An investigational compound being developed by AiCuris GmbH & Co. KG against herpes simplex virus showed efficacy in a murine model of the disease and dosing at efficacious concentrations in Phase I studies. Data were presented at the Antivirals Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Wuppertal, Germany-based company said that the compound, AIC316, has the potential for once-daily dosing, an important requirement for a herpes drug.

Phase II trials will commence for NIC002 by Cytos Biotechnology Ltd., of Schlieren, Switzerland, following a recent investigational new drug approval by the FDA. The study will include 65 smokers to assess how vaccination against nicotine affects the pharmacokinetics of nicotine during smoking. NIC002 has been previously shown to induce nicotine-specific antibodies in the blood. In a prior Phase II study, Cytos showed that NIC002 promoted abstinence from smoking.

• EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, of Watertown, Mass., said that its alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine agonist, EVP-6124, acts as a co-agonist with acetylcholine, sensitizing the alpha-7 receptor. The molecule is in Phase IIb studies for cognition disorders in Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.

Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceutical Inc., of Raritan, N.J., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, will not advance a GPR119 agonist, APD597, for Type II diabetes, terminating its collaboration with San Diego-based Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. The decision follows Phase I trials that showed the drug was well tolerated, had dose-proportional pharmacokinetics, and provided evidence for incretin stimulation. Ortho-McNeil's rights will revert to Arena, and Arena will look for other opportunities for APD597.