Calgene Inc. of Davis, Calif., has reached an agreement with Mobil Oil Corp. under which it will become the exclusive supplier of vegetable oil-based environmental awareness lubricants (EAL), the company said Tuesday. Calgene Chemical, a unit of Calgene, will produce Mobil's proprietary lubricants and supply the formulated product to Mobil. EAL products are similar to petrochemical-based lubricants, but are fully biodegradable, and the company expects annual demand for its biodegradable
Collaborative Research Inc. of Waltham, Mass., has been awarded a contract to establish permanent cell lines from individuals in families with several cases of schizophrenia. The contract -- the first to be awarded for a study by the Department of Veterans Affairs called A Genetic Linkage Study of Schizophrenia -- is from the Brocton/West Roxbury Veterans Affairs Medical Center. It will provide an unlimited supply of DNA to be used to determine the chromosomal location of the gene(s
Chiron Corp. will redeem on Oct. 21 all $121.5 million in principal of its 7.25 percent convertible subordinated debentures due in 2015, the company said Tuesday. The redemption price is $1,080.15 per $1,000 debenture. Alternatively, bondholders can convert their debentures into Chiron common stock (NASDAQ:CHIR) at 21.277 shares per $1,000, or $50.77 per share. Chiron stock closed Tuesday at $50 a share, down $1.50. A company that issues debentures has the option of calling them in at any
Michelle Slade Associate Editor Gensia Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s stock plunged 41 percent in the past two days as the company announced that data from Phase III international clinical trials on Arasine, its lead drug, in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were not "statistically significant." The value of shares in the San Diego company (NASDAQ:GNSA) dropped $13.50 on Tuesday to close at $22, as almost 7 million shares were traded. Gensia's 52-week high reached $47 a share. Units
Gynex Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Vernon Hills, Ill., has begun a Phase III placebo-controlled study of Androtest-SL for the treatment of men with hypogonadism (low testosterone levels). The company believes Androtest-SL, a variety of testosterone given under the tongue, is easier to administer than the injectable version and can help physicians individualize therapy. An estimated 400,000 men in the U.S. suffer from hypogonadism, which is associated with impotence, decreased libido, insufficient
Protein Design Labs (PDL) has started Phase I clinical trials with its humanized therapeutic monoclonal antibody (MAb) for acute myelogenous leukemia and chronic myelogenous leukemia. The trials will be conducted by David Scheinberg and colleagues at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The PDL antibody, SMART M195, is "90 percent human and 10 percent mouse," said Peter Dworkin, PDL 's (NASDAQ:PDLI) director of corporate communications. The mouse portion is the antibody's
Univax Biologics Inc. and Genentech Inc. have agreed to co- develop a novel antibody-based therapeutic with the potential to prevent and treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infections, Univax said Tuesday. The agreement is based on Genentech's gp120 vaccine, currently in clinical trials, and on Univax's expertise in developing hyperimmune immunoglobulins for intravenous administration. The antibodies will be harvested from the plasma of healthy uninfected volunteer donors previously
PharmChem Laboratories Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif., has been awarded the national contract for drug testing services by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The contract is for one year with four options to renew for a year. If these options are exercised, sales are expected to exceed $25 million, according to Jay Whitney, president and chief executive officer of PharmChem. The company's current contract with this client accounts for 27 percent of its sales in the most recent quarter
Molecular Biosystems Inc. (MBI) announced Tuesday that it has granted non-exclusive worldwide rights to its antisense patents to antisense drug developer Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Carlsbad, Calif. The license terms, which MBI did not disclose, include a license fee, annual maintenance fees and royalty payments. MBI, a San Diego diagnostic and imaging company, owns several U.S. and foreign patents on antisense technology. MBI's European patent, which was issued in April, gives it broad
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Organogenesis Inc.'s supplemental investigational device exemption for human clinical trials using Graftskin, the Canton, Mass., company said Tuesday. Human clinical trials will be conducted at 10 sites with up to 300 patients using Graftskin to treat skin wounds resulting from venous stasis disease. As many as 900,000 people suffer each year in the U.S. from venous disease each year, which leads to venous ulcers caused by the pooling of blood in
DNA Plant Technology Corp. of Cinnaminson, N.J., has launched its Quantix environmental workstation commercially through its Agri-Diagnostics Associates partnership. The workstation is used for the rapid, on-site detection and measurement of gasoline contamination (benzene, tolulene, ethyl benzene, xylene or "total BTEX") in soil and groundwater. Testing for BTEX has traditionally been conducted in off-site laboratories, a procedure that often adds expenses and delays. Quantix provides
Biomira Inc. of Edmonton, Alberta, has completed the 60-day review of three investigational new drug submissions and is set to begin Phase II trials of Theratope in the treatment of patients with breast, colon and pancreatic cancer. Theratope is designed to use proprietary. synthetic, cancer- associated antigens to stimulate a patient's own immune system. The company said it would like to begin these trials in the fourth quarter of 1992. (c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights
Cel-Sci Corp. of Alexandria, Va., has signed a process development agreement with Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence,.R.I., to improve the company's production of BC-IL, its immune-boosting product. The company said it is among the first to develop combination therapy using "natural" lymphokine and cytokine mixtures for the treatment of cancers and immunodeficiencies. The company's board of directors also approved a stockholder rights plan designed to ensure that its stockholders
Centocor Inc. of Malvern, Pa., said it was given marketing approval in Spain for its HA-1A/Centoxin to treat patients with septic shock and with a presumptive diagnosis of gram- negative bacteremia, an infection caused when gram-negative bacteria enter the blood. HA-1A will be distributed in Spain by a unit of SmithKline Beecham plc. Eli Lilly & Co. will take over responsiblity for distribution in other European countries during the balance of this year. The product is a human monoclonal
ImmuCell Corp. of Portland, Maine, was awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study orally administered antibodies for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis in AIDS patients. The project will investigate the potential of cloned Cryptosporidium antigens as a vaccine. Infection with Cryptosporidium parvum causes severe diarrhea in about 5 percent to 10 percent of AIDS patients in the U.S. and 20 to 30 percent in Europe and Asia. ImmuCell's antibody
The National Academy of Sciences has nominated Bruce M. Alberts as its next president. If the NAS's membership votes in his favor, Alberts will take the reins in July from current two-time president and geophysicist Frank Press. Alberts is the only nominee for the presidency. NAS presidents can serve two six-year terms. Alberts, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), did pioneering studies on the mechanism of DNA replication. Alberts
Michelle Slade Associate Editor NeXagen Inc. said Monday it has entered into a three-year collaborative agreement with Eli Lilly & Co. to develop drugs directed against two unnamed molecular targets occurring in certain cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders. Under the agreement, Lilly made a $3 million equity investment for a minority position in NeXagen and provided an undisclosed sum for research. NeXagen of Boulder, Colo., will receive royalties on product sales resulting from the
Hafslund Nycomed AS, Molecular Biosystems Inc.'s European licensee, has filed a new drug application (NDA) for Albunex in the United Kingdom as part of the European Community multistate approval procedure. Albunex, a cardiac ultrasound imaging agent, has already been recommended for marketing by the U.S. FDA., and is also under review in Japan. Molecular Biosystems (NYSE:MB) of San Diego develops and manufactures contrast agents for medical imaging, including ultrasound, magnetic resonance and
Sepracor Inc. of Marlborough, Mass., has received exclusive rights from Research Corporation Technologies Inc. to sublicense a novel chiral synthesis technology invented by researchers at the University of Illinois.. Known as catalytic asymmetric epoxidation, the technology has been shown to facilitate the large-scale, cost-effective production of single-isomer pharmaceuticals. Sepracor will use the technology to produce single-isomer drugs that may have greater therapeutic and safety benefits
NeoRx Corp. and Sterling Winthrop Inc. said Monday they have signed a definitive agreement announced in June. Sterling Winthrop gains a nonexclusive license to use some of NeoRx's proprietary technology for labeling antibodies and other kinds of targeting proteins with therapeutic radiometals for cancer therapy. NeoRx also gave Sterling Winthrop exclusive rights to certain antibodies for use in radioimmunotherapy of cancer and nonexclusive rights to these antibodies for other forms of cancer
Calgene Inc. of Davis, Calif., has reached an agreement with Mobil Oil Corp. under which it will become the exclusive supplier of vegetable oil-based environmental awareness lubricants (EAL), the company said Tuesday. Calgene Chemical, a unit of Calgene, will produce Mobil's proprietary lubricants and supply the formulated product to Mobil. EAL products are similar to petrochemical-based lubricants, but are fully biodegradable, and the company expects annual demand for its biodegradable