• Atox Bio Inc., of Ness Ziona, Israel, reported that it successfully completed a Phase I study of AB103, for the treatment of severe bacterial infections and sepsis. The company said that the double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 25 healthy volunteers receiving escalating single doses of AB103 and demonstrated that AB103 was safe and well tolerated without any significant drug-related adverse events.

• Oxigene Inc., of South San Francisco, announced that investigators at the University of Florida initiated a Phase I study of OXi4503 for the treatment of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The company said that the open-label, dose-escalating study is sponsored in part by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Therapy Acceleration Program and will be conducted in patients with relapsed or refractory AML or MDS to evaluate the safety profile, maximum tolerated dose and biologic activity of OXi4503.

• PolyMedix Inc., of Radnor, Pa., presented new clinical and preclinical data at the 21st Annual European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease/27th Annual International Congress of Chemotherapy, in Milan, Italy, related to the safety and efficacy of its lead defensin-mimetic antibiotic, PMX-30063, that the company said reaffirmed that PMX-30063 does not cause nerve damage at the tested doses and indicated that interactions with ion channels are the underlying mechanism of the paraesthesia. PMX-30063 is in a Phase II trial in patients for treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections caused by staph bacteria.

• Verona Pharma plc, of London, said it commenced a Phase II trial of its lead respiratory drug, RPL554 in asthma. The company said the trial is designed to determine whether RPL554 has sustained bronchodilator actions and is safe when given daily to patients with mild asthma.