• Advanced Magnetics Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said Phase II data reported at the National Kidney Foundation meeting in Chicago showed that ferumoxytol, the company's investigational intravenous iron-replacement therapeutic, was effective in supplying bioavailable iron and increasing body iron stores in anemic hemodialysis patients. Also, dosing by rapid intravenous push of 30 mg of iron per second allows for more convenient administration of 510 mg of iron. The company said the findings build on previously published data showing the potential of ferumoxytol in IV iron therapy for chronic kidney disease patients, whether or not they are on dialysis.

• Australian Cancer Technology, of Perth, Australia, said the Phase II trial of its Pentrys (formerly Pentrix), an anti-idiotypic cancer vaccine, began on Thursday with the vaccination of the first patient. The study is evaluating a new vaccine for men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer and is being conducted by Cancer Trials Australia at three sites in Melbourne. A total of 40 patients will be enrolled.

• Automated Cell Inc., of Pittsburgh, received a $100,000 investment from the Pittsburgh Biomedical Development Corp., an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. Automated Cell, which is working to develop antibody therapeutics for cancer, said it would use the funding to validate and use its functional antibody technology to develop specific therapeutic antibodies for melanoma.

• BioGentech Corp., of Irvine, Calif., entered an agreement with ClinDatrix Inc., also of Irvine, for the implementation, management and analysis of clinical investigations of BioGentech's flagship product, Prehistin, for their upcoming Phase III trials. The trials will measure the efficacy of Prehistin, a treatment for seasonal allergies. The studies will involve about 1,000 allergy sufferers in the U.S., and enrollment is expected to begin this summer.

• Bruker BioSciences Corp., of Billerica, Mass., closed its public offering of about 17.3 million shares of its common stock, of which about 3.5 million shares were sold by the company and 13.8 million shares were sold by four selling stockholders at $4.50 per share. The total shares sold include about 2.3 million shares sold pursuant to the underwriters' overallotment option. The company expects to use proceeds for general corporate purposes, potential acquisitions and possibly for the repayment of debt, although no potential debt has been targeted for repayment.

• CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Newtown, Pa., reported interim results of a Phase II multicenter, open-label, and randomized study evaluating the safety and efficacy of its investigational product Metastat, for the treatment of HIV-related Kaposi's sarcoma. The Phase II study is being conducted under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. The interim analysis showed a response rate of 38 percent in the low-dose group and 26 percent in the high-dose group, confirming the tumor activity previously described in the Phase I trial. While the median time to response was comparable in both dose groups, patients in the higher-dose group had a prolonged duration of remission.

• Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc., of Chadds Ford, Pa., filed a shelf registration statement for the secondary sale, from time to time, of 30 million issued shares of its common stock. All the shares are outstanding, and the vast majority of them are held by Endo's controlling shareholder, Endo Pharma LLC, which owns about a 62 percent stake. Endo Pharma, in which certain members of management have an ownership interest, is an affiliate of Kelso & Co., a private equity investment firm.

• EntreMed Inc., of Rockville, Md., said that Neil Campbell will step down as president and chief operating officer effective May 30. EntreMed said its board has engaged in a search for a new CEO to lead the company's day-to-day operations and expects to conclude the search in the near future. Campbell will continue his relationship with the company to facilitate a smooth transition. EntreMed is developing therapeutic candidates primarily for the treatment of cancer.

• InterMune Inc., of Brisbane, Calif., informed investors that it removed its Actimmune and total revenue guidance that was provided on Jan. 29 as a result of what it termed "changing market dynamics." The company issued the news as part of its first-quarter financial statement for the period ended March 31, during which it posted an $11.7 million net loss. On Friday, InterMune's stock (NASDAQ:ITMN) dropped $5.30, or 18.3 percent, to close at $14.71.

• Karo Bio AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, got rights back to a compound from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York. The pharmaceutical firm discontinued internal activities on the target, which stems from a six-year-old drug discovery collaboration to develop compounds that target the thyroid hormone receptors for obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Karo Bio said the program succeeded in discovering selective compounds with desirable effects in animal models that lacked the undesirable cardiac side-effects that occur with the use of the natural hormone. Those results recently were published in the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences. The company said it would focus its preclinical discovery activities on second-generation compounds in the metabolic disease area.

• Phanuel Pursuits India LLC, an affiliate of Phanuel Pursuits LLC, of Arlington, Texas, is conducting clinical studies in India to test a topically applied herpes treatment cream developed by CytoGenix Inc., of Houston. The treatment uses single-strand DNA technology to treat herpes simplex I and II.

• PTC Therapeutics Inc., of South Plainfield, N.J., said research published in the April 30, 2004, issue of Cell details its identification of an enzyme complex in humans underlying the metabolism of tRNA and mRNA, two components of cell proliferation. The company said its findings provide evidence for the existence of a new biochemical pathway that might lead to the discovery of drugs for treating proliferative disorders characterized by rapidly and uncontrollably dividing cells.

• Schering AG, of Berlin, said early results from the first phase of the BEYOND program reported at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in San Francisco show that a higher dose of Betaferon (interferon beta-1b, marketed as Betaseron in the U.S.) for subcutaneous injection might have a positive effect in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients, compared to the standard dose. Results indicated that the 500-mcg-treated group showed greater median percentage change from baseline in T2-weighted lesion number at 12 weeks, suggesting a trend toward a greater treatment effect compared to 250 mcg (-6.9 percent for 500 mcg vs. -1.8 percent for 250 mcg). In addition, the mean number of active lesions decreased 90 percent on the 500-mcg dose and 70 percent on the 250-mcg dose. The BEYOND (Betaferon Efficacy Yielding Outcomes of a New Dose) program is an ongoing multinational Phase III trial that involves more than 2,000 patients.

• Sinovac Biotech Ltd., of Beijing, said clinical trials for its severe acute respiratory syndrome vaccine were ratified by members of the World Health Organization in Geneva April 27. Sinovac specializes in the research, development, commercialization and sales of vaccines for infectious diseases such as hepatitis A and hepatitis B, influenza and SARS.

• Tm Bioscience Corp., of Toronto, entered a two-year contract with the Pharmacogenetics Diagnostic Laboratory of the University of Louisville Medical School in Kentucky, to supply it with the Tag-It P450-2D6 Mutation Detection Kit. The kit identifies the presence or absence of important mutations common in patients with atypical drug metabolism, which can lead to adverse drug reactions.

• Xcyte Therapies Inc., of Seattle, began construction of a manufacturing facility intended for the eventual commercial production of its most advanced product, Xcellerated T Cells. The initial phase of construction is planned to create sufficient capacity for Xcyte to conduct pivotal trials of Xcellerated T Cells beginning in 2005. The facility is located in Bothell, Wash. Subsequent phases are expected to increase capacity to about 18,000 patients per year. Capital expenses for the first phase of construction are expected to be about $4 million in 2004.