• Abraxis BioScience Inc., of Los Angeles, said Australian regulatory authorities accepted for review its marketing application for Abraxane (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) for metastatic breast cancer. The review period in Australia typically is 12 months to 18 months from the date the application is accepted. Abraxane is approved in the U.S. and a marketing authorization application in pending in Europe.

• Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, received a favorable decision from a Dutch court in a patent dispute against Conor Medsystems Inc., of Menlo Park, Calif. The District Court in The Hague held that Conor's CoStar paclitaxel stent infringes a key claim of the Dutch version of an important Angiotech European stent patent, and that Conor is therefore immediately enjoined from selling CoStar in the Netherlands.

• Insert Therapeutics Inc., of Pasadena, Calif., entered a collaboration deal with R&D Biopharmaceuticals GmbH, of Martinsried, Germany, to develop conjugates of tubulysin, a cancer compound, using Insert's Cyclosert drug delivery system. The agreement provides a research license and an option for an exclusive license to develop and commercialize tubulysin-polymer conjugates. The companies will work jointly on the synthesis of the conjugate, and R&D stands to receive up-front fees and research funding, as well as potential milestones and royalties.

• Sirion Therapeutics Inc., of Tampa, Fla., reached an exclusive licensing agreement with Laboratoires Thea, of Clermont-Ferrand, France, for the U.S. rights to develop and market a topical ophthalmic gel containing ganciclovir for the treatment of certain viral and superficial eye infections. The product currently is marketed by Thea in Europe under the brand name of Virgan. Terms were not disclosed.

• XOMA Ltd., of Berkeley, Calif., said Schering-Plough Corp., of Kenilworth, N.J., exercised its right to initiate additional discovery and development programs under their collaboration for therapeutic antibody products. XOMA has received up-front payments for each of the additional collaboration programs and will get research funding for each project, as well as success-based milestones and royalties.