• Allos Therapeutics Inc., of Westminster, Colo., said the Texas Cancer Center in Dallas is participating in the ENRICH Phase III trial. The trial is designed to compare the effects of whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) with supplemental oxygen with or without Efaproxyn (efaproxiral) in women with brain metastases originating from breast cancer. Allos received an approvable letter in June for Efaproxyn. Formal approval is subject to the completion of the ENRICH trial and the submission of additional positive survival data.

• Bioxel Pharma Inc., of Sainte-Foy, Quebec, completed a private placement of 8 million units at 41 cents per unit for gross proceeds of about $3.3 million. Each unit is comprised of one common share and one warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one common share at 51 cents each for a period of two years. Canaccord Capital Corp. led the private placement and received compensation options entitling it to purchase over a two-year period up to 387,739 common shares at 41 cents per share. It also received cash compensation equal to 4.8 percent of the private placement's gross proceeds. Bioxel will use proceeds for working capital and to develop its large-scale commercial manufacturing capabilities for a new taxane, 10-DAB.

• Idea AG, of Munich, Germany, began a Phase III study testing IDEA-033, a targeted analgesic and anti-inflammatory product. Researchers will evaluate the safety, efficacy and compliance of IDEA-033 applied on the skin to treat joint and musculoskeletal pain, as well as soft-tissue inflammation. The trial will enroll up to 400 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. They will be treated for up to 18 months. IDEA-033 employs ultra-deformable carriers to penetrate the skin driven by the local water gradient. The carriers, or Transfersomes, remain intact during the process and transport the drug into the peripheral target tissues.

• Immtech International Inc., of Vernon Hills, Ill., completed enrollment of the Phase I study for the treatment of malaria. The trial, which is supported by Medicines for Malaria Venture, is designed to escalate the dose of DB289 while decreasing the number of days of treatment from five to three days.

• Introgen Therapeutics Inc., of Austin, Texas, announced the publication of preclinical data from studies of INGN 241 in combination with radiotherapy in lung cancer cells. The studies show that INGN 241 enhances the cell-killing effects of radiation in cancer cells but not in normal lung cells. The results appear in the current issue of Oncogene.

• Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., said antisense inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3) delayed tumor growth and increased the rate of cancer cell death in multiple cell and animal models of cancer. Data were presented at the Advances in Cancer Therapies 2004 meeting in London. ISIS 345794 is a second-generation antisense drug that targets STAT-3.

• Transition Therapeutics Inc., of Toronto, began the clinical development of its interferon enhancer EMZ702 to treat hepatitis C patients. Preclinical studies have shown the antiviral effects of EMZ702 in synergy with the current standard treatment for hepatitis C virus, interferon-alpha and ribavirin. Results indicate the combination product might provide an option for the nearly half of hepatitis C patients for whom there is no effective treatment. The company plans to move EMZ702 into a Phase I/II trial in the first quarter of 2005.

• AntiCancer Inc., of San Diego, said its scientists published preclinical findings in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrating that the hair follicle can give rise to new blood vessels. They used a mouse model in which the hair follicle stem cells were marked with a jellyfish protein called green fluorescent protein. When the fluorescent hair follicles were transplanted to non-marked mice, new blood vessels were formed from the hair follicles. The new blood vessels also had the green fluorescent protein marker.

• Cytos Biotechnology AG, of Schlieren, Switzerland, completed a Phase I study that showed that its Immunodrug carrier QbG10 was safe, well tolerated and immunogenic. The investigational agent CYT003-QbG10 consists of the virus-like particle Qb packaged with an immunostimulatory DNA sequence called G10. The trial compared different doses and formulations of QbG10 in five study groups with seven volunteers in each group.

• Illumina Inc., of San Diego, signed an agreement to conduct a two-phase genotyping study for the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium to identify genes associated with the disease. The first phase will involve genetic mapping of more than 3,125 samples using the company's standard Linkage IV single nucleotide polymorphism panel, and Illumina said it would generate more than 25 million genotypes overall. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Imugene Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, and the University of Adelaide formed a new company, Biomimic Ltd., to develop human gastrointestinal applications of Receptor Mimic Technology (RMT). RMT is a biological treatment to reduce production animal losses from gastrointestinal diseases such as E. coli. Biomimic will develop RMT for the treatment, prevention and diagnosis of diseases such as cholera, rota virus, E. coli diarrhea and antibiotic-associated diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile. Both the company and the school have a 25 percent ownership in BioMimic, with the remainder owned by the initial financing participants. At the same time, Imugene signed an agreement with Biomimic for license options to extend its RMT to all other animal species, except humans. The licensing agreement originally involved Imugene and the university, but following Biomimic's formation it replaced the school as the licensor of the technology. In return, Biomimic is eligible for milestone-based payments and royalties.

• NeoGenomics Inc., of Ft. Myers, Fla., reorganized its business into four operating divisions. Its clinical testing services will be offered through the oncology, prenatal and molecular divisions, while its research division will include all current and planned research and development activities within the company. NeoGenomics provides cytogenetic and molecular biology diagnostic testing services.

• NeoPharm Inc., of Lake Forest, Ill., agreed to terminate its license agreement with Pfizer Inc., of New York, relating to the development of liposome encapsulated paclitaxel (LEP) and liposome encapsulated doxorubicin (LED). All development rights and investigational new drug applications will revert to and be the responsibility of NeoPharm.

• Samaritan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Las Vegas, gained an exclusive worldwide license from Georgetown University in Washington to develop and market an Alzheimer's disease drug. The company said preclinical data suggest that the compound, labeled SP-08, could represent a new therapeutic class as it aims at multiple targets at the same time. Financial terms of the license were not disclosed.

• Sinovac Biotech Ltd., of Beijing, filed a new drug application with Chinese regulatory authorities seeking approval of its split flu vaccine. The company said it plans to produce 500,000 doses next year, and then increase to 2 million doses for the 2005-2006 flu season. After the initial production levels, Sinovac said it intends to expand production capacity to as much 20 million doses to meet Chinese demand, a capacity increase that is contingent on securing financing. The split flu vaccine will be sold at about $5 per dose.

• Third Wave Technologies Inc., of Madison, Wis., filed a patent-infringement suit against Stratagene Corp., of La Jolla, Calif, on behalf of Third Wave's patents covering its invasive cleavage structure chemistry, and seeks a permanent injunction against Stratagene that would prevent the sale of its probe-based quantitative PCR and RT-PCR reagents.