Company*
(Symbol)

Product

Description

Indication

Status (Date)


CANCER

Amgen Inc.
(AMGN)

Aranesp (FDA-
approved)

Darbepoetin alfa

Anemia associated with chemotherapy

Company submitted a variation application to the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products to expand the clinical indication for Aranesp (10/23)

Cell Thera-
peutics
Inc.
(CTIC)

Trisenox (FDA-
approved)

Arsenic trioxide injection

Relapsed/refractory acute promyelocytic leukemia

The European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products recommended approval (10/18)

Immuno-
Designed
Molecules
SA
(France)*

IDM-1

Antibody-based cell drug

Ovarian cancer

Company received approval in Canada to begin Phase III trials (10/30)

Micromet
AG
(Germany)*

MT201

Human antibody

Cancer

Company began a multicenter Phase I trial (10/31**)

Novus-
pharma SpA
(Italy; Nuovo
Mercato:NOV)

BBR
2778

Administered as a one-hour intravenous infusion

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Phase II data showed six of 27 patients responded to treatment; study was in Germany and France (10/1)

Oncolytics
Biotech
Inc.
(Canada; TSE:
ONC)

Reolysin

Reovirus, which targets solid tumors with an activated Ras gene pathway

T2 prostate cancer

Company gained approval in Canada to initiate a clinical study (10/11)

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Theratechnol-
ogies
Inc. (Canada; TSE:
TH)

ThGRF

Growth hormone-releasing factor analogue

Insomnia

Company said two European clinical sites, in Belgium and the UK, have been added to the Phase II trial; enrollment has begun in Europe (10/25)

INFECTION

Gilead Sciences
Inc.
(GILD)

Viread

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

HIV

The European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products recommended granting marketing authorization (10/18)

Tibotec-Virco
NV
(Belgium)*

TMC125

A non-nucleoside reverse transcripase inhibitor

HIV

In a trial conducted in Russia, the drug demonstrated an average reduction in the amount of HIV in patients' plasma of 99% after one week (10/29)

MISCELLANEOUS

Access Phar-
maceuticals
Inc.
(AMEX:
AKC) and
Strakan Ltd.
(Scotland)

Zindaclin

Incorporates clindamycin within Strakan's ResiDerm topical delivery system

Acne

Strakan received marketing authorization in the UK for Zindaclin (10/24)

Immtech
International
Inc.
(IMMT)

DB289

Oral, anti-infective

African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis)

Company initiated a Phase II study in Africa (10/1)

InKine Phar-
maceutical
Co. Inc.
(INKP)

Visicol (FDA-
approved)

Tablet form (formerly Diacol

Bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy

Company submitted a marketing authorization application in the UK (10/1)

Isotechnika
Inc.
(Canada;
TSE:ISA)

ISATX
247

Immunosuppressive drug

Psoriasis

Canadian Phase II trials have begun (10/3)

SangStat
Medical
Corp.
(SANG)

RDP58

A rationally designed peptide; a novel inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor alpha synthesis

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

Company is initiating two Phase II studies in the UK (10/22)

Transkary-
otic Therapies
Inc.
(TKTX)

Replagal

Enzyme replacement therapy

Fabry's disease

Company received marketing approval of Replagal in New Zealand and Iceland (10/19)

Unigene
Laborator-
ies Inc.
(OTC
BB: UGNE)

Forcal-
tonin

Injectable calcitonin product

Osteoporosis

Company received approval in Switzerland (10/2)


Notes:

* Privately held; ** Denotes the date the item ran in BioWorld International.

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

AMEX = American Stock Exchange; OTC BB = Over the Counter Bulletin Board; TSE = Toronto Stock Exchange