• Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, formed a strategic partnership with Emory University in Atlanta to conduct clinical trials involving the pharma's investigational compounds. Under the agreement, investigators from Emory and affiliated institutions will conduct Phase II, Phase III and pediatric trials in metropolitan Atlanta of investigational compounds across the company's portfolio. In the first studies under the agreement, researchers from Emory's Winship Cancer Institute will work with BMS scientists on multiple programs in oncology. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Canyon Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., said results of an analysis comparing the treatment of anticoagulant enoxaparin with desirudin in orthopedic surgery patients with Stage IIIB chronic kidney disease (CKD) were published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. The study found that blood clots and postoperative bleeding were reduced with use of desirudin, a new type of anticoagulant that works on a different part of the clotting system than enoxaparin. CKD is common in elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, and those patients have a fourfold increase in risk for blood clots, as well as an increased risk for bleeding due to reduced elimination of anticoagulants.

• Forest Laboratories Inc., of New York, said it was notified that entities affiliated with Carl C. Icahn intend to nominate four individuals to Forest's 10-member board for election at the company's 2012 annual meeting. Icahn's prior filing on May 30 named only one nominee. Forest also received a request from Icahn seeking to inspect certain company records and said it will evaluate the merits of the request and determine what documents, if any, Icahn is entitled to review under Delaware Law.

• Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Morrisville, N.C., said the first patient has been dosed in its Phase III placebo-controlled studies evaluating efficacy, safety and tolerability of MuDelta (JNJ-27018966) in the treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). Two simultaneous trials are being conducted that, collectively, will enroll approximately 2,250 patients. One trial will last for a 52-week treatment period, and one will span 30 weeks in study centers in the U.S, Canada and the UK.

• Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., reported results from an ongoing Phase IIb study of IDX184, a nucleotide HCV polymerase inhibitor, in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV). The interim analysis showed that 89 percent of patients, who completed their additional 12-week PegIFN/RBV extended-treatment phase, achieved a sustained virologic response four weeks after the completion of treatment (SVR4):100 percent of patients (4/4) in the 100-mg arm and 80 percent of patients (4/5) in the 50-mg arm. Patients who did not achieve an eRVR automatically entered the 36-week PegIFN/RBV extended treatment phase, which is ongoing. Additionally, Idenix also revealed positive viral kinetics data from a three-day proof-of-concept study evaluating IDX719, an NS5A inhibitor, in 64 treatment-naive, genotype 1 , 2, 3 or 4 HCV-infected patients. Treatment with IDX719 exhibited potent pan-genotypic activity across genotypes. IDX184 is a liver-targeted nucleotide prodrug of 2'-methyl guanosine, which includes Idenix's proprietary liver-targeting technology.

• Immunovaccine Inc., of Halifax, Nova Scotia, said results from the first cohort of a dose-ranging Phase I study showed that DPX-Survivac, which consists of survivin-based peptide antigens formulated with the DepoVax adjuvanting platform, was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported and that the vaccine is immunogenic as a monotherapy. The Phase I study is expected to complete enrollment in the third quarter, with results expected in the fourth quarter.

• NovaRx Corp., of San Diego, said it completed enrollment in its Phase III trial testing Lucanix (belagenpumatucel-L), a whole tumor cell vaccine, in post-front-line maintenance in non-small-cell lung cancer. The 506-patient study is being conducted under a special protocol assessment from the FDA. The first interim analysis of overall survival will be performed by the independent data monitoring committee sometime in the third quarter.

• Oncolytics Biotech Inc., of Calgary, Alberta, reported that its independent data monitoring committee has recommended that enrollment continue for the Phase III trial of Reolysin in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel for the treatment of head and neck cancers (REO 018). The decision was based on a review of the safety data from the first stage of the study involving 80 patients. Enrollment is currently under way in the adaptive second stage, which is designed to enroll between 100 and 400 patients.

• RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of Rockville, Md., reported preliminary results from a Phase II trial showing that RGN-259 (Tbeta4 preservative-free eye drops) in severe dry eye was found to be safe and well tolerated and met key efficacy objectives with statistically significant sign and symptom improvements, compared to vehicle control, at various time intervals, including 28 days post-treatment. The study involved nine patients (18 eyes), treated with RGN-259 or vehicle control six times daily over a period of 28 days. At 28 days post-treatment, the RGN-259-treated group had a 35.1 percent reduction of ocular discomfort compared to vehicle control (p = 0.0141) and a 59.1 percent reduction of total corneal fluorescein staining compared to vehicle control (p = 0.0108).