• Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, and partner LG Life Sciences Ltd., of Seoul, South Korea, presented preclinical data showing that ANA380 (LB80380) retains potency in vitro against multiple mutant strains of hepatitis B virus (HBV) that are resistant to other leading treatments. The companies are discussing the next steps for the oral small-molecule inhibitor of HBV polymerase, including a Phase IIb dose selection trial. The data were presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver.

• Avista Capital Partners, of New York, a private equity firm, has completed its acquisition of BioReliance Corp., of Rockville, Md., for approximately $210 million. Tim Derrington, current general manager of BioReliance under its previous owner, Invitrogen Corp., of Carlsbad, Calif., has been appointed CEO. Charles Harwood has been named executive chairman of the BioReliance board of directors. BioReliance will operated as a stand-alone company.

• Competitive Technologies Inc., of Fairfield, Conn., expanded a license with Focus Diagnostics Inc., a subsidiary of Lyndhurst, N.J.-based Quest Diagnostics Inc. The license concerns production of enterovirus assay kits, which tech transfer firm Competitive Technologies out-licensed for the University of Colorado.

• PSivida Ltd., of Perth, Australia, is selling subsidiary Aion Diagnostics Inc. to portfolio management company GEM Global Yield Fund for $3 million. Aion holds the exclusive license for pSivida's BioSilicon nanostructured porous silicon technology in non-electronic imaging diagnostic applications, from which pSivida will receive royalties on any commercialized products. PSivida's nanotech drug delivery technologies are used in a variety of approved and clinical-stage cancer and eye disease products.

• Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, said its subsidiary Qiagen North American Holdings Inc. agreed to acquire eGene Inc., of Irvine, Calif., for $34 million in cash and stock. The deal has been approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close in the third quarter. Qiagen provides sample and assay technologies, while eGene has sample separation and analysis technology based on capillary electrophoresis. EGene (OTC BB:EGEI) traded up 40.4 percent, or 38 cents on Friday, to close at $1.32, while Qiagen (NASDAQ:QGEN) gained 3 cents to close at $18.01.

• SkyePharma plc, of London, said the FDA has accepted for filing the application by its partner, GlaxoSmithKline, of London, for REQUIP XL 24-Hour Extended-Release Tablets, the proposed brand name for a once-daily formulation of ropinirole for treating Parkinson's disease. The new formulation is designed to provide a steady rate of absorption in the body to help reduce blood plasma fluctuations over 24 hours. Ropinirole is a non-ergot dopamine agonist currently marketed as REQUIP (ropinirole HCl) Tablets for the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's disease and is administered three times a day.

• Syndax Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Waltham, Mass., exclusively licensed worldwide rights to the oral, selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor MS-275 from Bayer Schering Pharma AG, of Berlin. Specific financial terms were not disclosed, but Bayer will receive up-front fees and milestone payments. Syndax intends to begin Phase II cancer trials this year with the drug, renamed SNDX-275, which is now the new company's lead product. (See BioWorld Today, April 4, 2007.)

• Thallion Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Montreal, participated in a joint advisory panel convened by the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to discuss clinical trial procedures for the treatment of Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection (STEC). The committee is considering several issues related to therapeutic development in STEC, including alternatives to standard endpoints historically used, such as those proposed by Thallion to the FDA. One key question is the appropriate primary endpoint for the determination of efficacy in a pivotal trial. To date, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) has been the primary efficacy endpoint for all recent STEC clinical trials. The panel is discussing the merits of potential alternative endpoints, including composites of surrogate endpoints such as those proposed by Thallion.