• Aurora Biosciences Corp., of San Diego, entered into a five-year agreement with Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, of Radnor, Pa., in the area of ion channel drug discovery. Aurora will provide access to its technology, develop assays for specified ion channels, deliver instrumentation and provide ongoing scientific and technical support to Wyeth-Ayerst.

• Aviron, of Mountain View, Calif., sold 258,408 shares of its common stock to a financial institution for an aggregate price of $4 million, or $15.48 per share. In a separate private transaction, the company sold 86,136 shares to American Home Products Corp., of Madison, N.J., for the same price. Aviron agreed to register these shares for resale within 180 days and did not pay any fees or other compensation in connection with the transactions. Net proceeds will go to funding operating costs, capital expenditures and working capital needs, which may include regulatory filings and the manufacturing and marketing of FluMist.

• Boston Life Sciences Inc., of Boston, released details of a human study that showed its diagnostic radioimaging agent, Altropane, has detected an abnormal elevation in the number of dopamine transporters (DAT) in the brains of subjects with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The findings may be the first clinical study to demonstrate that there is a measurable biochemical abnormality in patients with ADHD, the company said. Altropane is a small molecule that binds with extremely high affinity and specificity to the DAT. The study appears in the current issue of The Lancet.

• Gliatech Inc., of Cleveland, said the FDA completed its re-inspection of the company’s contract manufacturing firm, European Medical Contract Manufacturing B.V. in the Netherlands, and determined that EMCM can be removed from the automatic detention list for the production of ADCON-L. Gliatech is preparing to resume shipments of ADCON-L to the U.S. in the first quarter.

• Hybridon Inc., of Milford, Mass., closed a $6.8 million financing in the form of convertible debt. Participants included existing investors and members of the company’s senior management and board of directors.

• Invitrogen Corp., of San Diego, entered into a research collaboration with the Novartis Institute for Functional Genomics, of La Jolla, Calif., to develop collections of full-length genes for expression and protein structural studies. Under the agreement, Novartis receives access to Invitrogen’s advanced cloning technologies and expression system and will use these systems to develop new reagents to facilitate its research. Invitrogen receives the rights to sell clones and reagents generated by these collaborative efforts to the research community.

• MedImmune Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., said the FDA approved its new manufacturing facility in Frederick, Md. The approval allows MedImmune to begin distributing Synagis manufactured at the facility. Synagis is used to prevent serious lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus in pediatric patients at high risk of RSV disease.

• Mendel Biotechnology Inc., of Hayward, Calif., achieved a milestone in its functional genomics collaboration with Monsanto Co., of St. Louis, and Savia S.A. Mendel is screening the function of genes in plants and has identified a number of what it views as very promising leads to improve the yield, disease resistance and nutritional value of plants for the benefit of farmers and consumers.

• Nabi, of Boca Raton, Fla., said published results demonstrate that NicVAX-induced antibodies can reduce or prevent some of the pharmacokinetic, cardiovascular and behavioral consequences of nicotine injections in rats. The studies showed that antibodies to NicVAX were able to extend the hyperactivity induced in rats in response to nicotine injections. The data were published in the Dec. 17 issue of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior.

• Unigene Laboratories Inc., of Fairfield, N.J., said partner Warner-Lambert Co., of Morris Plains, N.J., filed an investigational new drug application to start testing an oral formulation of calcitonin. In addition, Unigene received a second $500,000 installment payment from Warner-Lambert for the September 1999 identification of the oral calcitonin formulation that will be used in the Phase I studies. A $2.5 million payment is due upon the start of the Phase I study.

• Zonagen Inc., of The Woodlands, Texas, said Schering-Plough Corp., of Madison, N.J., completed the 12-week double-blind study of Vasomax to treat erectile dysfunction. The FDA allowed the study to continue to completion when it informed the company that further clinical studies for the phentolamine-based drug would be on clinical hold in the U.S because of brown fat proliferation found in a two-year rat study of the drug. The FDA also issued a non-approvable letter for the company’s new drug application (NDA) in May. Zonagen intends to incorporate data from the study in an amendment to the existing NDA. (See BioWorld Today, May 11, 1999, p. 1.; and Aug. 11, 1999, p. 1.)