• Bioxel Pharma Inc., of Sainte-Foy, Quebec, completed a public offering of about 13.6 million shares at C70 cents per share for proceeds of C$9.5 million (US$6.5 million). The offering includes an option to the agents to increase the size of the offering to C$10 million by March 21, and an overallotment option of 15 percent. Bioxel also issued to an arm's length party 64,286 shares at C70 cents as payment for consulting services. Dundee Securities Corp. led the syndicate, which included National Bank Financial Inc. and Canaccord Capital Corp. Bioxel focuses on naturally derived taxanes.

• Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lexington, Mass., filed a shelf registration statement to sell up to $75 million in stock. It said in its prospectus it intends to use the net proceeds for general corporate and working capital purposes, including developing and commercializing daptomycin, developing CAB-175, developing oral ceftriaxone, the repurchase of a portion of outstanding securities, its drug discovery programs and transactions relating to current and future real estate commitments. Cubist filed a new drug application in December for Cidecin to treat complicated skin and skin structure infections caused by Gram-positive organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus. (See BioWorld Today, Dec. 23, 2002.)

• Dynavax Technologies Corp., of Denver, reported Phase I data demonstrating the safety and biological activity of its inhaled ISS (immuno-stimulatory DNA sequence) for the treatment of asthma. The results were presented at the 60th annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, along with preclinical data on mechanisms of action of ISS.

• Endovasc Ltd. Inc., of Montgomery, Texas, said that it plans to file an open-label, physician-sponsored protocol this week to investigate the use of Liprostin for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy in patients affected by non-healing ulcers of the foot or ankle who face amputation as their only alternative.

• GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, received marketing authorization from the European Commission for Levitra (vardenafil HCl), an oral PDE-5 inhibitor for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction. GSK and partner Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, Germany, anticipate launching the product "as soon as possible" in Europe. Levitra also has been approved in several Latin American countries and has been submitted for approval in the U.S.

• NaPro BioTherapeutics Inc., of Boulder, Colo., said publications in three scientific journals support several of its genomic tools covering a range of molecular research and therapeutic applications. The journals were Biomolecular Engineering, Genetics and Nucleic Acids Research. The research was conducted by Eric Kmiec and colleagues at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute at the University of Delaware. The technology described in the publications was developed at the university and is licensed to NaPro.

• Oxford GlycoSciences plc, of Oxford, UK, said its board intends to propose at its court meeting and extraordinary general meeting Tuesday an adjournment to a later date. The board said the adjournment is appropriate to allow "adequate time to explore options for maximizing value." OGS has received merger bids from Celltech Group plc, of Slough, UK, and Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Melbourne, UK. (See BioWorld Today, Jan. 24, 2003, and Feb. 27, 2003.)

• Pharmos Corp., of Iselin, N.J., released its year-end results and acknowledged it was implementing a company-wide cost-cutting program that will affect 20 percent of its total staff and will be concentrated in its discovery and early stage research group, plus in certain general and administrative areas. Through the move, the company expects to reduce non-dexanabinol-related expenses by about $1 million in 2003. The company is developing dexanabinol in traumatic brain injury and in preventing post-surgical mild cognitive impairment. For 2002, Pharmos lost $17 million, or 30 cents per share. As of Dec. 31, it had $21.8 million in cash and cash equivalents.

• Samaritan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Las Vegas, and Samaritan Research Labs at Georgetown University in Washington said their HIV Phase Ib/IIa trial data and analysis conducted at the AIDS Research Alliance in Los Angeles was provided to Samaritan. The trial results will be kept confidential, pending publication.

• Sequenom Inc., of San Diego, reported the publication of an article on MassArray-based Gene Expression Analysis, the latest in an expanding base of high-performance DNA analysis customer applications. The article describing the method was published in the March 6, 2003, online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

• Solentix BioSciences Inc., of Cleveland, proposed the purchase of an anti-inflammatory research platform from Gliatech Inc., also of Cleveland. Gliatech entered a motion in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio to sell certain patent rights and contracts of its anti-inflammatory research platform to Solentix. If approved by the court, it would be expected to close at the end of the first quarter. Financial terms of the offer were not disclosed. Solentix focuses on unmet clinical needs for chronic central nervous system diseases. Gliatech filed for Chapter 11 protection in May. (See BioWorld Today, May 13, 2002.)

• Taconic, of Germantown, N.Y., said its APP Microinjected Mouse Model, Tg2576, is available. The model can be used to study Alzheimer's disease and various cellular mechanisms.

• The Mayo Clinic, of Rochester, Minn., and Baxter Healthcare Corp., of Deerfield, Ill., reported a special grant from Baxter to Mayo, under which Mayo will assume full control and ownership of Baxter's xenotransplantation program and will pursue, direct and advance research in the field. Since 1997, Baxter and Mayo have collaborated on research in xenotransplantation.

• Xechem International Inc., of New Brunswick, N.J., filed an orphan drug application with the FDA seeking orphan drug designation for its phyto-pharmaceutical product, Hemoxin, which is a candidate treatment for patients with sickle-cell anemia. Xechem signed an exclusive worldwide license in July 2002 for the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sales of Hemoxin with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abuja, government of Nigeria. Xechem said it is planning to file an investigational new drug application with the FDA.