• AEterna Zentaris Inc., of Quebec City, promoted Jurgen Ernst from vice chairman to chairman of the board of directors. Ernst replaces company founder Eric Dupont, who retired. Additionally, AEterna Zentaris President and CEO David Mazzo was appointed to the board.

• ArGentis Pharmaceuticals LLC, of Memphis, Tenn., licensed from the University of Tennessee Research Foundation intellectual property surrounding the use of solubilized Type I native bovine collagen as a treatment for systemic sclerosis and other fibrosing diseases. In a National Institutes of Health-funded, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 168-patient Phase II trial, the collagen treatment significantly improved measures of skin thickening in recently-diagnosed systemic sclerosis patients (p=0.006). ArGentis plans to conduct post-Phase II meetings with the FDA and EMEA in the next few months.

• Athenix Corp., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., said field trials showed corn plants featuring a new class of genes can withstand at least eight times the standard field rate of glyphosate recommended for currently available glyphosate-tolerant corn. Even after being sprayed with glyphosate at a high rate, corn plants displayed no signs of injury, Athenix said. The new class of glyphosate-tolerant genes encodes enzymes capable of providing high levels of tolerance to glyphosate, the company said. Athenix expects to submit a regulatory package in the U.S. for corn containing one of its new genes in late 2008. The genes also are being introduced into soybeans.

• Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd., of Charlotte, N.C., received orphan product designations from the European Commission for Droxidopa in the treatment of orthostatic hypotension in patients with pure autonomic failure (PAF) and in patients with multiple systems atrophy (MSA). Earlier this year, Droxidopa received orphan drug status in the U.S. in PAF. Droxidopa is a synthetic precursor of norepinephrine and is approved in Japan. Chelsea plans to initiate a pivotal Phase III trial with the drug later this year.

• CV Therapeutics Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., said the FDA has approved its 1,000-mg tablet of Ranexa (ranolazine extended-release tablets). The approved labeling recommends that Ranexa be initiated at 500 mg twice daily and increased to 1,000 mg twice daily, as needed, based on clinical symptoms. Previously, patients taking 1,000 mg b.i.d. had to take four 500-mg Ranexa tablets per day.

• EPIX Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lexington, Mass., has achieved an initial milestone under its collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, related to the first of three discovery stage programs. EPIX has identified three lead candidates that will move forward into lead optimization in the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) discovery program. Under the collaboration, EPIX is entitled to a $3 million milestone payment from GSK in the next 30 days. EPIX and GSK entered the partnership in December 2006 to discover, develop and market novel medicines targeting four G-protein coupled receptors GPCRs for the treatment of a variety of diseases. (See BioWorld Today, Dec. 13, 2006.)

• GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, said the FDA accepted for review its biologics license application for Rotarix, an oral candidate vaccine for infants to prevent rotavirus gastroenteritis. The rotavirus candidate vaccine is a live-attenuated vaccine derived from the most common human rotavirus strain, and is licensed in 99 countries around the world. The product was developed with Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc., of Needham, Mass.

• KineMed Inc., of Emeryville, Calif., has extended its alliance with contract research organization CMIC Co. Ltd., of Tokyo. Under the terms of the extended agreement, CMIC will seek compounds within Japanese pharmaceutical firms for in-licensing by KineMed, with a focus on metabolic disease, fibrosis and reverse cholesterol transport. According to the agreement, CMIC will have the option to become KineMed's partner and co-fund clinical development for the Japanese market.

• Lpath Inc., of San Diego, listed its stock on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol HQ8.FSE. The company's shares also trade on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board as LPTN. Lpath's lead product, the monoclonal antibody Sphingomab, is slated to enter the clinic next year.

• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., received a $20 million milestone payment from partner Bayer HealthCare AG, of Berlin, tied to the recent initiation of a Phase III trial of VEGF Trap-Eye in the neovascular form of wet age-related macular degeneration. The non-inferiority trial will compare VEGF Trap-Eye to Lucentis (ranibizumab, Genentech Inc.), and a second, similar trial is slated to begin before the end of the year. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 6, 2007.)

• SurModics Inc., of Eden Prairie, Minn., has acquired BioFX Laboratories Inc., of Owings Mills, Md., for $11.3 million in cash at closing and up to an additional $11.4 million in cash upon the successful achievement of specified revenue targets. BioFX Laboratories manufactures substrates, a component of diagnostic test kits used to detect and signal that a certain reaction has taken place. It generated sales of $3.5 million in calendar year 2006, a 16 percent growth over calendar year 2005 sales. SurModics said the company is profitable and cash flow positive, and the acquisition is expected to be accretive to SurModics' fiscal 2008 earnings and beyond. Earlier this month Surmodics acquired Brookwood Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Birmingham, Ala., for $40 million in cash at closing and up to an additional $22 million in cash upon the successful achievement of specified milestones.

• Zila Inc., of Phoenix, restructured its business through the amendment of a $12 million convertible note, an evaluation of its cancer-detection OraTest program and cost-reduction measures. Restrictive covenants were removed from the convertible note. Having completed a review on OraTest, the company decided to continue enrollment in the Phase III clinical trial at least through September, and has begun the process of seeking a partner that will be needed to continue the OraTest program. Finally, Zila eliminated about 20 full-time positions, and full-time equivalent consultants, representing an estimated annual cost of about $3 million.