British Bio-technology Group plc said Monday that it has done a silent filing for an initial public offering of shares. Neither the number of shares nor the proposed price range have been determined. The Oxford, England, company has finished Phase I trials of its AIDS immunotherapeutic and plans to enter Phase II trials later this year. The drug, which is designed to delay the onset and/or slow the progression of AIDS, uses virus-like particles that carry the p17 and p24 HIV core proteins on
Cytel Corp. has received a Phase I small business innovation research grant for $50,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to develop a vaccine for chronic hepatitis B infection. The San Diego company, in collaboration with Scripps Research Institute, has identified several sequences from viral proteins, or epitopes, that stimulate cytotoxic T cells. The T cells are the only immune cells capable of destroying infected liver cells found in chronic hepatitis B, as
Epitope Inc. said Monday that it has extended for two years its distribution and supply agreements with Organon Teknika Corp., which has exclusive worldwide distribution rights to Epitope's Epiblot Western blot AIDS confirmatory test kits. Last week, the company filed a response to FDA comments on its marketing application for another AIDS test, the OraSure oral kit for detecting antibodies to the AIDS virus. Last July, the FDA demanded that Epitope and its distributor, Home Office Reference
"The only entity that knows the true course of disease is nature," said Irwin Braude, founder and chief scientific officer of drug discovery start-up CellPath Inc. The Berkeley, Calif., company is betting that screening compounds on cells derived from diseased patients will provide a better road to drug discovery than testing drugs using conventional cell lines. CellPath, founded last August, is seeking $5 million in funds to pursue its plans to use patient-derived cells to find drugs to treat
U.S. Bioscience Inc. announced Monday that Russell C. McLauchlan has been named president and chief operating officer. He is taking over the position of president from Dr. Philip S. Schein, who will remain chairman and chief executive officer. McLauchlan had been president and chief operating officer at Immunomedics Inc. (NASDAQ:IMMU) for the past three years. Before that, he spent nearly 20 years at American Cyanamid Co., most recently as vice president and general manager of Lederle
Investors trying to figure out when the bioscience sector will hit bottom may find some signals in the number of companies trading at or near their cash values. Using data provided by Smith Barney analyst Denise Gilbert, BioWorld calculated the cash multiple, based on Friday's closing prices, for the 22 companies on her list. The numbers were calculated using cash levels as of Dec. 31. In the 1987 sector downturn, said Gilbert, "the point at which investors threw up their hands and said this
Vestar Inc.'s liposomal form of the cancer drug daunorubicin showed clinical promise as a treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS and for solid tumors, according to data published in abstracts in the Pro-ceedings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). In Phase I testing in solid tumors, 25 patients with tumors resistant to standard chemotherapy safely tolerated the liposomal agent in higher doses than those commonly used with the free agent, without mouth sores or balding, and with
The makers of transdermal nicotine patches have just finished a first quarter of sales that could presage one of the most successful pharmaceutical product launches ever. Three companies have U.S. marketing approval: Marion Merrell Dow, which markets Alza Corp.'s patch; Ciba-Geigy Corp.; and American Cyanamid, which markets Elan Corp. plc's version. MMD sold $55 million in the quarter, far outpacing the $22 million in sales of its Nicorette nicotine gum. Ciba-Geigy had sales of $116.5 million
OmniGene Inc said it is looking for corporate partners to develop its technology for the diagnosis of infectious diseases and other diagnostic applications. The Cambridge, Mass., company, which was spun off to a management group by BioTechnica International in January 1991, declined to provide details of the technology. OmniGene said the test can be used to diagnose viral and bacterial disease, to detect allergy-causing substances, and to monitor levels of medication in the blood. Keith
Immunomedics Inc. said that Russell C. McLauchlan has resigned as president and chief operating officer and has relinquished his board seat. The company did not disclose reasons for his departure. Also, A.E. Cohen, retired president of Merck Sharp & Dohme International and senior vice president of Merck & Co. Inc., has been elected to the board. The Warren, N.J., company (NASDAQ:IMMU) develops products for detecting cancer and infectious diseases. Bioject has named Richard Hollis chief
W.R. Grace & Co. and E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. announced that they have cross-licensed selected elements of their technologies for gene delivery. Du Pont's Biolistic technology, which was developed at Cornell University, uses compressed gas to propel particles of gold or tungsten coated with DNA into cells. The Accell technology independently developed at Agracetus Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Grace, uses an electric discharge to propel DNA-coated gold particles. "This is the single
Available tests to detect hepatitis C virus miss certain infected individuals and cannot fully protect the blood supply, according to a report Saturday in The Lancet. Scientists from the New York Blood Center, the National Institutes of Health and Japanese researchers wrote that if the results are confirmed, at least 30 percent of high-risk donors with HCV are seronegative by available screening assays. Moreover, the researchers added, "it seems unlikely that future immunoassays will show
Mycogen Corp. on Thursday said it has signed a letter of intent to acquire a 51 percent interest in The Lubrizol Corp.'s Agrigenetics Co. division in exchange for Mycogen stock worth about $69 million. The transaction will be structured as a partnership valued at about $135 million. Lubrizol will hold the other 49 percent of the partnership, and as a result of the stock transaction will increase its stake in Mycogen to 24.7 percent. Lubrizol of Wickcliff, Ohio, will contribute Agrigenetics
Viagene Inc. announced Thursday that it has filed with the FDA to begin trials of a gene transfer therapy for AIDS. The company's HIV ImmunoTherapeutic uses a genetically engineered murine retrovirus to deliver into cells a gene sequence that codes for the production of HIV antigens. The antigens then are produced intracellularly. The therapy is designed to stimulate a patient's immune system to mount a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response against HIV infected cells. The company said it
Immunex Corp. on Thursday blamed alleged marketing practices by licensee Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals Inc. for sharply reduced sales of Leukine GM-CSF in the first quarter. Sales of the blood cell stimulant fell to $3.4 million, compared with $9.7 million in the fourth quarter. The Seattle company (NASDAQ:IMNX) sued early this month, alleging that Hoechst and its U.S. subsidiaries had provided large amounts of the drug to Immunex hospital customers as free samples. In the quarter ended
Ecogen Inc. said it has signed an agreement in principle to acquire Scentry Inc. for $5.5 million, consisting of a $2 million cash payment plus shares of Ecogen common stock valued at market. Ecogen, a biopesticide company located in Langhorne, Pa., will gain worldwide rights to Scentry's technology based on pheromones, the chemical scents emitted by insects. Scentry had sales of $3 million of pheromone-based biopesticides and products that assist in crop pollination during its fiscal year
AgriDyne Technologies Inc. has received a $1.2 million advanced technology grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop genetically engineered pyrethrin, a biodegradable insecticide with low toxicity for mammals that is found in chrysanthemum-type flowers. AgriDyne has identified the enzyme in the chrysanthemum that creates the form of pyrethrin molecule that is active as an insecticide. Company scientists are attempting to put the gene from that enzyme into a
Aastrom Biosciences Inc. has been awarded a grant totaling about $1.2 million under a new Commerce Department program to develop a system for growing human stem cells. The Ann Arbor, Mich., company will use the funds, to be provided over two years, to develop prototype systems for both isolating and expanding populations of stem and progenitor cells that are the basis for all other blood cells. Companies such as SyStemix Inc. (NASDAQ:STMX), Applied Immune Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:AISX), CellPro
Deprenyl U.S.A. Inc. announced Thursday the signing of a research agreement with Queen's University of Kingston, Ontario, to develop a non-surgical alternative to hysterectomy for women with excessive uterine bleeding. The therapy would use 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamic Therapy. ALA PDT is a naturally occurring precursor to Protoporphyrin IX, a photosensitizer that in preclinical studies has induced removal of the blood-producing lining of the uterus without causing significant damage to
The AMEX Biotechnology Index on Thursday fell 2.93 to 137.89 in the wake of selling pressure on mainline pharmaceutical companies in U.K and U.S. markets. Amgen Inc. shed $2 to $53 after falling $2.38 on Wednesday. Immune Response Corp. dropped $3.38 to $17.63. (c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.
British Bio-technology Group plc said Monday that it has done a silent filing for an initial public offering of shares. Neither the number of shares nor the proposed price range have been determined. The Oxford, England, company has finished Phase I trials of its AIDS immunotherapeutic and plans to enter Phase II trials later this year. The drug, which is designed to delay the onset and/or slow the progression of AIDS, uses virus-like particles that carry the p17 and p24 HIV core proteins on