• American Oriental Bioengineering Inc., of New York, is initiating a Phase I trial of AOBO-001, an oral capsule developed from traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of urinary incontinence in the U.S. The company currently manufactures and markets the capsule in China under the Cease Enuresis Oral Capsule brand.

• AndroScience Corp., of San Diego, said a Phase IIa dose-ranging study of its lead compound for the treatment of acne demonstrated a clinical benefit. The randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled study completed in late 2008 enrolled 186 patients with acne and consisted of twice-daily topical applications of ASC-J9 cream for 12 weeks to evaluate safety and ascertain preliminary efficacy. The company said it now will focus on bolstering the efficacy through a new formulation and intends on forming a co-development or licensing partnership for future clinical development and commercialization.

• Lipoxen plc, of London, reported positive results from a Phase I trial of SuliXen, its long-acting insulin candidate for Type I and Type II diabetes. The data have shown SuliXen to be safe and well tolerated with no adverse events attributed to the product candidate being reported in the treated volunteers. The crossover study involved 12 healthy volunteers, each receiving two doses of SuliXen (0.1IU/kg and 0.3IU/kg) as well as one dose of insulin glargine (Lantus, Sanofi-Aventis) dosed at 0.2IU/kg.

• NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Emeryville Calif., said preclinical animal data showed that NVC-422, its lead Aganocide compound, was effective in treating subcutaneous dermatophyte infections. The study of the product, which is a synthetic bioequivalent form of the anti-infective molecules produced by white blood cells, revealed significant clinical and mycological efficacy compared to the untreated control group at all doses evaluated, with the highest clinical and mycological efficacy rates of 36.6 percent (p < 0.0001) and 97.9 percent (p < 0.05), respectively, achieved in the highest dose group. Those data confirmed previous preclinical results. The results were presented at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting in San Francisco.

• Pluristem Therapeutics Inc., of New York, said it has completed several key steps in preparation for the upcoming clinical trial in Germany of its placental-derived stem cell product candidate PLX-PAD. The initiatives included a dry run of PLX-PAD preparation for injection, and verification of the process flow involved cell delivery to the clinical sites. The trial will involve patients with critical limb ischemia.

• SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Foster City, Calif., said enrollment has been completed ahead of schedule in its Phase II trial for RP101 in patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer. Results from a previous Phase I study in 22 late-stage pancreatic cancer patients indicated that RP101, a nucleoside analogue also known as BVdU, may help to extend the beneficial tumor-fighting effects of chemotherapy.

• Solasia Pharma KK, of Tokyo, has begun a Phase I study of SP-01, a long-acting transdermal granisetron patch branded as Sancuso) in Japanese volunteers. In May 2008, Solasia announced an exclusive license from Prostrakan Group plc, of Galashiels, Scotland, to develop Sancuso for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in Japan and other Asian countries.

• ViroMed Co. Ltd., of Seoul, South Korea, has received an approval from the FDA for a Phase I/II trial for VM202-CAD, a heart disease medicine being jointly developed with Biologics Delivery Systems Group, Cordis Corp., of Korea, a Johnson & Johnson company. The trial will be for patients with angina pectoris and will take place at various medical centers designated by Cordis.