• Access Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Dallas, said it closed the acquisition of Wellesley Hills, Mass.-based MacroChem Corp. through the issuance of 2.5 million shares of Access common stock. The deal, initially announced in July and valued at about $9 million, gives Access rights to MacroChem's product portfolio, including clinical-stage oncology products 4-thio Ara-C (Thiarabine), a next-generation nucleoside analogue, and sodium phenylbutyrate, as well as a topical anti-infective product, Pexiganan, and antifungal treatment EcoNail. (See BioWorld Today, July 11, 2008.)

• Amarillo Biosciences Inc., of Amarillo, Texas, said it entered a 15-year license and supply deal with animal health company Cyto Biotech Inc., of Taipei, Taiwan, which will conduct all clinical trials and studies and seek regulatory approvals in China, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia for Amarillo's low-dose interferon in animal and human health indications. Under the terms, Cyto purchased common stock in Amarillo, paid an initial license fee and will pay a net royalty on product sales. The agreement also calls for certain minimum royalty payments. Specific terms were not disclosed.

• CombiMatrix Corp., of Mukilteo, Wash., reported positive preliminary data showing that its investigational Comprehensive Cancer Array (CCA) test can noninvasively screen for the early detection of cancer. Preliminary data using serum from cancer-free patients and patients with cancer at various stages showed that a clear distinction could be made between those sets of patients, and also that identification of the specific cancer was possible. Data were presented at the Cambridge Healthtech Institute's International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference in San Francisco.

• Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, reported data showing that its antibody CR6261 is effective in preventing, as well as well as treating influenza caused by a range of seasonal and potentially pandemic influenza strains in the most stringent preclinical models suitable for human flu. The study used X-ray crystallography to image and understand why the antibody can bind to and neutralize a wide variety of flu viruses. Data were published in Science.

• Cyclogenix Ltd., of Aberdeen, Scotland, said it entered license and research agreements with Madison, N.J.-based Wyeth and IMBcom, the University of Queensland's technology transfer arm for the Institute of Molecular Bioscience. Under the terms, Cyclogenix granted Wyeth exclusive rights to its drug discovery technology platform for generating therapeutic peptides. Wyeth will fund the research activities and has the option to acquire all rights and ownership to the technologies from Cyclogenix at the end of the collaboration term, which could run up to five years. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.

• Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., said the FDA granted marketing approval of Synvisc-One (hylan G-F 20), a single-injection viscosupplement, in pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. The approval came two months after the agency's Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Advisory panel voted unanimously in favor of the product. Synvisc-One also is approved in the European Union and in several Asian and Latin American countries. (See BioWorld Today, Dec. 11, 2006.)

• GTC Biotherapeutics Inc., of Framingham, Mass., said it entered an agreement with AgResearch Ltd., of Hamilton, New Zealand, to develop transgenic founder animals to produce two follow-on biologic monoclonal antibodies. GTC will work with AgResearch to establish appropriate founder production lines, with a majority of the funding provided by a grant awarded by the New Zealand government. AgResearch will receive a royalty on future sales of products.

• Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, reported in vitro data showing that prulifloxacin was more active than other antimicrobial agents tested against gastroenteritis-causing pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, Vibrio, Aeromonas, Plesiomonas and Campylobacter. Data were published in the March 2009 edition of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

• ProteoTech Inc., of Kirkland, Wash., said it was awarded a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research for an 18-month project. In collaboration with Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc., of Philadelphia, ProteoTech will use its small-molecule platform drug technology to develop new imaging agents that will allow doctors to use PET imaging to identify and determine the extent of alpha-synuclein accumulation in the brain.

• The Medicines Co., of Parsippany, N.J., said it completed its acquisition of Cambridge, Mass.-based Targanta Therapeutics Corp., initially reported last month. Under the terms, Targanta is valued for about $42 million, though that number could reach up to $138 million upon the achievement of certain milestones, including the approval of antibiotic oritavancin in complicated skin and skin structure infections in the U.S. and Europe and for reaching certain sales milestones. (See BioWorld Today, Jan. 14, 2009, and Feb. 26, 2009.)

• Trubion Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Seattle, said it is reducing its work force by about 25 percent, or 25 employees, and is taking steps to reduce costs and align its current resources with the strongest near-term opportunities, citing continuing uncertainty in the capital markets and global economy. The company plans to continue investing in its TRU-016 program in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and will advance select preclinical assets that it believes to have the greatest potential for value creation. It also will support ongoing programs under its collaboration with Madison, N.J.-based Wyeth, including TRU-015 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and SBI-087 in RA and lupus. Trubion estimates charges of about $800,000 in connection with the work force cuts. The reductions, in combination with targeted investments in preclinical and clinical programs, are expected to support the company's operations into the second half of 2010. Trubion has not yet reported fourth-quarter 2008 financial results. As of Sept. 30, 2008, the firm had about $61 million in cash. Its shares (NASDAQ:TRBN) gained 21 cents, or 16.6 percent, to close Thursday at $1.50.