• Antibe Therapeutics Inc., of Calgary, Alberta, said that studies performed by a European researcher demonstrate a marked increase in potency and efficacy for Antibe's lead compounds for inflammatory bowel disease. The scientist compared the effects of ATB-428 and ATB-429 to those of mesalamine, the first-line therapy for IBD. ATB-428 and ATB-429 are derivatives of mesalamine (5-amino salicylic acid) developed by Antibe.

• Aphton Corp., of Philadelphia, appointed CEO Patrick Mooney chairman. Mooney has served as CEO since January 2004 and will replace Philip Gevas, who is stepping down as chairman but will remain on the board. Aphton's stock fell more than 45 percent in February following news that its lead pancreatic cancer drug, Insegia, failed to meet the primary endpoint in a Phase III trial. (See BioWorld Today, Feb. 15, 2005.)

• Avidex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, published data that for the first time demonstrate that soluble, high-affinity human monoclonal T-cell receptors can be selected using phage display technology. The discovery paves the way for the development of new immunotherapeutics based on T-cell immune response, the company said. The results were published March 1, 2005, in Nature Biotechnology.

• Biokine Therapeutics Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, purchased all rights to T-140, a CXCR4 chemokine receptor antagonist from Nobutaka Fujii of the University of Kyoto in Japan. Financial terms were not disclosed. Biokine is considering developing the drug as a treatment for glioma. T-140 and its analogues reportedly have been shown to be effective in selected inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, as well as blocking HIV infection and treating carcinoma in animal models.

• Biolog Inc., of Hayward, Calif., was awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Biodefense Program. The grant will be used to develop the Phenotype MicroArray technology as a tool in antimicrobial development. It will fund the application of Biolog's technology as a tool for evaluation of biologically active compounds using Staphylococcus aureus as the model organism. That application will be added to the application capabilities of PM technology for research in bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi.

• Cardiome Pharma Corp., of Vancouver, British Columbia, filed a short-form preliminary base prospectus with Canadian securities regulators and a registration statement with the SEC in connection with an offering of 8.5 million common shares. The company plans to grant underwriters a 30-day option to purchase an additional 1.3 million shares to cover overallotments. Cardiome develops drugs to treat or prevent cardiovascular diseases.

• ComGenex Inc., of Budapest, Hungary, extended its exclusive chemistry deal with Bayer Healthcare, a unit of Leverkusen, Germany-based Bayer AG, for a seventh year. ComGenex will continue to provide chemistry services by applying its technologies to drug discovery activities ranging from hit identification to lead optimization.

• Debiopharm SA, of Lausanne, Switzerland, purchased all the outstanding shares of H3 Pharma from Montreal-based Soceite Generale de Financement (SGF), of Quebec City. H3 Pharma was created in 2001 as an equal partnership between SGF and the Debio Group, though it has undergone additional recapitalization since then, and holds shares in a German biotech company specializing in antibodies for cancer therapy. H3 Pharma's portfolio includes Sanvar, which received an approvable letter last year, and SC-1, a monoclonal IgM antibody that targets CD55SC-1, a cell-surface receptor expressed on human gastric carcinoma cells. Further details were not disclosed.

• Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC, of Charlottesville, Va., reached an agreement with the New Approaches to Brain Tumor Therapy CNS Consortium for a clinical program to test its lead drug candidate, trans-sodium crocetinate, as a radiation sensitizer in cancerous tumors. Under the agreement, Phase I and II trials will be conducted in two different patient populations, patients with recurrent and initially diagnosed brain tumors, beginning in 2006.

• Genetronics Biomedical Corp., of San Diego, initiated a Phase I trial to treat pancreatic cancer using its MedPulser Tumor Ablation system. The FDA granted Genetronics orphan drug designation in that indication. The primary endpoint is to determine the safety profile of the MedPulser electroporation therapy in conjunction with intralesionally injected bleomycin for the treatment of unresectable or incurable locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

• GenPath Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., changed its name to AVEO Pharmaceuticals Inc. to coincide with the next phase of growth at the company, it said. AVEO is focused on cancer drug discovery and development.

• Gloucester Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., initiated a pivotal trial of its histone deacetylase inhibitor, FK228 (depsipeptide), in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The company said the FDA approved the trial protocol for testing FK228, which was granted fast-track status as a monotherapy for treating CTCL in patients who have relapsed following, or become refractory to, one other systemic therapy. The product also is being evaluated in hematologic and solid-tumor indications, and is in clinical trials for renal-cell carcinoma and hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

• Helix BioMedix Inc., of Bothell, Wash., said the company has closed the initial round of a private equity financing in which it raised $2.3 million in gross proceeds. Helix will use the funds for working capital purposes and to further fund the development of its proprietary peptides. The company issued about 1.6 million shares and five-year warrants to purchase up to 125,000 shares at a per-share price of $1.50.

• Immunicon Corp., of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., said results of a prospective study published in the March 1, 2005, edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology indicated that detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) before the initiation of first-line therapy in metastatic breast cancer patients is predictive of progression-free and overall survival. The study used Immunicon's platform and reagent technology to isolate CTCs. Veridex LLC, a unit of New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson, has exclusive rights to commercialize products incorporating the Immunicon technology in the cancer field.

• Jurilab, of Kuopio, Finland, completed a genome-wide scan in hypertension in the East Finland Founder population. The DNA samples used in the study were collected in the 1980s from a genetically homogeneous population that can be traced back to a few-hundred founders in the 1600s. The Jurilab team used a familial extreme phenotype, stepwise LD mapping approach. The study confirmed Jurilab's previous assumptions concerning the total number of disease-related genes involved in hypertension and gave insight into the interplay of different genes and new pathways in hypertension, the company said.

• Large Scale Biology Corp., of Vacaville, Calif., and Icon Genetics, of Munich, Germany, entered a collaboration to co-develop a biopharmaceutical product under undisclosed terms. The alliance centers on the synergistic application of each company's patented gene expression and biomanufacturing resources with the goal of developing and commercializing a therapeutic product.

• Lynx Therapeutics Inc., of Hayward, Calif., said its stockholders approved the proposed merger with Cambridge, UK-based Solexa Ltd. Subject to approval by Solexa's shareholders, the business combination should occur later this month. The merger, announced last year, called for Lynx to issue up to 29.5 million shares in exchange for all of the outstanding shares and options to purchase shares of Solexa capital stock. The agreement will pool the companies' efforts in next-generation DNA sequencing based on molecular arrays. (See BioWorld Today, Sept. 30, 2004.)

• MediciNova Inc., of San Diego, announced patient enrollment in a Phase II study with MN-305, an anti-anxiety agent licensed in 2004 from Mitsubishi Pharma Corp., of Osaka, Japan. MN-305 is described as a serotonin Type 1A receptor agonist that has appeared in earlier studies to tolerably treat anxiety. The company plans to enroll 400 patients in the study. Under a licensing agreement, MediciNova obtained exclusive worldwide rights to the product from Mitsubishi, with the exception of Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea and other Southeast Asia countries. Along with MN-305, MediciNova said it anticipates initiating four additional Phase II studies before the end of the year with compounds in its portfolio to treat asthma, multiple sclerosis, interstitial cystitis and premature labor.

• Medicure Inc., of Winnipeg, Manitoba, reached full enrollment in its 120-patient Phase II MATCHED trial of MC-4232 in patients with co-existing diabetes and hypertension. Results of the study are expected this summer. MC-4232 combines the cardioprotective properties of the company's lead product, MC-1, with an ACE inhibitor for blood pressure control.

• Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said final results of Integrilin from the Clear Platelets (clopidogrel loading with eptifibatide to arrest the reactivity of platelets) trial were published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association. The trial assessed low- to moderate-risk patients and showed that the addition of Integrilin to clopidogrel provided superior platelet inhibition and prevention of heart muscle damage associated with elective coronary stenting vs. clopidogrel alone. Integrilin is indicated to treat patients with acute coronary syndrome, including those who are to be managed medically and those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

• Myriad Genetics Inc., of Salt Lake City, will begin a second Phase I trial with MPC-6827. The study will evaluate the potential of the product in treating metastatic brain cancer by achieving therapeutic concentrations in the brain sufficient to treat tumors without significant systemic exposure or toxicity. The trial will be performed at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

• The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), of Jenkintown, Pa., said that the NCCN Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Guideline was updated to broaden the options for treatment of advanced disease. NCCN's panel of oncology experts added pemetrexed (Alimta, Eli Lilly and Co.) as an option for second-line therapy for lung cancer. The panel indicated it has been shown to be equivalent to docetaxel (Taxotere, Sanofi-Aventis) in efficacy, but with less toxicity. The panel also added a recommendation for single-agent erlotinib (Tarceva, Genentech Inc.) for patients with advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer after failure of at least one prior chemotherapy regimen.

• NicOx SA, of Sophia-Antipolis, France, reported results from a Phase IIa study showing that NCX 4016 is more effective than aspirin and placebo at preventing platelet activation induced by acute hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. NCX 4016 is an antithrombotic and vascular anti-inflammatory agent, which is being developed by NicOx for the treatment of peripheral arterial obstructive disease and other cardiovascular-related disorders. The prospective, double-blind, randomized trial involved 40 Type II diabetes patients. NCX 4016 was significantly better than aspirin (p=0.0435) on the primary endpoint.

• OXIS International Inc., of Portland, Ore., appointed Steve Guillen president and CEO. Guillen will replace Marvin Hausman, acting CEO; Hausman will remain as chairman and acting chief financial officer. Guillen's experience includes senior executive management positions at Amarin Pharmaceuticals, Elan Pharmaceuticals and Athena Diagnostics. OXIS focuses on diseases associated with oxidative stress.

• Samaritan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Las Vegas, is progressing with its PII/III study of SP-01A. Four sites have been selected to conduct the trial for HIV-infected patients experiencing resistance to antiretroviral therapy. Samaritan said SP-01A cripples HIV's ability to enter cells by blocking the proteins on human T cells that would facilitate HIV's entry.

• Sangamo BioSciences Inc., of Richmond, Calif., said data from its program to develop a treatment for HIV infection describe the use of the company's zinc finger DNA-binding protein technology in primary CD4+ T cells to successfully disrupt the gene encoding the CCR5 receptor. The data were presented at the 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston last week. CCR5 is a cell-surface receptor that serves as a co-receptor for HIV entry into cells and is a well-validated target for HIV treatment, the company said.

• Sigma-Aldrich Corp., of St. Louis, completed its acquisition of JRH Biosciences Ltd., of Lenexa, Kan., for $370 million in cash, subject to normal post-closing adjustments. JRH is a supplier of cell culture and sera products with 2004 sales of about $150 million. Sigma-Aldrich said 10 months of JRH's operating results will be added to its 2005 performance.

• The Immune Response Corp., of Carlsbad, Calif., is beginning a Phase II study to investigate NeuroVax, a T-cell receptor peptide vaccine, for multiple sclerosis. The open-label study will enroll 40 patients with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS who will receive three monthly injections of NeuroVax, followed by three quarterly injections. The company expects to complete enrollment this spring, with results expected in 2006. The company also anticipates initiating this summer a large, placebo-controlled trial designed with magnetic resonance imaging, and expects to begin seeking a possible commercial partner for the NeuroVax program.

• Transave Inc., of Monmouth Junction, N.J., began enrolling patients for its Phase II study of SLIT Cisplatin in recurrent osteosarcoma patients with lung metastases. The two-center, open-label study is titled "A Study of SLIT Cisplatin by Inhalation in the Treatment of Patients with Relapsed/Progressive Osteosarcoma Metastatic to the Lung." The company also has another product based on its Sustained-Release Lipid Inhalation Targeting (SLIT) technology, SLIT Amikacin, for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis patients.

• Trimeris Inc., of Durham, N.C., and its partner for the HIV-suppression product Fuzeon, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, said data presented at the 12th annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston indicated that patients previously treated with three classes of antiretrovirals can achieve maximal viral suppression when starting a regimen of Fuzeon (enfuvirtide) in combination with an active boosted protease inhibitor and other HIV drugs. Fuzeon, a fusion inhibitor approved for HIV, works after HIV has entered the human immune cell by blocking the virus from entering the CD4 cell.

• Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, of Costa Mesa, Calif., received approval from the European Medicines Agency to market Tasmar (tolcapone) in the European Union. The company acquired the product from Basel, Switzerland-based F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. and re-launched it in the U.S. and other countries in 2004. Tasmar is an adjunctive agent used in combination with levodopa and carbidopa for patients with severe Parkinson's disease who are not responding satisfactorily or are not appropriate candidates for other adjunctive therapies.