Genetics Institute Inc. said Wednesday it would proceed with a planned 80 percent expansion of an existing product development and manufacturing facility in Andover, Mass. GI of Cambridge, Mass., said the expansion is expected to cost $55 million and would add 168,000 square feet of space in two buildings to 210,000 square feet of existing facilities in Andover. The new facilities will also add about 200 employees to GI's payroll, now at about 700, by its expected completion in 1994. The costs
Proposed FDA user fees, specifically aimed at making the wheels of the drug review process spin more smoothly, cleared their first hurdle in Congress on Tuesday. A House subcommittee's unanimous vote started what some observers see as a legislative sprint for a bill that could put the FDA drug application fees in place as soon as Oct. 1. The bill, proposed by U.S. Reps. John Dingell, D-Mich., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif., calls for an initial $100,000 fee on a new drug approval (NDA) application
AgriStar Inc. of Conroe, Texas, said it was issued Canadian patent No. 1,305,933.covering a system for the cloning, micropropagation and preservation of plants and plant materials. It is based on technology using membranes that are permeable to gas and light but impermeable to liquids and bacterial contaminants. It is AgriStar's first foreign patent, though the company has three pending with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent applies to the company's Integument and Method for
InnoVet Inc. of West Palm Beach, Fla., signed a letter of intent to acquire Cambridge Veterinary Services of Cambridge, England, InnoVet announced Tuesday. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. CVS makes veterinary and human diagnostic, and bionutritional products, which it markets in the U.S., Europe and the Far East. InnoVet expects to complete the transaction within 180 days. (c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.
Both biotechnology stock indexes on Tuesday gave back nearly all the gains they made during the previous session, following the lead of the Dow Jones industrial average, which tumbled 48.90 points. Profit-taking and a concern that Germany's cut in its interest rate was not deep enough were blamed for the plunge in the overall market. The Chicago Board Option Exchange (CBOE) index of biotech stocks fell 2.93 points to close at 143.57, and the AMEX Biotechnology Stock Index lost more than it
SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday that it will start Phase III trials in Taiwan of its lead compound, Zadaxin, a single-drug treatment administered twice a week for 26 weeks to treat hepatitis B, in November. The company expects results from the blind, randomized, controlled trial of 150 patients in mid-1993, said Thomas Moore, chief executive officer and chairman of the San Mateo, Calif., company (NASDAQ:SCLN). The company also announced the formation of SciClone Taiwan
T Cell Diagnostics, a subsidiary of T Cell Sciences Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., has signed an agreement with Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to market the subsidiary's in vitro diagnostic/monitoring product candidates in Japan and Taiwan. The products are designed to count specific white blood cell types. Cell counting provides clinicians with important information on the immune status of patients with infectious diseases, cancer and immune-related disorders. Under the agreement announced by
Artificial skin grafts are already being tried in the clinic for treating severe burns and chronic venous skin ulcers. The FDA approved expanded clinical trials of Advanced Tissue Sciences Inc.'s Dermagraft to treat decubitis and diabetic ulcers. It is already in human trials for treating severe burns and chronic venous skin ulcers. The La Jolla, Calif., company uses tissue engineering to re-create human skin, cartilage, bone marrow and liver. The initial target population for dermal replacement
One of the two men who developed effective vaccines against poliomyelitis 30 years ago declared Tuesday that effective vaccination against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is "improbable." Albert B. Sabin, whose oral, attenuated-virus polio vaccine has been in worldwide use for three decades, made his declaration in writing in the Sept. 15 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). "In my judgment, the available data provide no basis for ... expecting that any HIV
TPI Inc. of Lodi, N.J., will market Meridian Diagnostics Inc.'s products in mainland China -- "one of the largest potential medical marketplaces on the globe," said Jerry Ruyan Meridian's chief executive officer. Meridian (NASDAQ:KITS) of Cincinnati develops, manufactures and markets a variety of immunodiagnostic test kits -- including tests for infectious human diseases -- and purified immunoreagents. Meridian's products require little to no special instrumentation and can be used by hospitals
AgriDyne of Salt Lake City signed a five-year agreement with O.M. Scott & Sons Co. to develop and market its Turplex bioinsecticide. The agreement gives Scotts exclusive rights to market Turplex to the U.S. golf course and professional turf markets. AgriDyne retains the rights to market the product internationally and to a group of national lawn service companies. Turplex has proved to be effective against turf-damaging, surface-feeding insects such as cutworms, armyworms and sod webworms
BioTime Inc. and Metropolitan Hospital Center of New York will cooperate in research on BioTime blood substitutes and plasma extenders, the company announced Monday. BioTime of Berkeley, Calif., said the collaboration begins the next phase of a testing program that may lead to patient trials. The company said its solutions can be used without having to match the recipient's blood type and do not pose a risk of transmitting AIDS, hepatitis or other infectious diseases. BioTime said its solution
Michelle Slade Associate Editor In a simultaneous announcement yesterday, Celtrix Pharmaceuticals said it acquired Maryland-based Baltimore Biotech, Inc. (BBI), a company focusing on ophthalmic disease treatments, and that it has begun human clinical trials using its BetaKine, a molecule closely connected to wound healing, to treat certain types of macular degeneration. Under the agreement all outstanding BBI stock will be exchanged for approximately 100,000 newly issued shares of Celtrix
Cambridge Biotech Corp. announced Monday that it licensed its QS-21 Stimulon adjuvant to SmithKline Beecham plc for use in as many as 25 vaccines. It expects to sign a similar deal with Genentech Inc. for the adjuvant's use with an AIDS vaccine. CBC of Worcester, Mass., declined to disclose specific terms of the agreements. A CBC spokesman said that the financial impact would be significant to the company. CBC, which has been profitable in its past three quarters, is also to receive from
Genzyme Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., has been issued U.S. patent No. 5,140,016, the fourth to center on the company's family of HA-based proteins in development and the second issued for HAL-C coating solution. In announcing the patent Monday, the company said it strengthened its proprietary position with its hyaluronic acid- based product for the prevention of post-surgical adhesions. The new patent extends the coverage of its predecessor while addressing the use of molecular complexes of
While the broader stock market posted its sharpest gains of the year Monday, both biotechnology stock indexes added to the significant increases they have posted in the past five trading sessions. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 70.52 points for its biggest single-day gain since it climbed 88.10 points on Dec. 23, 1991. Meantime, the Chicago Board Option Exchange (CBOE) index of biotech stocks climbed 4.53 points to close at 146.5, and the AMEX Biotechnology Index added 3.8 points to
Scios Nova Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., which was formed by the approved merger of Scios Inc. and Nova Pharmaceutical Corp., named to its eight-member board five existing Scios directors, including John W. Cullingan, who continues as chairman. Joining the board from Nova were Hans Mueller, Nova's former chief executive officer and now vice chairman of the combined company, and former Nova directors Donald E. O'Neill and Solomon Snyder. Embrex Inc. of Research Triangle Park, N.C., named
Cell Genesys Inc. of Foster City, Calif., and Bio-Technology General Corp. of New York have agreed to collaborate on the development of T cell transplant products for the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, Cell Genesys announced Monday. The agreement grants Cell Genesys an exclusive worldwide license to Bio-Technology General's anti-CMV antibodies. Bio- Technology will receive licensing fees and royalty payments. Cell Genesys will use components of human monoclonal antibodies
The biotechnology industry and its financial backers may see companies as researchers toiling at lab benches hoping to nudge science to a cure for cancer or AIDS. But under federal securities law some of the industry's product-poor, cash-rich companies can be viewed in quite a different light -- as investment companies. Companies with a majority of their assets tied up in investments and drawing more than half their income from interest run some risk of being defined -- and potentially more
Leading pharmaceutical companies are attempting to develop treatments for inflammatory diseases by offsetting the harmful effects of leukotrienes. Leukotrienes -- low-profile, high-potency locally reacting hormones in the immune system -- are the alleged perpetrators of asthma, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and other incurable inflammatory diseases. Seven leading pharmaceutical companies, including G.D. Searle & Co., Ciba-Geigy Ltd. and SmithKline-Beecham plc, reported
Genetics Institute Inc. said Wednesday it would proceed with a planned 80 percent expansion of an existing product development and manufacturing facility in Andover, Mass. GI of Cambridge, Mass., said the expansion is expected to cost $55 million and would add 168,000 square feet of space in two buildings to 210,000 square feet of existing facilities in Andover. The new facilities will also add about 200 employees to GI's payroll, now at about 700, by its expected completion in 1994. The costs