• Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd., of Toronto, obtained an exclusive worldwide license to targets on superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1), a protein known to misfold and aggregate in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as a five-year option to acquire the intellectual property and know-how surrounding the technology. The company plans to use those targets to initiate a therapeutic program for neurodegenerative diseases, beginning with ALS. Under the terms, Amorfix agreed to invest a minimum of $300,000.

• Avantogen Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, and San Diego, and Innovate Oncology Inc., of New York, formed an agreement whereby Innovate will merge with a wholly owned subsidiary of Avantogen, thereby acquiring Avantogen's 50 percent interest in the pancreatic chemoresistance inhibitor, RP101. Avantogen also will contribute to Innovate $1.1 million at the close of the transaction, which involves in total the issuance of 32 million shares of common stock in Innovate. Avantogen will then own about 54 percent of the company.

• Cephalon Inc., of Frazer, Pa., entered agreements with Barr Laboratories Inc., of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., to settle its pending patent infringement disputes in the U.S. related to Provigil (modafinil) tablets and Actiq (oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate). Cephalon will grant Barr a nonexclusive royalty-bearing right to market and sell a generic version of Provigil in the U.S., and it will grant Barr an exclusive royalty-bearing right to market and sell a generic version of Actiq in the U.S. Terms of the agreements are confidential. Separately, Cephalon said the FDA extended the action date for its review of the new drug application for Nuvigil (armodafinil) tablets to improve wakefulness in patients suffering from excessive sleepiness associated with narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder and obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome to April 30, 2006.

• CyGenics Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, said it will be part of a new international collaborative effort aimed at cancer treatments by developing and mobilizing immune cells outside the human body. Called PACRIMA, the project brings together Division Haemato-Oncology of University Hospital Maastricht (AZM), the Netherlands; CyGenics; Maia-Scientific NV, of Belgium; Pharmacell BV, of the Netherlands; and a leading stem cell research institute in Japan.

• Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, of Hyderabad, India, and Argenta Discovery Ltd., of Harlow, UK, entered an agreement for the joint development and commercialization of a novel approach to the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will collaborate to identify clinical candidates from a certain class of compounds from Dr. Reddy's for use as treatments for COPD. The parties will jointly develop the selected candidates from the preclinical stage up to Phase IIa.

• Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, extended three research collaborations into 2006 with BASF Aktiengesellschaft in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The extensions, worth more than €700,000 (US$846,516) will progress discovery research services for BASF programs undertaken by Galapagos' service division BioFocus in 2005. BioFocus will offer biology, synthetic and computational chemistry services, plus access to its biologically-targeted SoftFocus Kinase and GPCR compound libraries against further BASF targets. BASF will pay compound supply and access fees and will fund research activities.

• Genta Inc., of Berkeley Heights, N.J., said a scientist presented analyses that confirmed the major efficacy variables from the company's randomized Phase III trial of Genasense (oblimersen) plus chemotherapy in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma. The data were presented in Paris at the 17th International Congress on Anticancer Treatment. A Marketing Authorization Application has been submitted to the European Medicines Agency.

• Integrated DNA Technologies, of Coralville, Iowa, completed its acquisition of Houston-based custom oligonucleotide supplier Synthegen Inc., which was founded in 1996. The acquisition further expands the company's expertise in the synthesizing modified oligonucleotides.

• OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Melville, N.Y., said the European Commission granted approval for Macugen (pegaptanib sodium injection) for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Macugen will be marketed in Europe by OSI's partner, New York-based Pfizer Inc. The companies co-promote the product in the U.S.

• RoundTable Healthcare, of Lake Forest, Ill., acquired a majority interest in Bioniche Pharma Group Ltd., of Belleville, Ontario. BLSI and the ICC Private Equity Fund, which is managed by Bank of Scotland Ltd., each will retain reduced minority ownership stakes in the company. The existing Bioniche Pharma management team also will retain an ownership stake in the company and will lead the organization. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Samaritan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Las Vegas, agreed to exclusively license "Use of Spirostenols to treat Mitochondrial Disorders" from Georgetown University. Mitochondria are specialized compartments present in every cell of the body, except red blood cells and are responsible for generating more than 90 percent of the energy needed to sustain life.

• Shogoo Pharmaceuticals KK, of Tokyo, signed an agreement with BioSphings AG, of Frankfurt, Germany, to obtain rights to develop and commercialize BioSphings' SPK-0601, a small-molecule compound for diseases caused by viral infection. BioSphings will receive up-front and milestone payments. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.

• SkyePharma plc, of London, following a review of internal and external candidates, appointed Argeris Karabelas as nonexecutive chairman. Karabelas served as CEO of Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland, and as president of the North American operations of SmithKline Beecham. He has been a nonexecutive director of SkyePharma since 2000.