¿ CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, of Cambridge, England, formally launched its pharmaceutical arm following the acquisition of three drugs from Glaxo Wellcome plc, marking the first step in establishing a fully integrated pharmaceutical company. CeNeS is in discussions with other companies for the acquisition of further products. CEO Daniel Roach said the launch of the division was an important step toward becoming a central nervous system-focused pharmaceutical company, with revenues being used to fund the development portfolio.

¿ Evolutec Ltd., of Oxford, England, which has identified more than 100 biologically active molecules from the saliva of blood-sucking arthropods, particularly ticks, has agreed to a joint research program with Novartis Animal Health Inc., of Basel, Switzerland. The companies will determine if molecules discovered by Evolutec could be developed into farm and companion animal vaccines. No financial details were disclosed.

¿ NicOx SA, of Sophia-Antipolis, France, made three top management appointments, naming Ennio Ongini as senior director research, David Howat as director preclinical development, and Giancarlo Acuto as director project planning. Ongini will oversee drug discovery activities and the selection of patent candidates from his base in Milan. Howat, who comes from Celltech Group in the UK, will direct preclinical studies for all the company's development programs, while Acuto will be responsible for budgeting and coordinating the various drug development groups.

¿ Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, England, announced the successful completion of the first stage of its Phase I/II clinical trial of the cancer treatment MetXia. The product was safe and well tolerated and resulted in gene transfer to the tumors. The development will now continue as planned with the second stage of the trial due to report in 2001. A total of eight patients, five with late-stage breast cancer and three with melanoma, were treated with three doses of MetXia. Gene transfer occurred in all cases. MetXia delivers the human gene CYP2B6 to tumors, where it produces an enzyme that converts a previously circulating prodrug into the active form of the cytotoxic cyclophosphamide.

¿ Oxford GlycoSciences, of Abingdon, England, revised the terms of its proteomics collaboration with Incyte Genomics Inc. to allow OGS to pursue other partners. Under the original 1998 deal, OGS provided proteomics data, which are integrated with gene expression data generated by Incyte, and sold as Incyte's LifeExpress database. But so far there are only two subscribers, AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb, meaning OCS has seen little return from the profit-sharing agreement. The new deal is non-exclusive, allowing OGS to seek more partners, and to charge Incyte a fixed fee for the data.

¿ Transgene SA, of Strasbourg, France, reported a 65 percent jump in its third-quarter net loss to EUR7.6 million (US$6.6 million) this year from EUR4.6 million in 1999. The company attributed the increased shortfall to the costs of clinical trials under way and to the expenses associated with its plans for increasing its capital. In the first nine months as a whole, Transgene's net loss rose to EUR17.9 million from EUR12.9 million in the corresponding period of 1999, while its revenues dropped from EUR3.4 million to EUR3.1 million from one period to the next. As of Sept. 30, Transgene had cash reserves of EUR34.7 million, down from EUR50.2 million at the end of 1999.