Company*
(Country;
Symbol)

Product

Description

Indication

Status (Date)


AUTOIMMUNE

Advanced Biotherapy Inc. (OTC BB:ADVB)

--

Antibodies to block interferon-gamma

Severe rheumatoid arthritis

55-patient trial in Moscow showed beneficial effects of using IFN-gamma to treat RA (9/30)

Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc (UK; CATG; LSE:CAT) and Abbott Laboratories

Humira (FDA-approved)

Adalimumab

Rheumatoid arthritis

Companies received approval in Europe to market Humira (9/10)

CANCER

Bioenvision Inc.
(AMEX:BIV)

Clofarabine

Second-generation purine nucleoside antimetabolite

Acute lympho- blastic leukemia

Company began a pivotal Phase II study in Europe (9/16)

Lorus Therapeutics Inc. (Canada; OTC BB:LORFF)

GTI-2040

Antisense drug that specifically targets the R2 component of ribonucleotide reductase

Non-small-cell lung cancer

Health Canada granted approval for the initiation of a clinical trial of GTI-2040 in combination with docetaxel (9/15)

Lorus Therapeutics Inc. (Canada; OTC BB:LORFF)

Virulizin

Cancer agent

Advanced pancreatic cancer

Expanded Phase III trial to include sites in Europe and South America; trial entails combination therapy (9/30)

CARDIOVASCULAR

United Therapeutics Corp. (UTHR)

Remodulin (FDA-approved)

Treprostinil sodium injection

Pulmonary arterial hypertension

French authorities, acting as reference nation, rejected approval (9/22)

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Genzyme Corp. (GENZ)

Synvisc (FDA-approved)

Hylan G-F 20

Pain from osteoarthritis

Company filed for Japanese approval (9/4)

Indevus Inc. (IDEV)

IP 751 (CT-3)

Synthetic cannabinoid

Neuropathic pain

Data from 21-patient Phase II trial in Germany showed significant reduction of degree of neuropathic pain without psychoactive adverse events (9/30)

Proneuron Biotechnologies Inc.*

Copolymer-1

COP-1; Copaxone

Huntington's disease

Company began a Phase II trial in Israel (9/22)

DIABETES

Generex Biotechnology Corp. (Canada; GNBT)

Oralin

Oral insulin spray formulation

Type II diabetes

Company began a Phase IIb trial of Oralin in Canada (9/18)

INFECTION

Corixa Corp. (CRXA)

Supervax

A prophylactic hepatitis B vaccine that combines Corixa's synthetic RC-529 adjuvant with the Hansenula polymorpha-based recombinant hepatitis B antigen

Hepatitis B

Company received approval in Argentina for Supervax (9/9)

Sicor Biotech UAB (subsidiary of Sicor Inc.; SCRI)

Grasalva

Filgrastim; recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

To fight infections

Company received approval in Lithuania for Grasalva (9/2)

MISCELLANEOUS

Genesis Research and Development Corp. (New Zealand; NZSE: GEN) and SR Pharma plc (UK; LSE SPA)

AVAC

Derivative of M. vaccae

Atopic dermatitis

Companies began a Phase II trial in children in New Zealand (9/10)

Genzyme Corp. (GENZ)

Cerezyme (FDA-approved)

Imiglucerase

Type 3 Gaucher's disease

European Commission authorized an expanded indication for Cerezyme (9/15)

Nastech
Pharmaceutical Co.
Inc.
(NSTK)

Peptide YY3-36

Intranasal version
of peptide

Obesity

Company initiated Phase I study in UK to assess nasal absorption and safety in healthy volunteers (9/23)

Unigene Laboratories Inc. (OTC BB:UGNE)

Calcitonin products

Nasal and injectable formulations

Osteoporosis

Company filed an NDA in China (9/4)


Notes:

* Privately held

Unless otherwise noted, the stock symbols listed for public companies are on the Nasdaq market.

AMEX = American Stock Exchange; FSE = Frankfort Stock Exchange; LSE = London Stock Exchange; NZSE = New Zealand Stock Exchange; OTC BB = Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board; TSE = Toronto Stock Exchange.