• CytRx Corp., of Los Angeles, said the final patients completed dosing and follow-up with arimoclomol in a Phase IIa trial in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The trial randomized patients to receive either placebo or one of three dose levels three times daily for 12 weeks followed by four weeks without the drug. Results are expected to be released in the fourth quarter. Arimoclomol has received fast-track and orphan drug status from the FDA.

• Lipid Sciences Inc., of Pleasanton, Calif., said the first patient in its clinical trial has completed a series of seven procedures of plasma collection and re-infusion and the procedures were well tolerated. Additional patients now have been recruited in the trial and are undergoing the weekly procedures. The trial is evaluating the safety of the company's Plasma Delipidation System (PDS-2) in patients with prior acute coronary syndrome.

• Phosphagenics Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, began a Phase I trial of its transdermal insulin delivery product, TPM-02/Insulin, which is being developed as a novel way of administering insulin to diabetics. In the study, 20 healthy male volunteers between the ages of 18 and 45 will be randomly assigned to receive either TPM-02/Insulin or a placebo gel, applied in a single dose directly to the skin. Patients will be monitored for 48 hours. The trial is expected to be completed by the end of July with a full analysis anticipated by September.

• TissueGene Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., is initiating a Phase I trial evaluating a single dose of TG-C for the treatment of degenerative joint diseases. The trial is designed to assess the safety of TG-C in patients who have opted for total knee arthroplasty. The product was developed to regenerate cartilage in patients with degenerative arthritis or for indications such as osteoarthritis of the knee.

• TorreyPines Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, completed its second Phase I study of NGX267 in Alzheimer's disease. The study, designed to evaluate the drug's safety in healthy elderly volunteers, showed that NGX267 was well tolerated at single doses up to and including 15 mg, and that evidence of cholinergic activation was detected at those doses. NGX267 is a selective cholinergic muscarinic receptor agonist.

• ViaCell Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., enrolled and treated the last patients in a 10-patient Phase I trial of CB001, an investigational therapy in development as an option for people who need stem cell transplants following chemotherapy or chemo-radiation treatment. The trial now begins the 100-day post-transplant follow-up, and ViaCell expects to report top-line results in the fourth quarter. CB001 uses stem cells that have been isolated from umbilical cord blood and expanded using the company's expansion technology.

• Viral Genetics Inc., of Azusa, Calif., said the first placebo-controlled study of VGV-1 in HIV demonstrated reductions in viral load in some patients, with only mild adverse events. The trial, which enrolled 137 patients, showed a statically significant viral load reduction in 22 percent of patients that was equivalent to a 70 percent decrease in the amount of virus in the blood at day 150. VGV-1 is a suspension of thymus nuclear protein given through intramuscular injection.