• AtheroGenics Inc., of Atlanta, received a Nasdaq letter indicating that it is in noncompliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing. The company has 180 calendar days to regain compliance, which it can do by having its stock close at $1 or higher for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days.

• BD Diagnostics, a segment of Becton, Dickinson and Co., of San Diego, said it received clearance from the FDA to market the BD GeneOhm StaphSR assay, the first blood test available to rapidly identify methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. The assay provides results within two hours directly from positive blood cultures and requires less technologist time than traditional microbiology algorithms, which can take two days to generate results. BD said it recently submitted subsequent applications to the FDA for the BD GeneOhm StaphSR assay to add nasal swab and wound claims. The firm also is developing rapid tests to identify vanA and vanB genes associated with vancomycin-resistant enterococci and the toxin gene associated with Clostridium difficile.

• Biovail Corp., of Toronto, said its subsidiary, Biovail Laboratories International SRL, entered an exclusive supply agreement for Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, a division of New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson, to market and distribute its once-daily, extended-release formulation of tramadol hydrochloride in 86 countries in Central and Eastern Europe/Middle East and Latin America. Under the terms of the 10-year deal, Biovail will manufacture the tablets in three dosage strengths and supply them to Janssen at contractually determined prices. Janssen will handle related promotional costs, as well as all regulatory filings. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.

• Depomed Inc., of Menlo Park, Calif., received approval from the FDA for the 1,000-mg tablet Glumetza (metformin hydrochloride extended-release tablets). Glumetza previously was approved at 500 mg for glycemic control in Type II diabetes patients. Depomed acquired exclusive U.S. rights to the 1,000-mg formulation from Toronto-based Biovail Corp. in 2005.

• Genomic Health Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., said its Oncotype DX breast cancer assay, used to predict the likelihood of disease recurrence and the likelihood of chemotherapy benefit for a large portion of early stage breast cancer patients, has been included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2008 Breast Cancer Treatment Guidelines. Oncotype DX is a multigene expression assay.

• Oncothyreon Inc., of Bellevue, Wash., received a letter from Nasdaq indicating that it has regained compliance with the $1-per-share minimum closing bid price requirement for continued listing.

• ZymeQuest Inc., of Beverly, Mass., entered an exclusive worldwide agreement to license certain patent applications associated with its enzyme-conversion technology to an undisclosed publicly traded U.S. life sciences company. The licensee plans to use the technology for product applications associated with its business, which is outside ZymeQuest's areas of focus. ZymeQuest retains all rights to develop products related to transfusion medicine. Terms call for ZymeQuest to receive an initial licensing fee of $2 million, plus royalties based on production levels of products made using the technology, including guaranteed minimum royalties beginning this year.