• AbC.R.O. Inc., of Sofia, Bulgaria, and Covalent Group Inc., of Wayne, Pa., signed an agreement for the marketing and delivery of clinical development services on a global basis. The agreement provides for the alignment of standard operating procedures and information technologies between the parties.

• BioMerieux SA, of Marcy-l'Etoile, France, entered a commercial relationship with Cepheid Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif. BioMerieux, an in vitro infectious disease diagnostics company, will develop DNA-testing products that use its NASBA (Nucleic Acid Sequence-Based Amplification) technology to be run on systems employing Cepheid's Smart Cycler and GeneXpert platform technologies. Cepheid will receive $15 million in up-front and milestone payments in addition to product purchases and royalty payments on end-user GeneXpert test cartridge sales. A $2 million option payment received in October will be credited toward the initial payment.

• BioVision AG, of Hanover, Germany, appointed Peter Schulz-Knappe chief scientific officer and a member of its board. Schulz-Knappe is one of the firm's founders and served as CEO until April. He succeeds Rudolf Reiter as chief scientific officer. The company also appointed Rainer Voegeli chief business officer and head of business development and marketing. Hans-Dieter Zucht was made chief information officer, in addition to his role of head of bioinformatics. In 1997, the company was spun off from the Institute for Peptide Research, a public institute, and it remains privately held.

• BML Inc., of Tokyo, a clinical reference lab, and Third Wave Technologies Inc., of Madison, Wis., extended a multiyear partnership for a minimum of one year. The companies will continue their collaboration to commercialize molecular diagnostic tests for infectious disease, genetic testing and pharmacogenomics. Third Wave and BML in December 2000 entered a development and commercialization agreement.

• Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Cambridge, UK, completed enrollment in the Phase III trial of Trabio in patients undergoing first-time surgery for glaucoma. The randomized, double-blind study enrolled 393 patients in six European countries and South Africa. It compared Trabio to placebo. Data are expected in early 2005.

• Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd., of Petach-Tikva, Israel, reported preclinical study results in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the British Journal of Cancer and Oncogene. The results showed CF101 is active in inhibiting the progression of a variety of tumors, including colon and prostate cancer. They also show the drug modulates signaling pathways that play a role in cancer and autoimmune diseases. CF101 is in two Phase II studies to treat rheumatoid arthritis and colorectal cancer.

• Celltech Group plc, of Slough, UK, achieved a milestone in its agreement with Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., for the research, development and global commercialization of treatments for osteoporosis using Celltech's antibody fragment technology, which aims to identify antibody fragments against sclerostin, a protein discovered by Celltech. Sclerostin is involved in the regulation of bone deposition, and it is believed that by inhibiting the protein, bone loss in osteoporosis patients might be reversed.

• Cytheris SA, of Vanves, France, said its first recombinant protein is in a Phase I study. CYT 99 007 is a recombinant human interleukin-7 developed by Cytheris. It targets the immune reconstitution of immuno-compromised patients undergoing cancer treatment, affected by AIDS or recovering from a bone marrow transplant. The Phase I is being performed in cooperation with the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., where the study is taking place.

• DeCode Genetics Inc., of Reykjavik, Iceland, and The Simons Foundation in New York launched the first population-based study of the genetics of autism and autism spectrum disorders. The study is funded by a two-year, $2.8 million grant from the foundation. DeCode has begun a gene discovery effort aimed at identifying the key genetic components of the disorders. DeCode also is working with Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, of Libertyville, Ill., to make available DeCode's high-throughput screening capabilities to test compounds that might increase the function of people with spinal muscular atrophy. DeCode used compounds identified through previous FSMA-funded research and now is working to optimize hits. The parties hope to collaborate with others to make available resources to progress effective compounds.

• D-Pharm Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, completed a year-long restructuring as part of its plan to focus on the development of DP-b99 and DP-VPA. The company plans to launch a Phase IIb trial of DP-b99 this year. DP-b99 is a neuroprotective agent to treat acute stroke. DP-VPA is a treatment for epilepsy, bipolar disease and migraine prophylaxis.

• DVC Deutsche Venture Capital, of Munich, Germany, made Jan zur Hausen a partner in the company's life sciences practice. Zur Hausen was previously managing director of Mulligan BioCapital AG, of Hamburg, Germany. DVC presently has about €300 million under management.

• Flamel Technologies SA, of Lyon, France, received a $2 million milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, related to a license agreement for the application of Flamel's Micropump technology. The controlled-release, taste-masking technology is used in the oral administration of small-molecule drugs.

• Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, and AtheroGenics Inc., of Atlanta, entered a collaboration to develop AtheroGenics' AGI-1096 compound as an oral treatment for the prevention of organ transplant rejection. They will conduct preclinical and early stage clinical development trials, with Fujisawa funding all development costs during the agreement. Fujisawa also will receive an option to negotiate for late-stage development and commercial rights to the compound. More specific financial terms were not disclosed.

• Genedata AG, of Basel, Switzerland, and Bayer Healthcare, of Tarrytown, N.Y., scientists were published in the January issue of Genome Research in an article describing research that is expected to accelerate the hunt for antimicrobial drug candidates. They reported on the application of a microarray-based process that guides the development of pathway-specific assays for high-throughput screening of compound libraries. Based on Genedata's computational methods, they have analyzed large-scale gene expression experiments to pinpoint antibiotic-responsive promoters that respond in a compound mechanism-specific way.

• Greiner Bio-One GmbH, of Frickenhausen, Germany, and Scienion AG, of Berlin, brought a combined microarray to the market. The companies specialize in diagnostic and pharmaceutical screening. They said their plastic slide product saves material costs compared with glass slides, and that the product is particularly suited for robotic handling.

• Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, agreed to provide exclusive Japanese rights to Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, to palonosetron, for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy-treated patients. In the U.S., palonosetron is marketed as Aloxi by MGI Pharma Inc., of Minneapolis. It remains under regulatory review in Europe, where it will be marketed by Italfarmaco in Italy and Spain as Onicita. In Korea, the product will be marketed by CJ Corp. Financial terms of the latest agreement were not disclosed.

• Igeneon AG, of Vienna, Austria, appointed Manfred Ruediger as chief operating officer, a new position that also makes him a member of the company's board. Previously, Ruediger was chief scientific officer, and since July 2002 acting CEO of Cardion AG, of Erkrath, Germany. Igeneon is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing active and passive cancer immunotherapies. The company's lead product, a vaccine against certain epithelial cancers, is in Phase III testing.

• Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, of Munich, Germany, and the University of Cambridge in the UK are part of an international consortium of academic and industry participants that will receive €11.7 million over five years as part of a European community Sixth Framework grant to discover genetic targets for obesity. The funding will support the discovery of four to five drug targets for the treatment and prevention of obesity and its complications, including Type II diabetes.

• Merck KgaA, of Darmstadt, Germany, awarded ImClone Systems Inc., of New York, a $5 million equity milestone payment upon the Swiss approval of Erbitux. The drug was approved to treat patients with colorectal cancer who no longer respond to standard chemotherapy treatment with irinotecan. ImClone issued 127,199 shares of stock to Merck following the payment. In December 1998, Merck licensed the right to develop Erbitux outside of the U.S. and Canada and the co-exclusive right to develop it in Japan.

• METabolic EXplorer, of Clermont-Ferrand, France, renewed and expanded a contract with the animal feed division of an undisclosed European chemical company. The three-year, fee-for-service contract calls for METabolic EXplorer to use its METflux metabolic flux analysis technology to generate improved bacterial strains for boosting the yield of biological compounds produced by fermentation. Its original contract with the client was signed in 2001.

• NicOx SA, of Sophia-Antipolis, France, said NCX 4016 reached its primary efficacy endpoint in a Phase IIa study in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial obstructive disease. NCX 4016 is a nitric oxide-donating derivative of aspirin in development for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The study, conducted in Italy, showed NCX 4016 had statistical significance in reversing endothelium dysfunction induced by physical exercise.

• NV Organon, of Oss, the Netherlands, and Paris-based Sanofi-Synthelabo SA agreed to revise the terms of their collaboration on antithrombotic Arixtra and certain other oligosaccharides. Organon will transfer to Sanofi its remaining rights for Arixtra and its development obligations for Arixtra and other oligosaccharides in exchange for revenues based on future sales. Separately, Organon awarded Cortex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Irvine, Calif., a $2 million milestone payment to retain the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize Ampakine to treat depression. The payment comes three years after Organon exercised its option to do additional research and development of Ampakine compounds. Organon also has rights to Ampakine ORG 24448, which is in Phase II trials to treat patients with schizophrenia.

• ProSkelia SAS, of Paris, and Antares Pharma Inc., of Exton, Pa., signed a development and licensing option agreement for the development and future licensing of products using Antares Pharma's ATD gel technology. The products will contain an undisclosed ProSkelia compound in clinical development, and will use the ATD gel technology for delivery. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, and Strathmann Biotech AG, of Hamburg, Germany, signed a manufacturing agreement with Corautus Genetics Inc., of Atlanta, to produce VEGF-2 plasmid for Phase III trials and future commercial use. The VEGF-2 plasmid will be produced at Strathmann's facility in Dengelsberg, Germany. Also, Qiagen appointed Noel Doheny vice president solutions for molecular diagnostics. He also will join the company's new executive committee and will be based at Qiagen's North American headquarters in Germantown, Md. Doheny joins Qiagen from ThermoBioStar of Waltham, Mass., where he most recently served as director of strategic planning and business development.

• Sanofi-Synthelabo SA, of Paris, said the FDA approved Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) in combination with 5-FU/LV for the first-line treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Clinical data showed that patients treated with the combination as first-line chemotherapy had a statistically significant improvement of nearly five months in median survival time, compared to patients who received a standard treatment of irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV. The injectable drug initially was approved in August 2002 for second-line treatment of patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum.

• Sinovac Biotech Ltd., of Beijing, said its shares are now listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Berlin Stock Exchange under the symbol "SVQ." The company, whose shares already are traded on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board under the symbol "SNVBF," said the added listing would assist in the exposure of Sinovac to the European financial market and enable easier and more efficient trading of the stock.

• Speedel Group, of Basel, Switzerland, raised an additional CHF19.2 million to complete a mezzanine financing round worth CHF71.3 million (US$58 million). The initial CHF52.1 million tranche closed in July. The privately held company, which has raised about CHF172 million since its 1998 inception, said it would use the latest funds to expand the activities of Speedel Experimenta AG, its late-stage research unit currently focused on identifying and optimizing renin inhibitor compounds for cardiovascular disease.

• Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, renewed its agreement with Gene Logic Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., for three years to use Gene Logic's information services in Sumitomo's pharmaceutical research and development programs. Sumitomo will retain access to the comprehensive gene expression data in Gene Logic's BioExpress database. In addition, it will obtain limited-seat access to the newer Ascenta system as an additional research tool. Financial details of the renewal agreement were not disclosed.

• Trinity Biotech plc, of Dublin, Ireland, raised about $22.5 million after entering definitive agreements with institutional investors for the private placement of about 5.3 million ordinary shares at $4.25 apiece. The investors will receive five-year warrants to purchase about 1.1 million shares at an exercise price of $5.25 apiece, a 24 percent premium to the placement price. Trinity granted investors the right to purchase up to about 2.6 million additional shares at $4.25 apiece for up to 30 days after the transaction closes. Rodman & Renshaw Inc. acted as the transaction's exclusive placement agent.

• Xenova Group plc, of Slough, UK, sold certain premises at its Farnham research facilities together with related assets to Bioventix Ltd. The sale assets constitute part of the business acquired by the group upon the acquisition of KS Biomedix Holdings plc. The consideration for the sales assets was £800,000 (US$1.5 million) paid in cash. The sale includes certain rights to intellectual property relating to super high-affinity antibodies that are not being developed by Xenova and provides for the continuation of work on Bioventix on three-part proteins being developed under an option with Isis Innovations Ltd., of Oxford, UK. Xenova retained an option to develop any promising therapeutic candidates arising from the work. In addition, a team of seven research scientists is transferring to Bioventix.