzyme "nerve glue" to reduce the damaging effects of injury or surgery, as well as promote faster healing with less permanent damage to affected nerves. The Lynbrook, N.Y., company's (NASDAQ:BSTC) principle product, FDA-approved Collagenase ABC (Santyl) used in topical applications for skin ulcers and severe burns, has received a clinical trial exemption in England. The company will begin clinical
AgriStar Inc., an international agricultural biotechnology company, announced Friday that it has acquired all rights under a U.S. patent application and corresponding continuation- in-part application for an edible vaccine. The edible vaccine project involves inserting antigen genes into vegetables or fruit, which may confer immunological responses against a particular disease after being eaten by people or animals. The technology was described in the December 1992 issue of the Proceedings of
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Good news for Bill Clinton. Our perpetually stuffed-up president may no longer have to avoid his daughter's cat if ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corp.'s latest project is successful. News of the chief executive's potential succor came last Thursday from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), as about 60 scientists gathered to discuss the future of asthma and allergic disease research. Phase II trials for a new kind of anti-allergen, ImmuLogic's CatVax
A growth hormone antagonist enterprise has grown into a new limited partnership, Sensus-I L.P. This alliance between a state-sponsored consortium of Ohio universities and a drug development company, announced Friday, is intended to support academic research and potentially offer new treatments for conditions ranging from giantism to diabetes and cancer. Sensus will be based in Austin, Texas. The commercial partner is Innovations in Drug Development, or id2, a recent New Jersey partnership. Id2
Privately held Incyte Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., announced that it has extended its research collaboration with the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. The collaboration will use Incyte's large-scale cDNA and protein sequencing capabilities to characterize novel eosinophil, basophil and mast cell proteins involved in inflammation and allergy, with particular focus on cytokines, receptors and regulatory proteins. Incyte will provide research funds for an initial
Cytel Corp. underwriters have exercised their overallotment option to purchase 320,000 additional shares of common stock (NASDAQ:CYTL) at $7.50 per share, less the underwriting discount. The San Diego company completed its offering Feb. 9, raising $21 million through the sale of 2.8 million shares -- 300,000 more shares than proposed in the Jan. 14 filing. Cytel has 15.8 million shares outstanding and 17.9 million shares on a fully diluted basis. Co-managers of the underwriting group are
Cantab Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ:CNTBY) and Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) have completed a preliminary safety trial for a drug to prevent acute organ rejection after kidney transplants. "The results show that the product was well-tolerated by transplant recipients," said Alan Munro, the company's chief scientific officer. The Phase I/II safety study was conducted on 40 transplant recipients at four major transplant centers in the United Kingdom. Full results will be presented at the annual
OraVax Inc. announced today that it raised $8.75 million in its latest round of venture financing. The offering was oversubscribed, generating 175 percent of the capital originally sought by the Cambridge, Mass., developer of oral vaccines. The investors included Ampersand Ventures, Medical Science Partners L.P and Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co., all based in Massachusetts; Abingworth Management and Betainvest of Europe; and the Sprout Group, Hancock Venture Partners, Weiss, Peck & Greer and
Published Feb. 3, 10 (EPO), Feb, 4 (WO), Feb. 3 (GB) McLean Hospital Corp. Brain calcium Belmont, Mass. proteins DNA encoding, and antibodies binding, calpastatin G neural calcium-activated proteinase inhibitors; use of these capastatin proteins. Michigan State Univ. Plant-made WO 93/02187 E. Lansing, Mich. plastics Transgenic plants, expressing genes from microorganisms, produce poly-beta-D-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB), precursor of industrial plastics. MRC (Med. Res. Council) Amplifying WO 93
PRP Inc. announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded it a broad-based patent, No. 5,185,160, covering a virus-free, freeze-dried platelet derivitive and its use in transfusion to control bleeding. The Watertown, Mass., company said that the patent also covers the methods for producing the platelet derivitive from fresh or outdated platelets. (c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.
ProCyte Corp. underwriters have exercised their overallotment option to purchase an additional 275,000 shares of common stock (NASDAQ:PRCY). William Blair & Co. and Dain Bosworth Inc. co-managed the offering. The Kirkland, Wash., company's offering of 2 million shares at $9 each was completed Feb. 9. ProCyte has 9.83 shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis. The company focuses on therapies based on proprietary peptide-copper compounds for tissue repair and healing. ProCyte's stock closed
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
THYMOSIN MANUFACTURING PLANT IN ITALY Alpha 1 Biomedicals and Sclavo SpA of Siena, Italy, announced that Sclavo will build, at its own expense, a Thymosin alpha 1 manufacturing facility in Italy. The facility will produce annually sufficient quantities of the drug to treat 100,000 patients with chronic hepatitis B. Alpha 1 (NASDAQ:ALBM) of Bethesda, Md., and Sclavo will share equally in the profits from product manufactured at the Italian facility, which could be operational by 1994. Sclavo