• Advanced Cell Technology Inc., of Alameda, Calif., exclusively licensed an intellectual property portfolio in regard to somatic cell reprogramming from TranXenoGen Inc., of Shrewsbury, Mass. The IP covers techniques for the reprogramming of somatic cell nuclei. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., completed the acquisition of Abgenix Inc., of Fremont, Calif., for a total cash consideration of about $2.2 billion plus assumed debt. Final regulatory approvals were received in January and Abgenix stockholders overwhelmingly approved Amgen's acquisition during a special meeting in late March. The merger agreement, in which Amgen paid $22.50 in cash per share of Abgenix common stock, was announced in December. (See BioWorld Today, Dec. 15, 2005.)

• Arius Research Inc., of Toronto, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, entered a three-year multi-product collaboration using Arius' FunctionFirst platform to discover treatments for human disease. Under the agreement, Arius will receive an up-front technology access fee of $2 million, consisting of $1 million each in cash and equity investments, and research funding for the three years. Takeda will assume the responsibility and costs of development and commercialization, while Arius will be entitled to milestones and royalties and will have an option to co-develop any product. Specific terms were not disclosed.

• BioInvent International AB, of Lund, Sweden, and Immusol Inc., of San Diego, agreed to collaborate on the development of a fully human n-CoDeR antibody for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and other ophthalmic disorders. Immusol will contribute its work in ophthalmology and intellectual property rights covering the use of antagonists against a biological identified to play a role in the underlying pathological process of AMD. BioInvent will provide its knowledge and experience in angiogenesis, immunology and therapeutic antibody discovery and development. The companies will share costs and revenues in further development and commercialization.

• Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd., of Petach Tikva, Israel, signed a memorandum of understanding with an undisclosed Japanese company for out-licensing rights to use Can-Fite's CF101 for treatment of inflammatory diseases in Japan. Subject to a definitive agreement, expected within a few months, the license will provide the Japanese company with exclusive use of CF101, both oral and intravenous administration, in Japan and, subject to negotiations, other Asian countries. Financial terms are expected to include an up-front licensing fee, milestone payments, clinical development funding and royalties.

• Chiron Corp., of Emeryville, Calif., amended its previously announced merger agreement with Basel, Switzerland-based Novartis AG, providing for Novartis to raise its buyout offer to $48 per share for the 56 percent of outstanding stock that Novartis does not already own. The amended merger agreement was unanimously approved by Chiron's non-Novartis directors, and Chiron shareholders CAM North America and ValueAct Capital, which rejected the previous offer of $45 per share as too low, agreed to vote in favor of the amended terms. Before accepting the $45-per-share offer in October, Chiron had turned down Novartis' bid of $40 per share. Chiron rescheduled the planned shareholder meeting from April 12 meeting to April 19, and the company expects the deal to close shortly after the vote. Shares of Chiron (NASDAQ:CHIR) gained $2.11 Monday to close at $47.92. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 1, 2005.)

• Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., received marketing authorization for Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa) in the European Union for long-term enzyme replacement therapy in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Pompe disease. The company said it will introduce Myozyme on a country-by-country basis, as pricing and reimbursement approvals are obtained. The drug has received orphan medicinal product designation in Europe.

• ImClone Systems Inc., of New York, said Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, was granted marketing authorization by the European Commission to extend the use of Erbitux (cetuximab), in combination with radiotherapy, to treat patients with locally advanced squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The U.S. approval, which occurred last month, triggered a $250 million milestone payment to ImClone under its commercial agreement with New York-based Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., marking the final milestone payment in which ImClone has received $900 million in total. The European license application is based on the results from a randomized, international Phase III trial in 424 patients with locally or regionally advanced SCCHN. Erbitux already is licensed in 53 countries for metastatic colorectal cancer after failure of irinotecan-based chemotherapy. Separately, ImClone presented preclinical data at the 97th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington that suggested that antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity is a novel mechanism of action of Erbitux.

• Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery Inc., of Princeton, N.J., formed an exclusive licensing agreement with New York-based Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. for worldwide development and commercialization rights to compounds discovered that possess dual angiotensin and endothelin receptor antagonist (DARA) activity. Pharmacopeia acquired exclusive rights to certain lead and backup DARA development candidates under the Bristol-Myers patents claiming the compounds, and it plans to start preclinical development immediately. Pharmacopeia will provide Bristol-Myers with a set of compound libraries and pay clinical and regulatory milestone payments and royalties on sales of potential products. The company's stock (NASDAQ:PCOP) fell 48 cents Monday to close at $5.45, but Pharmacopeia told BioWorld Today the company paid no cash to pick up compounds that BMS already had invested $20 million. The program was halted by BMS because it is de-emphasizing cardiovascular research, but Pharmacopeia could have the program in the clinic within a year.

• ProMetic Life Sciences Inc., of Montreal, said its subsidiary, ProMetic BioTherapeutics Inc., signed a collaboration for Sartorius AG, of Goettingen, Germany, to be a preferred supplier and technology provider to ProMetic's Plasma Protein Purification System licensees. The deal also calls for the companies to work together on the development of ligand-membrane composites for the isolation of the proteins from blood plasma and other sources. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Valera Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cranbury, N.J., completed its acquisition of the new drug application and other assets associated with Valstar (valrubicin, known as Valtaxin in Canada), and expects to begin marketing the product in the U.S. by the end of the fourth quarter. Valstar, a chemotherapeutic anthracycline derivative, in indicated for use as an intravesical therapy of BCG-refractory carcinoma in situ of the urinary bladder in patients unable to undergo immediate cystectomy. Valstar was approved in 1998, but has been out of the marketplace since 2002 and has since been included in the FDA's Drug Shortage Program.