• Biotecnol SA,of Oeiras, Portugal, andPeregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tustin, Calif., agreed to collaborate on the development of targeted immunocytokine agents for cancer and other diseases using Peregrine's Vascular Targeting Agent platform and Biotecnol's Tribody technology to fuse anti-phospholipid targeting agents to one or more cytokines in a Tribody format. Work done in the collaboration is expected to result in a license agreement from Biotecnol to Peregrine for development and commercialization of any resulting agents. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Elan Corp. plc, of Dublin, Ireland, and Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., submitted a supplemental biologics license application seeking approval of Tysabri (natalizumab) for patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. The filing is based on the results of trials assessing the drug as both an induction and maintenance therapy and includes proposed labeling and a risk-management plan similar to that of multiple sclerosis, for which Tysabri was approved earlier this year.

• Endotherm GmbH, of Saarbruecken, Germany, entered a collaboration with PharmaInformatic, of Emden, Germany, to develop and optimize new antiviral agents. PharmaInformatic will use its cheminformatics systems to predict antiviral and pharmacokinetic properties of compounds based on computer calculations, and promising candidates will be identified and directly synthesized by Endotherm. Further terms of the deal were not disclosed.

• Graffinity Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Heidelberg, Germany, said its partner, Ingelheim, Germany-based Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., decided to exercise options in the companies' original agreement to significantly increase the number of targets screened by Graffinity. Under the terms, Graffinity will receive additional technology access fees for the generation of multiple small-molecule hit series against drug targets from different therapeutic areas. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said Waltham, Mass.-based Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc., its partner for satraplatin, filed a demand for arbitration and statement of claim with the American Arbitration Association to resolve a dispute under the companies' co-development and license agreement for satraplatin. In its allegations, Spectrum claims it is entitled to a payment of €9 million (US$12 million) in connection with a reimbursement for past development expenses, and alleges that GPC has not used "commercially reasonable efforts" to gain regulatory approval of the drug and to promote satraplatin in Japan. In response, GPC said Spectrum's claims are "made in bad faith," and are without merit, and the company intends to seek an affirmative declaration that it has not defaulted on any material obligation under the license agreement. The companies have worked together since October 2002, when Spectrum licensed satraplatin, a third-generation platinum analogue, to GPC for development against cancer.

• Pevion Biotech Ltd., of Berne, Switzerland, began a Phase I trial of a virosome-based therapeutic hepatitis C vaccine. The vaccine combines the company's proprietary vaccine technologies, PevitTER and PeviPRO, which induce cytotoxic T-lymphocyte and helper T-cell responses, respectively. The study, which involves 30 healthy volunteers, is led by Giuseppe Pantaleo at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at the University Hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is due to be completed by the end of 2007.

• Schwarz Pharma AG, of Monheim, Germany, said it transferred project rights from a 2003 urology research cooperation to 4SC AG, of Martinsried, Germany, following the company's new strategic positioning. The collaboration aimed to create drugs for urological illnesses, and has resulted in a lead compound, SC76803, which now will be taken by 4SC through development until it is ready for a marketing partner. Schwarz completed the transfer in exchange for a share in potential license earnings in an undisclosed amount.

• Tibotec Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Cork, Ireland, said the Committee for Human Medicinal Products recommended conditional approval of Prezista (darunavir, also known as TMC114) for HIV based on results of 24-week pooled analysis of the POWER 1 and POWER 2 Phase II studies. The company anticipates receiving conditional marketing authorization by the European Commission by early next year. Prezista is in Phase III studies, in combination with ritonavir, vs. lopinavir/ritonavir in treatment-experienced and treatment-na ve HIV patients.