Cortecs International Ltd. said its anti-cancer drug delivery system has shown results against drug-resistant tumors. Cortecs (NASDAQ:DLVRY) of London had Bath Analytical conduct ex-vivo studies on fresh isolated cells from 36 patients at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, England. Bath Analytical is a reference center that measures sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs of cultured fresh leukemia and lymphoma cells obtained from patients before chemotherapy. The patients' cells were treated with an
Immunex Corp. announced late Monday that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has voted not to oppose the Seattle company's reacquisition of exclusive U.S. marketing rights to granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) from its development and co-marketing partner Hoechst AG. The FTC decision clears an obstacle in Immunex's merger with American Cyanamid Co. Immunex and Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals Inc. have been co-marketing GM-CSF in the U.S. as Leukine and Prokine
MedClone Inc. has received a small business innovative research (SBIR) grant to identify novel antigens associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus, the second most prevalent systemic autoimmune disease after rheumatoid arthritis, affects more than 250,000 Americans, 90 percent of them women of childbearing age. Thirty-five percent of patients die within 10 years of diagnosis. The disease frequently causes serious kidney damage and can also affect the central nervous system and blood
A modified form of the enzyme L-asparaginase, Enzon Inc.'s PEG-L-asparaginase (trade-named Oncaspar), seems to increase its effectiveness in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to results presented last week in Houston at an international conference on leukemia sponsored by the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. L-asparaginase, which inhibits the synthesis of the amino acid asparagine, has already been shown to be efficacious in treating ALL because leukemic
Zynaxis Inc. of Malvern, Pa., named Martyn Greenacre president and chief executive officer and a member of the company's board of directors. Greenacre, formerly chairman, Europe, of SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals in London, replaces Thomas Cekoric. Bill MacDonald was elected president of ICN Biomedicals of Costa Mesa, Calif. He was executive vice president, tax and corporate development for ICN Pharmaceuticals, ICN Biomedical's parent company. (c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All
Researchers at Progenitor Inc. believe they have found a forerunner of the stem cell that creates the blood and immune systems. The Columbus, Ohio, company, a majority-owned subsidiary of Interneuron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:IPIC), reported Monday at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in New Orleans that transplantation of these cells allows mice whose immune systems are seriously insufficient to survive. "We believe the progenitor stem cell is unique and
Preclinical studies of a potential alternative to root canal surgery have shown effective production of the calcium-rich layer that protects nerves and blood supply to teeth, a University of Michigan School of Dentistry professor reported at the International Association for Dental Research. R. Bruce Rutherford studied the morphogenic protein OP-1, which was applied to exposed molar and premolar pulps of primates. After six weeks, he said, new dentin formed in all teeth treated with OP-1 in
Rebus Corp. has agreed with Nova Chem Ltd. of Halifax, Nova Scotia, (Nova Chem Canada) to acquire 5 percent of the shares of newly formed Nova Chem Inc. (Nova Chem US), which will be located in Princeton, N.J. Nova Chem Canada has developed processes for making biomedical grade chitin, chitosan and derivatives, including a patented high purity derivative of chitosan called N,O- carboxymethyl chitosan (NOCC). Nova Chem Canada will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Nova Chem US. Rebus of
WASHINGTON -- Don't lump us with pharmaceutical companies was the message that G. Kirk Raab, president and chief executive officer of Genentech Inc., brought to Hillary Rodham Clinton's Health Care Task Force at a public hearing on Monday. Speaking on behalf of the Industrial Biotechnology Association and the Association of Biotechnology Companies, Raab warned the task force that government-imposed controls on introductory biotechnology medicines would strangle investment in the industry and
AgriDyne Technologies Inc. has filed registration applications for bioinsecticides in four European countries and 14 Latin American countries, including Mexico. The Salt Lake City company (NASDAQ:AGRI) is requesting marketing clearance for three bioinsecticides based on an insect growth regulator found in tropical neem trees. The products are Azatin, for non-food crop use in nursery and ornamental markets; Turplex, for lawn and turf application; and Align for food crop application. The insect
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced Friday that it has begun a trial to compare in HIV-infected people combinations of zidovudine (AZT), zalcitabine (ddC) and Ro 31-8959, an experimental drug that inhibits an enzyme HIV needs to reproduce. The Phase II trial is the first U.S. study to examine Ro 31-8959. Made by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Ro 31-8959 was previously studied in Phase I and II trials in Europe, where no significant side effects were seen when
Jeremy Rifkin's Pure Food Campaign announced late Friday that it is about to launch a massive campaign to convince consumers to boycott milk, meat and dairy products from cows treated with genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (BGH). The blitz, which the Pure Food Campaign has pledged to launch the day FDA approves the commercial use of BGH, will include full-page newspaper advertisements, 30-second television and radio commercials and "BGH warning leaflets" to be distributed April 17 at
A test that appears to allow the AIDS virus to be detected before antibodies develop is described in the current issue of Clinical Chemistry. The microplate hybridization assay, developed by Enzo Diagnostics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Enzo Biochem Inc. of New York (ASE:ENZ), allows proviral DNA from HIV to be detected at relatively low levels, said Elazar Rabbani, Enzo Biochem's president. The journal article reports on a joint research study by Enzo Diagnostics and the Division of HIV/AIDS
Ixsys Inc. announced today that it has received $6.83 million in its latest round of private financing. The San Diego company will apply the proceeds toward continued R&D on its high-affinity peptides and monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic applications. New investors in the company include Hancock Venture Partners, Biotechnology Investments Ltd. and New York Life Insurance Co. They joined Medicus Partners, Domain Associates and Delphi Bioventure Partners, which provided about $3.8 million
Cor Therapeutics Inc. is about to receive an exclusive license to the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor gene from the National Institutes of Health's Office of Technology Transfer. Today is the cutoff date on a 60-day public comment period for the licensing opportunity, announced in the Federal Register on Jan. 27. It states that the Office of Technology Transfer "is contemplating the grant of an exclusive worldwide license to practice the invention, entitled 'Alpha Platelet
United Biomedical Inc. (UBI) announced Friday that an FDA panel recommended for approval the company's screening test for the hepatitis C virus in donated blood. UBI of Hauppauge, N.Y., bases the test on an enzyme immunoassay to the NS-5 antigen of hepatitis C. This virus is responsible for most of the non-A, non-B hepatitis cases among patients receiving blood transfusions. The FDA's Blood Products Advisory Committee unanimously voted to recommend approval of the test, which received support
A recent joint venture between two Canadian companies, designed to apply nuclear medicine imaging to infectious disease, has received up to C$2.3 million (U.S.$1.85 million) research funding from the Canadian Strategic Technologies Program of Industry, Science and Technology. The joint venture, Resolution Pharmaceuticals Inc., was created by Allelix Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (TSE:AXB) of Mississauga, Ontario, and Nordion International Inc. of Ottawa to develop a new class of medical imaging
UniSyn Technologies Inc. said it has raised $4.3 million in an overscribed private offering. Based in Tustin, Calif., the 3-year-old company markets more than 20 products to institutional and academic investors worldwide. "Funds will be used to complete UniSyn's research and development on novel affinity ligand separation products," said founder Stan Yakatan, vice chairman and chief executive officer, "and to begin to integrate separations products with hollow fiber systems for cell therapy
Telios Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced late Thursday that it has submitted a pre-market approval application (PMA) to FDA for its wound-healing treatment, Telio-Derm, for the treatment of chronic dermal ulcers associated with diabetes. Telios (NASDAQ:TLIO) of San Diego said the PMA filing is based on statistically significant results of a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled prospective clinical trial in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. The study showed a fourfold increase in the
A proposed U.S. Department of Labor pilot program, published last week in the Federal Register, would make it easier for many U.S. life science institutions to permanently hire immigrants with doctorates in biology or chemistry. Mandated under the Immigration Act of 1990, the Labor Market Information Pilot Program would speed applications for permanent residence of employees in 10 occupations in which there is a shortage of U.S. workers, ranging from Japanese or Chinese cooks to computer
Cortecs International Ltd. said its anti-cancer drug delivery system has shown results against drug-resistant tumors. Cortecs (NASDAQ:DLVRY) of London had Bath Analytical conduct ex-vivo studies on fresh isolated cells from 36 patients at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, England. Bath Analytical is a reference center that measures sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs of cultured fresh leukemia and lymphoma cells obtained from patients before chemotherapy. The patients' cells were treated with an