¿ Alteon Inc., of Ramsey, N.J., said a preclinical study of ALT-711, an advanced glycosylation end-product crosslink breaker, demonstrated the compound has the ability to significantly decrease age-related blood vessel stiffness in older rhesus monkeys. Data from the study were published in the Jan. 30, 2001, issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Alteon said the findings suggest the compound may have use in treatment of age-related cardiovascular disease and vascular complications associated with diabetes.

¿ Alza Corp., of Mountain View, Calif., said the Canadian Therapeutic Products Programme approved Caelyx (pegylated liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride) for treatment of advanced ovarian cancer in women who have failed first-line platinum-based therapy. Caelyx was approved for the ovarian cancer indication in the U.S. in June 1999 and is marketed as Doxil. Alza partners with Schering-Plough Corp., of Kenilworth, N.J., for Caelyx marketing in Europe, and will partner with Schering Canada Inc., a Schering-Plough subsidiary, for marketing in Canada. (See BioWorld Today, June 30, 1999.)

¿ AnorMED Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, said it obtained final receipts for a final prospectus in connection with its previously announced intention to sell 1.5 million shares to a syndicate of underwriters for an aggregate amount of C$25.5 million (US$16.97 million). The small-molecule, metal-based therapeutics company said it intends to use the proceeds from the offering for clinical development. The offering is expected to close Feb. 6. (See BioWorld Today, Jan. 24, 2001.)

¿ Boston Life Sciences Inc., of Boston, entered a supply agreement with Marathon Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of Hopkinton, Mass., calling for Marathon to manufacture GMP Troponin I for clinical testing Boston Life expects to commence later this year. Boston Life also plans to use the materials to complete its preclinical program.

¿ Chiron Corp., of Emeryville, Calif., reported pro-forma income from continuing operations of $170 million, or $0.89 per share, for 2000, a 44 percent increase over the $0.62 per share earnings per share in 1999. Chiron logged pro-forma income of $117 million in 1999. The company said the pro-forma results are exclusive of items related to the acquisition of PathoGenesis Corp. and a payment to F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, for HCV diagnostic product sales. Chiron reported fourth-quarter pro-forma income of $30 million, or $0.15 per share. Total pro-forma revenues in 2000 were $938 million, compared to $763 million in 1999, and net product sales were $627 million, a 49 percent increase from net product sales in 1999 of $422 million. The company also projected pro-forma earnings per share in 2001 to come in at about $0.85. Its projected product revenue is $700 million to $750 million, and its total revenue is projected at $1 billion to $1.1 billion.

¿ Nastech Pharmaceutical Co. Inc., of Hauppauge, N.Y., commenced a Phase I trial to evaluate nasal administration of interferon alpha. The multidose study is designed to evaluate nasal absorption, tolerance and safety in healthy volunteers.

¿ CollaGenX Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Newtown, Pa., entered an exclusive Middle East export marketing agreement for Periostat, the company's adjunctive treatment for adult periodontitis, with PharmaMed Inc. PharmaMed will appoint distributors and manage the introduction of Periostat in Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Malta, Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait in return for a fee contingent on Periostat sales.

¿ DoubleTwist Inc., of Oakland, Calif., launched two bioinformatics products: SNPTwist, a single nucleotide polymorphism detector, and the Prophecy ToolKit, a data integration product intended to enhance the company's Prophecy annotated human genome database. SNPTwist is designed to mine large and redundant data sets in a high-throughput manner, and the Prophecy ToolKit gives Prophecy users a UNIX-based common environment to visualize and mine proprietary data using the human genome as an organizing principle.

¿ Genescan Europe AG, of Freiburg, Germany, and Clinical Micro Sensors, of Pasadena, Calif., a business unit of Motorola Inc., entered a collaboration to develop and deliver new DNA detection tools aimed at identifying genetically modified crops using Motorola's eSensor DNA detection system. The eSensor detection technology uses bioelectronic DNA analysis technology, and may evolve into an on-site, hand-held device.

¿ Igen International Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., said the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland cleared the way for Igen to proceed with 14 claims in its lawsuit against Roche Diagnostics GmbH, a division of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland. Igen said the court dismissed Roche's tortious interference counterclaim and disallowed Roche's request for injunctive relief in addition to setting a trial date of Oct. 23, 2001. The lawsuit alleges Roche engaged in unfair competition and breached a licensing agreement granting Roche rights to Igen's Origen technology, the basis for biological detection systems which can assay a range of substances including small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids and microorganisms.

¿ Incara Pharmaceuticals Corp., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., said it began enrolling and treating ulcerative colitis patients in a pivotal Phase II/III study of OP2000, a subcutaneously administered ultra-low-molecular-weight heparin developed in collaboration with Elan Corp. plc, of Dublin, Ireland. The study is designed to determine the effects of OP2000 in patients who have developed symptoms of active ulcerative colitis while receiving standard treatment with aminosalicylates.

¿ Interleukin Genetics Inc., of Waltham, Mass., completed a $3 million private placement with Special Situations Funds. The company placed 1.2 million shares at $2.50 per share and 600,000 warrants at $3 per share. The placement was self-managed. Interleukin discovers, develops and commercializes predictive tests based on genetic factors that regulate control points in the inflammatory process.

¿ Lynx Therapeutics Inc., of Hayward, Calif., and Phytera Inc., of Worcester, Mass., entered a collaboration to identify plant genes involved in the biosynthesis of antioxidant polyphenols. The companies intend to validate gene targets through the collaboration, and will jointly commercialize the genes with other partners in the neutraceutical and pharmaceutical sectors. Financial terms were undisclosed.

¿ Medi-Ject Corp., of Minneapolis, said shareholders approved the issuance of 2.9 million shares worth about $14 million in exchange for all the outstanding stock of Permatec Holding AG, of Basel, Switzerland. The Swiss drug delivery company develops products including patches and gels using its proprietary trans-barrier technologies.

¿ Microbix Biosystems Inc., of Toronto, entered a long-term supply contract with an unnamed company for raw material for production of its urokinase clot dissolution agent. The company plans to use the material for production of the clot dissolution agents ThromboClear and CathClear, both nearing market launch.

¿ NeoRx Corp., of Seattle, extended its collaboration with ABC Laboratories Inc., of Columbia, Mo., for the manufacture of NeoRx's Skeletal Targeted Radiotherapy (STR) product for Phase III trials in multiple myeloma. STR trials are currently on hold pending FDA review of information. The FDA suspended clinical trials after participants developed a delayed side effect called TTP/HUS, or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/hemolytic uremic syndrome. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 6, 2000.)

¿ Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Richmond, Calif., and Xoma Ltd., of Berkeley, Calif., entered a strategic process development and manufacturing relationship calling for Xoma to manufacture commercial volumes of CI-1042, also known as ONYX-015, an anticancer agent. ONYX-015 is in Phase III testing as a head and neck cancer therapeutic. Depending on regulatory approvals, sales volume, clinical trial outcome and other factors, the five-year agreement, extendable in three-year increments, may be worth more than $35 million.

¿ Siga Technologies Inc., of New York, said it identified a key bacterial gene in Streptococcus gordonii. The gene, designated "srtA," encodes an enzyme needed for the expression of bacterial surface proteins. The discovery was published in the January 2001 issue of Infection and Immunity.