• The American Society of Hematologyand theAmerican Society of Clinical Oncologyhave released an updated joint guideline on the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), a class of drugs that stimulate the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, to treat chemotherapy-related anemia. The guideline declares epoetin and darbepoetin equally safe and effective; recommends the use of ESAs as a treatment option for cancer patients who become anemic as a result of chemotherapy when their hemoglobin approaches or falls below 10 g/dL, as well as for patients with low-risk myelodysplasia; suggests that when using ESAs, hemoglobin can be raised to (or near) a concentration of 12 g/dL at which point the dosage should be titrated to maintain that level. Dose reductions are also recommended when hemoglobin rise exceeds 1 g/dL in any two-week period or when the hemoglobin level exceeds 11 g/dL.

• Arius Research Inc., of Toronto, said the lead drug candidate from its CD44 cancer stem cell program successfully completed its first toxicology study and has shown good efficacy in animal models. The program, which targets an epitope of CD44 that has been found in a number of cancer indications, has generated two humanized versions of an antibody in preparation for human trials, which are expected to start in 2008.

• AstraZeneca Inc., of London, is merging Cambridge Antibody Technology, a company it acquired in 2006, into Medimmune, which it purchased in April for $15.2 billion, according to The Times newspaper in London. The plan is to build Medimmune, of Gaithersburg, Md., into a standalone subsidiary focused on biotechnology drugs, according to the report. Other parts of AstraZeneca also will reportedly be rolled into the Medimmune franchise. Jamie Lacey, a spokeswoman for Medimmune, told the paper that "Because there is some duplication of functions, there have been some redundancies across both CAT and Medimmune." She was quoted as saying that no cuts were expected in research, and that the Cambridge, UK, headquarters of CAT will be one of Medimmune's three global centers, with Gaithersburg and Mountain View, Calif.

• Asuragen Pharmacogenomic Services, a division of Asuragen Inc. of Austin, Texas, has entered into a research collaboration with Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., to develop a biomarker and pharmacogenomic test for cancer clinical trials. Under the terms of the agreement, Asuragen will apply the information gained from an expression signature identified by Merck's oncology research program to the development of a diagnostic assay for use in Merck's cancer clinical trials and to potentially form the basis for commercial companion diagnostic tests for oncology therapies. Asuragen will receive an undisclosed payment for the development of the test, which is expected to be completed in 2008. Upon completion of assay development and validation, Asuragen will be eligible for additional payments associated with successful transfer of the diagnostic assays to clinical reference laboratories.

• BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lincolnshire, Ill., has been notified by Nasdaq that its common stock has been approved for listing on The Nasdaq Global Market. BioSante's board of directors approved a switch from the American Stock Exchange. The company is going through required regulatory processes associated with the switch and expects its common stock to begin trading on Nasdaq under the symbol BPAX in early to mid-November 2007. BioSante's common stock will continue to trade on the American Stock Exchange under its current symbol BPA in the meantime.

• GeneGo Inc., of St. Joseph, Mich., licensed its MetaCore Data Mining Suite to AVEO Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass. MetaCore is designed to provide an in-depth knowledge base for human diseases and includes functions to visualize gene expression, proteomics, and genetic and metabolic data. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

• Genomic Health Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., said its Oncotype DX breast cancer assay, used to predict the likelihood of disease recurrence and likelihood of chemotherapy benefit for node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients, has been included in updated guidelines on the use of breast cancer tumor markers by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

• Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., said shareholders of New York-based Bioenvision Inc. voted to approve its acquisition by Genzyme, and Bioenvision shares have now ceased trading and will be delisted from Nasdaq. Fifty-six percent of Bioenvision's issued and outstanding shares of common and preferred stock supported the merger, representing about 67 percent of the total shares voted. The companies first entered the agreement in May, which calls for Genzyme to buy its clofarabine partner in an all-cash transaction valued at about $345 million. (See BioWorld Today, May 30, 2007.)

• Gilead Sciences Inc., of Foster City, Calif., said its board of directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $3 billion of the company's common stock through December 2010. Purchases may be made in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions from time to time, as determined by Gilead's management. As of Sept. 30, 2007, Gilead had approximately 928,864,666 shares of common stock outstanding.

• Immunosyn Corp., of La Jolla, Calif., said its stock will begin trading Friday on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board. Immunosyn is developing distribution lines for SF-1019, a product licensed from its largest shareholder, Argyll Biotechnologies LLC, also of La Jolla, which is preparing to enter clinical trials and has shown potential in treating autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, neurological disorders such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, as well as complications from diabetes mellitus.

• Optherion Inc., of New Haven, Conn., licensed from the University of Pittsburgh worldwide rights to develop diagnostic products for age-related macular degeneration associated with specific variations on chromosome 10. University scientists published findings in 2005 showing a link between that chromosome, specifically the LOC387715 and HTRA1 genes, and AMD. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Scolr Pharma Inc., of Bellevue, Wash., entered a collaboration and license agreement with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, of Hyderabad, India, to pursue development and commercialization of an undisclosed oral prescription drug with potential for the cardiopulmonary market, using Scolr's CDT technology. Under the terms, Dr. Reddy's will be responsible for development, manufacturing and marketing of the product, while Scolr will handle the formulation and assisting with product scale-up activities. The deal provides double-digit participation in net profits for Scolr after recovery of development and commercialization expenses associated with the potential product. Further terms were not disclosed.

• Sonus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Bothell, Wash., engaged Ferghana Partners Inc. as its advisor to assist the firm in identifying, evaluation and pursuing alternative strategies to maximize shareholder value. Sonus develops cancer drugs and moved its second product candidate, Tocosol Camptothecin, into Phase I testing last year.

• SRI International, of Menlo Park, Calif., was awarded a $7.9 million contract by the National Cancer Institute to conduct analytical chemistry evaluations of cancer drugs and dosage formulations. The contract aims to further the development of promising compounds by providing resources to investigators developing new therapies.

• Targacept Inc., of Winston-Salem, N.C., said it plans to advance TC-5214, one of two enantiomers of mecamylamine hydrochloride, into clinical development as an augmentation therapy for patients who are inadequate responders to first-line antidepressant treatments. The company plans to initiate a Phase I trial in the first quarter of 2008 and follow up with Phase II development soon after. Targacept has no current plans to conduct further clinical development of mecamylamine.

• YM BioSciences Inc., of Mississauga, Ontario, said its board adopted a renewed shareholders' rights plan, which is designed to encourage the fair treatment of shareholders in connection with any take-over offer for the company. The plan was not adopted in response to any anticipated takeover bid.