• Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., said its board authorized additional repurchases of up to $5 billion in common stock. The company has $1.5 billion remaining under its stock repurchase authorization announced in December. Amgen said its new authorization reflects the firm's "confidence in its long-term prospects." Its stock (NASDAQ:AMGN) gained 98 cents Friday to close at $56.93.

• Biolex Therapeutics Inc., of Pittsboro, N.C., presented preclinical results demonstrating that full-length recombinant plasmin (BLX-155), which is produced with the company's LEX System, is indistinguishable from human plasma-derived plasmin in characterization and activity. Those data were presented at the Congress of The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis in Geneva. BLX-155 is a direct-acting thrombolytic agent designed to dissolve blood clots in patients with diseases or conditions that include acute peripheral arterial disease, deep vein thrombosis and hemodialysis graft thrombosis. Biolex expects to start clinical trials in the first half of 2008.

• Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Houston, and the FDA held a formal Class A preliminary dispute resolution meeting regarding a June 15 approvable letter and the status of Encysive's new drug application for Thelin (sitaxsentan). The company submitted an NDA for Thelin to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension in February 2005. In the approvable letter, the FDA concluded that Encysive's clinical development program for Thelin did not demonstrate significant evidence of efficacy needed for approval. This meeting complies with the FDA's guidance on dispute resolution requiring that a sponsor meet with the division reviewing its NDA prior to requesting formal dispute resolution, and the firm expects to file a request for formal dispute resolution with the FDA soon. (See BioWorld Today, June 19, 2007.)

• Genta Inc., of Berkeley Heights, N.J., said the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel granted its request for continued listing, subject to certain conditions, including the implementation of a reverse stock split by no later than July 13, 2007, and subsequent compliance with the $1 minimum bid price requirement for at least 10 consecutive business days. Genta's board approved a 1-for-6 reverse stock split, effective Friday, which will reduce the number of outstanding shares from about 184 million to about 31 million.

• Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Bethesda, Md., submitted a supplemental new drug application for a lower strength of lubiprostone (8 mcg) to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Lubiprostone, developed by Sucampo, is approved for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation in adults as Amitiza (24 mcg).

• UCB SA, of Brussels, Belgium, launched a minority buyout offer for its 87.6 percent-owned German unit Schwarz Pharma AG, of Monheim, Germany. UCB said the terms of the buyout have been registered in the German commercial register. Last September, UCB disclosed its plan, saying the offer for each Schwarz share would be €50 (US$63.73) in cash and 0.8735 of one new ordinary share in UCB, valuing each Schwarz share at €91.1 based on the closing price of a UCB share on Sept. 22, 2006. The Schwarz family, owning about 60 percent of the issued share capital of Schwarz, has committed to accept the proposed offer and to hold at least 41.5 percent of the UCB shares they receive until after June 2010.