• Alkermes plc, of Dublin, Ireland, and Elan Corp. plc, also of Dublin, said they completed the merger between Alkermes and Elan Drug Technologies, the drug formulation and manufacturing business unit of Elan. Under the terms, Elan receives $500 million in cash and 31.9 million ordinary shares, representing about 25 percent, of Alkermes. (See BioWorld Today, May 10, 2011.)

• Cempra Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Chapel Hill, N.C., presented abstracts showing that its antibiotic candidate CEM-101 can be given intravenously without pain in a rabbit ear vein model and provide evidence that inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors may account for some adverse events associated with telithromycin. Cempra is working to develop a macrolide antibiotic that can be injected without pain, and has the flexibility to be given intravenously in the hospital and orally at home. CEM-101 is a fluoroketolide antibiotic that in previous studies has shown favorable safety and tolerability and potent activity against a broad range of organisms. Those data were presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy meeting in Chicago.

• GlycoVaxyn AG, of Schlieren, Switzerland, will present a poster showing how its glycoprotein vaccine for Staphylococcus aureus induced functional antibodies in animal models. The vaccine is synthesized in recombinant E. coli that is capable of conjugating polysaccharides with proteins. GlycoVaxyn has previously demonstrated proof of concept in humans using a vaccine for Shigella dysenteriae. Those data were presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy meeting in Chicago.

• Pathfinder Cell Therapy Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., is trading under a new ticker symbol, PFND, on the OTC QB, effective Sept. 16. Its previous ticker symbol was SYMD. The change follows Pathfinder's reverse merger with biomaterials company SyntheMed Inc., of Iselin, N.J. (See BioWorld Today, Dec. 27, 2010.)