• Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Madison, N.J., presented data showing the safety profile of Enbrel (etanercept) was maintained during eight years of treatment for moderate-to-severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. In the open-label trial, the overall rate of serious adverse events did not increase, and there were no deaths or cases of lymphomas or other malignancies, tuberculosis or other opportunistic infections reported. Data were presented at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Annual Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

• Biovest International Inc., of Worcester, Mass., a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals Inc., said an independent data monitoring committee (DMC) had no safety concerns after reviewing blinded data from an ongoing Phase III trial of cancer vaccine BiovaxID in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The DMC recommended that the trial continue but that the CHOP-R induction chemotherapy arm remain active while the PACE therapy arm is discontinued. The DMC also requested an unblinded interim analysis of all primary and secondary endpoints in September. If the analysis is positive, Biovest plans to submit applications for conditional accelerated approval to the FDA and EMEA in mid-2008. Shares of Biovest (OTC BB:BVTI) gained 12.9 percent, or 8 cents, to close at 70 cents on Wednesday.

• Chroma Therapeutics Ltd., of Oxford, UK, received clearance of its investigational new drug application for CHR-2797, an oral aminopeptidase inhibitor for the treatment of cancer. Chroma is planning a Phase II trial of CHR-2797 in non-small-cell lung cancer and is already conducting a Phase II trial in acute myeloid leukemia.

• EPIX Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lexington, Mass., said data from its Phase III trial of PRX-00023, a long-acting 5-HT1A agonist, showing that the drug demonstrated a trend in reducing the level of anxiety vs. placebo in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, though top-line data reported in September showed the trial did not meet its primary endpoint of a change from baseline in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety. Data also indicated a statistically significant change in the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, a secondary endpoint of the 311-patient study. Results were presented at the New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit meeting in Boca Raton, Fla. EPIX initiated in March a 330-patient Phase IIb trial in major depressive disorder, with data expected in the first half of 2008.

• WEX Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, received a No Objection Letter from Health Canada regarding its proposed randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 120-patient Phase III trial of Tectin in moderate to severe cancer-related pain. The primary endpoint will be a composite analysis of pain reduction and quality-of-life improvement, based on a discontinued trial, which did not meet its endpoint in pain reduction alone but would have met the composite endpoint. WEX is seeking financing and a partner to support the Phase III trial.