• Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., completed its acquisition of Cranbury, N.J.-based Kos Pharmaceuticals Inc. in a deal valued at about $3.7 billion. The companies entered the agreement in November for Abbott to acquire 100 percent of Kos' outstanding shares, and will incorporate Kos' product lipid portfolio into its development pipeline. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 7, 2006.)

• Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., and Elan Corp. plc, of Dublin, Ireland, 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.

• Biopure Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., said the FDA's Blood Products Advisory Committee voted 11-8, with one abstention, to recommend against proceeding with the U.S. Navy's proposed Phase IIb/III 10,100-patient study of the company's oxygen therapeutic Hemopure (hemoglobin glutamer - 250 [bovine]) for pre-hospital treatment of hemorrhagic shock resulting from traumatic injury. Committee members suggested that a pre-hospital Phase II/IIb study be designed to provide both safety and efficacy data in a smaller patient population. The recommendation, which is not binding to the FDA, came after a day-long hearing at which the committee questioned whether existing data justify a Phase III trial to be conducted under the federal regulation allowing for exception to informed consent in patients who are unable to provide adequate consent given the nature of their injuries. The company's stock (NASDAQ:BPUR) fell 14 cents Friday, or 23.6 percent, to close at 45 cents.

• Lipoxen plc, of London, entered an exclusive, worldwide development and license agreement with a subsidiary of Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter International Inc. to develop improved, longer-acting forms of blood-clotting factors. The deal triggers a $1 million payment to Lipoxen, and includes further clinical and regulatory milestones of up to $75 million, plus royalties on future product sales. It follows a 12-month research evaluation focused on linking Lipoxen's PolyXen drug delivery technology with Baxter's proteins.

• Luminex Corp., of Austin, Texas, entered a definitive agreement to acquire Toronto-based Tm Bioscience Corp., a company focused on DNA-based diagnostics, exchanging each Tm share for 0.06 shares of Luminex common stock. That consideration represents at 41.5 percent premium based upon Tm's closing price of Dec. 14, 2006. Upon completion, Tm shareholders will own about 9 percent of Luminex outstanding stock. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2007.

• MethylGene Inc., of Montreal, said it will not pursue additional clinical trials for MG98, its second-generation antisense compound targeting DNA methyltransferase, and will, along with its North American development partner, Minneapolis-based MGI Pharma Inc., seek alternative development partners or arrangements for the program. MethylGene anticipates saving about $3 million, which it plans to allocate to other programs, including MGCD0103, an oral isotype-selective histone deacetylase inhibitor in Phase II, and other HDAC inhibitor programs.

• OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Melville, N.Y., said the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommended approval of once-daily Tarceva in combination with gemcitabine as first-line therapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer. The recommendation follows a request from OSI's partner, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, for a re-examination of the data supporting Tarceva's filing in that indication. Results from the pivotal Phase III study showed a 23 percent improvement in overall survival with gemcitabine plus Tarceva vs. gemcitabine plus placebo. A final decision is expected from the European Commission within 45 days.

• Roche Diagnostics, of Basel, Switzerland, a unit of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., terminated its four-year collaboration with Berlin-based Epigenomics AG to develop prostate, breast and colorectal cancer screening diagnostic tests based on Epigenomics' DNA methylation technologies. Roche said it reached that decision after determining that the colorectal cancer screening data presented to date by Epigenomics did not meet its criteria for in vitro diagnostic tests.

• 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.