Atlantic Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New York terminated the license agreement between its wholly owned subsidiary, Channel Therapeutics Inc., and the University of Pennsylvania for Beta-cyclodextrin tetradecasulfate. The company said it did not want to commit any more funding to develop the compound for preventing restenosis after cardiac angioplasty.
ChemRx, a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Partners International, Inc., of San Diego, signed a chemistry-based research agreement with Pharmacia and Upjohn, of Bridgewater, N.J. ChemRx will develop multiple classes of compounds for Pharmacia and Upjohn's drug discovery and lead optimization libraries. ChemRx will develop the chemistries on a fee-for-service basis and will provide the compounds on an exclusive basis. There will be no royalties or milestones.
Cypress Biosciences Inc., of San Diego, reported that an article in the October issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism said that therapeutic apheresis using the Prosorba column blood-filtration device is an effective treatment for patients with active disease who have failed other treatments. The Prosorba column was approved in March for use in the reduction of signs and symptoms of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients with longstanding diseases who have failed or are intolerant to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. The article was based on a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled Phase III trial that was stopped by an independent data safety monitoring board after enrollment of 109 patients due to favorable safety and statistically significant efficacy results.
CytRx Corp., of Norcross, Georgia, said it has completed patient enrollment in the pivotal Phase III clinical trial investigating Flocor, or purified poloxamer 188, for treatment of acute sickle cell crisis. A total of 255 patients and 40 physicians in 31 cities in 21 states are involved in the trial, with the summary results expected to be available in January. Noting that it expects the Phase III trial results to confirm the benefits of Flocor previously reported in Phase II, the company said it plans to submit its new drug application for the IV solution next year. CytRx also is developing Flocor for acute respiratory disorders and plans to expand in the future into other vascular disorders such as shock and stroke.
Dusa Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Wilmington, Mass., reported that independent investigators in London published results of a clinical study that said adjuvant photodynamic therapy that used Levulan (aminolevulinic acid HCI) reduced restenosis following angioplasty of the femoral artery of the leg. The report is published in the October issue of the British Journal of Surgery.
Genome Therapeutics Corp., of Waltham, Mass., and bioMerieux SA, of Lyon, France, will combine to develop, manufacture and sell in vitro diagnostic products for human clinical and industrial applications. bioMerieux purchased a subscription to Genome Therapeutics' microbial database PathoGenome and made an equity investment. Guaranteed first-year funding to Genome Therapeutics, including the equity investment, is approximately $6.2 million.
Genzyme General Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., will collaborate with researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, to develop a new type of treatment for cystic fibrosis involving correcting the imbalance between two fatty acids found in cell membranes. The imbalance may be responsible for the common symptoms of the disease. The discovery was reported at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's annual scientific conference in Seattle.
Hemispherx Biopharma Inc., of Philadelphia, will develop clinical programs against AIDS with Anderson Clinical Research Inc., of Pittsburgh. The program will include studying Ampligen, Hemispherx's lead compound, which is currently in clinical trials for chronic viral infections.
Immunex Corp., of Seattle, said that a Phase I/II trial of Nuvance (soluble IL-4 receptor) showed the once-a-week inhaled asthma treatment was well tolerated and helped stabilize lung function for up to 12 weeks following discontinuation of inhaled corticosteroids. Nuvance is a recombinant human version of a naturally occurring protein. Another Phase II trial is under way to evaluate its efficacy for longer-term control of asthma. The reports were presented at the European Respiratory Society meeting in Madrid.
Myriad Genetics Inc., of Salt Lake City, said that Bayer Corp., of Pittsburgh, optioned two additional proteins for use in its research for the development of new therapeutic products to treat dementia. The proteins transferred to Bayer are based upon Myriad's identification of two new genes not previously implicated in the demential pathways. Myriad has delivered six dementia-related protein targets to Bayer since the two companies started collaborating in 1997, in a deal worth potentially $137 million to Myriad.
Neurocrine Biosciences Inc., of San Diego, and Array BioPharma Inc., of Boulder, Colo., signed an agreement for the design and synthesis of a focused library around small molecules targeted at the super-family of receptors, called G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). The two companies will later offer the library to third parties. Terms were not released.
NeuroSearch, of Glostrup, Denmark, and Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc, of London, started a Phase I trial in healthy volunteers of NS1209/SPD 502. NS1209/SPD 502 is a water-soluble glutamate AMPA-antagonist. Preclinical data suggests that it has potential as a neuroprotectant in the immediate aftermath of acute ischemic stroke.