• Adventrx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, and TRx Pharma LLC, of Chapel Hill, N.C., said Zanaflu was registered as the brand name for ANX-211 (chitosan gel), a product for the common cold and influenza. TRx Pharma plans to launch Zanaflu for the 2007 cold and influenza season. TRx acquired U.S. rights to chitosan gel in October. Adventrx would receive additional payments upon launch of the first licensed product, in addition to double-digit royalties on all sales by TRx Pharma and its affiliates.

• Alfacell Corp., of Bloomfield, N.J., said in vivo data demonstrating the potential of Onconase (ranpirnase) in treating non-small-cell lung cancer were published in Anticancer Research. Data showed Onconase significantly inhibited tumor growth of A549 NSCLC cells both in vitro and in vivo; apoptosis was significantly induced in a dose-dependent manner. The drug with cisplatin also significantly reduced the growth of tumor cells, including those previously treated unsuccessfully with cisplatin.

• Antisoma plc, of London, signed a deal with Microtest, a contract manufacturing and testing laboratory based in Agawam, Mass., to begin the aseptic manufacturing of the cancer drug AS141. Under the terms, Microtest will handle formulation and aseptic fill/finish of AS1411 material supply for upcoming Phase II trials and will be responsible for stability testing of the compound. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• BioLineRx Ltd., of Jerusalem, in-licensed two therapeutics candidates: BL-3040, a small molecule for treating estrogen-regulated malignancies and osteoporosis; and BL-3050, a protein complex for treating atherosclerosis. BL-3040 and BL-3050 were licensed from Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd., the technology transfer company of the Weizmann Institute of Science, and the Medical Research and Infrastructure Fund of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. BioLineRx said it now has 14 drug candidates under development.

• BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lincolnshire, Ill., said it a received a $7 million milestone payment under the terms of its Elestrin (estradiol gel) licensing agreement with Bradley Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Fairfield, N.J. The payment was the first of two triggered by the December 2006 FDA approval of Elestrin for hot flashes. An additional $3.5 million payment is due in December. BioSante also could receive up to $40 million in sales milestones, plus royalties. Bradley expects to launch Elestrin in mid-2007, BioSante said. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 9, 2006, and Dec. 16, 2006.)

• Centocor Inc., of Horsham, Pa., and Schering-Plough Corp., of Kenilworth, N.J., said the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency issued a positive opinion recommending the approval of Remicade (infliximab) for treating severe, active Crohn's disease. The recommendation covers treatment in patients ages 6 to 17 who have not responded to conventional therapies including a corticosteroid, an immunomodulator and primary nutrition therapy, or who are intolerant to, or have contraindications for, such therapies. The FDA in May 2006 approved Remicade for pediatric patients with moderately to severely active CD who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy. Remicade was first approved in the U.S. for adult Crohn's disease in 1998.

• Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, and DSM Biologics, of Sittard, the Netherlands, granted the Development Center for Biotechnology in Taipei, Taiwan, a nonexclusive PER.C6 research license. DCB will use the PER.C6 human cell line for its in-house production of undisclosed recombinant proteins.

• EvoGenix Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, said it received an undisclosed milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, upon GSK's confirmation of successful completion of the companies' first project. EvoGenix is using its EvoGene protein-optimization technology to develop improved versions of a GSK protein product. The protein variants generated had improvements in affinity that exceeded the 20-fold goal specified in the collaboration. EvoGenix is eligible to receive additional milestone payments, as well as royalties on resulting sales, under the October 2005 collaboration.

• Generex Biotechnology Corp., of Toronto, said its Antigen Express subsidiary entered an agreement with Beijing Daopei Hospital in China to conduct clinical trials of an immunotherapeutic strategy using the company's methods of RNAi stimulation of the immune response against the patients' immune cells. The approach involves modifying the patient's cancer cells to increase their immunogenicity and thereby enable the immune system to fight off the cancer. The study is focused on patients with acute myelogenous leukemia.

• Genta Inc., of Berkeley Heights, N.J., said it was verbally informed that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency is likely to issue a negative opinion on the Genasense (oblimersen) marketing authorization application for patients with advanced melanoma. The company anticipates that decision based on feedback provided subsequent to a meeting with the CHMP last week. Genta could request re-examination of the initial CHMP opinion, including a review by a specialist scientific advisory group. It said it would evaluate its options after receiving additional feedback from the CHMP. Genta's stock (NASDAQ:GNTA) fell 6 cents Monday, or 15.4 percent, to close at 34 cents.

• Inimex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, published data showing IDR-1 protected mice against resistant infections without causing harmful inflammation. The study was reported in the April 2007 issue of Nature Biotechnology. IDR technology, or Innate Defense Regulators, is an approach designed to selectively trigger the body's innate defenses without causing inflammation.

• Inovio Biomedical Corp., of San Diego, said a paper in the Journal of Virology concluded that in vivo electroporation appeared safe and could improve the delivery and immunogenicity of a multivector, multiantigen pDNA vaccine in non-human primates. The paper was published by Wyeth, of Madison, N.J., which licensed the technology from Inovio in November. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 6, 2006.)

• Inyx Inc., of New York, said Inyx Chairman and CEO Jack Kachkar, along with an outside investor, offered $3.01 per share in cash for Inyx in a deal that would take the company private. Inyx management in November had approached the board about its interest in taking the company private. Non-affiliated stockholders own about 67.5 percent of the 53.6 million outstanding shares. The total paid, after accounting for warrants and options, would be about $115 million (affiliated shareholders would transfer their holdings into the private company). The $3.01 offer matches the highest closing price for Inyx shares, in March 2006. It is a 31 percent premium to the $2.30 average closing price this quarter and 15 percent more than the $2.61 closing price Friday. The stock (OTC BB:IYXI) gained 8 cents Monday to close at $2.69. A committee of independent directors, along with an independent investment-banking firm, will evaluate the offer and issue a recommendation. Inyx is developing niche drug-delivery technologies and products for treating various conditions.

• Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., reported data showing that its M118, a next-generation anticoagulant, demonstrated superior efficacy to a standard dose of unfractionated heparin in an animal model of acute arterial thrombosis, indicating the product's potential in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Data was presented at the American College of Cardiology's annual scientific session in New Orleans.

• Plureon Corp., of Winston-Salem, N.C., received a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases to advance the company's platform stem cell technology in diabetes. The grant provides $1 million in funding over a two-year period and could be extended after that for a total of up to $4 million. Plureon develops a platform technology based on pluripotent stem cells obtained from amniotic fluid and placenta.

• RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of Bethesda, Md., reported preclinical data from a study of thymosin beta 4 administered intravenously to mice that had a surgically induced myocardial infarction. About 73 percent of treated mice survived for the duration of the study vs. 47 percent for those receiving placebo.

• SkyePharma plc, of London, completed the sale of its injectables business to the private equity group Blue Acquisition Corp. The deal called for about $20 million up front and up to about $61 million in potential milestone payments. The deal means a previous £14.8M (US$29 million) placement of shares no longer is conditional, and the shares began trading. At the same time, Paul Capital Healthcare restructured investments in SkyePharma, converting its royalty participation in 14 of SkyePharma's marketed and pipeline products into a $92.5 million secured note, with additional contingent payments linked to the future sales performance of DepoDur, a pain-management product from the injectables business. The moves complete a financial restructuring SkyePharma disclosed in January. (See BioWorld Today, Jan. 10, 2007.)

• The Cleveland Clinic, of Cleveland, reported data showing that a single administration of DNA encoding the anti-inflammatory protein interferon-beta using San Diego-based Ichor Medical System's TriGrid Delivery System reduced the development of plaque formation in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. Research was presented at the American College of Cardiology's scientific session in New Orleans.

• Vical Inc., of San Diego, said its licensee, Merial Ltd., a joint venture of Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck & Co. Inc. and Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis, received conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to market a therapeutic DNA vaccine designed to treat melanoma in dogs. The approval triggers a $200,000 milestone payment to Vical. Conditional approval allows Merial to market the vaccine while collecting additional efficacy data to support full marketing approval. Merial plans to launch the product using Vitaject 3, a spring-based drug delivery device from Portland, Ore.-based Bioject Medical Technologies Inc.