• Chemocentryx Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., said Glaxosmithkline plc (GSK), of London, returned rights to CCRP antagonist vercirnon (Traficet-EN, or CCX282) for all indications. GSK also will transfer the full dataset from clinical trials, including studies that were not completed. Chemocentryx plans to review the data to determine whether the drug maintains remission in Crohn’s disease, as indicated in the maintenance phase of a previously conducted trial. Last month, vercirnon missed its endpoint in the first of four Phase III studies in moderate to severe Crohn’s. Two other development programs – CCR1 inhibitor CCX354 in rheumatoid arthritis and C5a complement inhibitor CCX168 in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody vasculitis – are continuing under the 2006 alliance between the companies. On Wednesday, shares of Chemocentryx (NASDAQ:CCXI) fell 34 cents, to close at $6.08. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 25, 2006, and Aug. 26, 2013.)

• ITM Isotope Technologies Munich AG, of Garching, Germany, said it entered an agreement with Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., for pharmaceutical development and commercialization of radiolabeled DOTA-conjugated somatostatin analogue DOTA-[Tyr3]-octreotide (edotreotide) for human oncology therapeutic use. Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

• Ocera Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, said it plans to close its research center in Sherbrooke, Quebec, effective Nov. 11 , following its merger with Tranzyme Inc., which previously operated the facility. Ocera will retain full rights to the chemistry technology platform, MATCH (Macrocyclic Template Chemistry), pursued at the center. The restructuring plan will allow Ocera to focus resources on advancing lead candidate, OCR-002 (ornithine phenylacetate), in hepatic encephalopathy associated with acute and chronic liver disease. The company plans to initiate Phase IIb trials of OCR-002 during the fourth quarter.

• Stemcells Inc., of Newark, Calif., said preclinical data published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science confirmed that the firm’s HuCNS-SC cells (purified human neural stem cells) preserved photoreceptor cells and visual function in a rat model of retinal degeneration. Data also showed not only that HuCNS-SC cells preserved the number of photoreceptors that would otherwise be lost, but also that the surviving photoreceptors appeared healthy and normal and were able to maintain their synaptic connection to other cells necessary for visual function. Stemcells said the results are relevant to disorders of vision loss such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A Phase I/II study in the dry form of AMD is under way.

• Xbiotech Inc., of Austin, Texas, said it is collaborating with US Oncology Research to conduct a pivotal Phase III trial for colorectal cancer. Leveraging its national network of affiliated oncology centers, US Oncology Research will treat patients with the company’s Xilonix anti-cancer therapy and report clinical outcomes. The compound, a first-in-class True Human antibody blocks inflammation involved in tumor growth and metastasis. Sterile inflammation caused by malignant tumors is known to stimulate angiogenesis and tissue matrix remodeling, key steps in ongoing tumor growth and spread. Patients receiving Xilonix in an earlier study have shown improved overall survival and recovery of lean body tissue.

• Xenikos BV, of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, said its T-Guard, a combination of two toxin-loaded anti-T-cell antibodies to help reset the body’s immune system, has been granted FDA orphan drug designation for the treatment of graft-vs.-host disease.