• DARA BioSciences Inc., of Raleigh, N.C., said it picked up U.S. rights to FDA-approved product Gelclair for treating oral mucositis from the Helsinn Group, of Lugano, Switzerland. DARA plans to launch the topical gel product in the first quarter of 2013. Financial terms were not disclosed. Gelclair marks the fourth late-stage or approved oncology product added to DARA's portfolio this year. (See BioWorld Today, March 27, 2012.)

• Elusys Therapeutics Inc., of Pine Brook, N.J., said it was awarded additional funding from the U.S. government, valued at $14.5 million, to support expanded human safety studies of ETI-204 (Anthim), an investigational agent for the treatment of anthrax infection following a biowarfare attack. The company has now received $149 million, under two advanced development contracts with a potential value of $211 million, from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. The latest funding will be used to conduct final, expanded safety studies for intravenous administration of ETI-204, as well as a dose-escalation safety study for intramuscular administration. ETI-204 is a high-affinity, humanized and deimmunized monoclonal antibody designed to target the protective antigen of B. anthracis.

• Medivation Inc., of San Francisco, and Astellas Pharma Inc., of Tokyo, said Xtandi (enzalutamide) capsules are available for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have previously received docetaxel. Xtandi was approved Aug. 31. The companies also said they launched a comprehensive patient access program, Xtandi Access Services. (See BioWorld Today, Sept. 4, 2012.)

• MonoSol Rx LLC, of Warren, N.J., said it is developing a migraine drug candidate, MSRX-202, which uses the firm's PharmFil technology in a combination product that includes rizatriptan for the treatment of migraine pain and odansetron for the treatment of nausea. Preclinical and first-in-human pharmacokinetic studies indicated that MSRX-202 will reach therapeutic levels for rizatriptan in as little as 15 minutes while maintaining the well-known pharmacokinetic profile of ondansetron.

• Neuralstem Inc., of Rockville, Md., said a rat study published online in Cell testing NSI-566 spinal cord stem cells in rodents with surgically transected spinal cords rendering them permanently and completely paraplegic showed that the animals recovered significant locomoter function, regaining movement in all lower extremity joints. Data also showed that transplanted neural stem cells turned into neurons, which grew into a number of axons that extended for more than 17 spinal segments, making connections both above and below the point of severance. Those axons reached up to the cervical region and down to the lumbar region. They also appeared to make reciprocal synaptic connectivity with the host rat spinal cord neurons on the gray matter for several segments below the injury. Shares of Neuralstem (NYSE:CUR) jumped 38 cents, or 38 percent, on the news, closing Thursday at $1.38.

• Oncodesign SA, of Dijon, France, said it entered a research collaboration with Sanofi SA, of Paris, to apply exclusively its Nanocyclix technology to several Sanofi kinase target programs. Nanocyclix is a medicinal chemistry technology and research platform based on macrocyclization chemical methodology designed to give access to selective kinase inhibitors based on shape complementarity in the ATP binding site of kinases. Under the terms, Oncodesign is entitled to a technology access fee and discovery, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments totaling up to €130 million (US$167.7 million), plus low single-digit royalties on net sales.

• RNL Bio, of Seoul, South Korea, said it signed a deal licensing its stem cell technology to Turkish firm RST Biomedikal Sanayi AS. Under the terms, RST will pay a $5 million up-front fee and will continue paying a running royalty of 15 percent of the revenue, which could be up to $200 million.

• ShangPharma Corp., of Shanghai, China, and Harbour Antibodies BV, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, entered a licensing deal under which ShangPharma will develop therapeutic antibody candidates using Harbour's transgenic mouse-based fully human antibody technology. Harbour will provide ShangPharma will human immunoglobulin-gene transgenic mice, which produce H2L2 IgG antibodies comprising two heavy chains and two light chains, with fully human variable regions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Trovagene Inc., of San Diego, said it granted Quest Diagnostics Inc., of Madison, N.J., a nonexclusive license to incorporate nucleophosmin protein into research and clinical testing services related to acute myelogenous leukemia. Terms include undisclosed up-front fees and royalty payments on an annual basis.

• Vical Inc., of San Diego, inked a worldwide nonexclusive license granting Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, rights to its platform DNA immunization technology and its Vaxfectin adjuvant for use in the production of antibodies. Under the terms, BMS will use the technology to generate antibodies, while Vical also will provide specified quantities of the Vaxfectin adjuvant to BMS from time to time. Financial terms were not disclosed.