¿ Abgenix Inc., of Fremont, Calif., has landed its 20th partner for the XenoMouse method of generating fully human antibodies. Abgenix will use XenoMouse to generate antibodies to several disease targets for the Hospital Products Division of Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott Laboratories, in exchange for research, license and milestone payments, plus royalties on any future product sales.

¿ Adolor Corp., of Malvern, Pa., licensed to Osaka, Japan-based Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. development and worldwide marketing rights for topical uses of ADL 2-1294 (loperamide) for the treatment of ophthalmic pain. Adolor will receive an up-front payment, milestone payments and royalties on net sales. The companies also agreed to negotiate an agreement for Adolor to market and sell products to hospitals in the U.S.

¿ Axiom Biotechnologies, of San Diego, signed Biacore, of Uppsala, Sweden, as the exclusive worldwide distributor for the development-stage high-throughput pharmacology system, HT-PS, which is slated for a late-2001 launch.

¿ Cepheid, of Sunnyvale, Calif., acquired a license from PE Biosystems Group to manufacture and sell thermal cyclers for use in the polymerase chain reaction process. Cepheid is using the technology in its family of I-CORE systems, including the recently launched Smart Cycler System, and the development-stage Smart Cycler XC and GeneXpert.

¿ Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., has filed with the FDA to include patients with endocarditis in a companion study of the antibiotic Cidecin (daptomycin). The trial is enrolling patients with gram-positive infections who are refractory, resistant or contraindicated for other medications. The company presented positive data from an in vitro study comparing the activity of daptomycin to that of vancomycin in an endocarditis model at the 100^th Annual General Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Biology in Los Angeles.

¿ Endovasc Ltd. Inc., of Montgomery, Texas, has fulfilled investigational new drug application requirements for Liprostin (prostaglandin E1), a liposome formulation of a naturally occurring vasodilating hormone. The drug will first be used to treat patients with critical limb ischemia, a $300 million market CEO David Summers called the "tip of the iceberg" for the product, which also has potential applications in coronary and peripheral restenosis, myocardial infract salvage and liver disease.

¿ GelTex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, reported preclinical data on a novel non-antibiotic Clostridium difficile toxin binder, GT160-246, a high-molecular-weight polymer that binds the C. difficile toxin within the gastrointestinal tract, blocking its damaging effects on intestinal epithelium. GT160-246, when administered orally before or after infection, protected 90 percent of hamsters from fatal colitis. The hamsters remained free of disease after treatment was halted.

¿ HTS Biosystems Inc., of St. Paul, Minn., and Ciencia Inc., of Hartford, Conn., entered into a licensing and consulting agreement that will expand HTS' intellectual property portfolio and provide engineering resources for the development of high-throughput detection systems for the pharmaceutical and genomics research markets. Ciencia has licensed present and future technologies to HTS, including initial patents related to phase fluorescence that will be used in HTS' system. Financial details were not disclosed.

¿ Immune Network Research, of Vancouver, British Columbia, is exercising an option to exclusively license worldwide rights (excluding the U.S.) to two compounds from Meditech Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Scottsdale, Ariz. The compounds, MTCH-24 and Viraplex, are in testing in several areas, including herpes simplex virus. Meditech will receive an advance licensing fee of $100,000, plus royalties of 4 percent to 7 percent on net products sales.

¿ KS Biomedix, of London, released details from a Phase II trial of the small molecule CBF-BS2 as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study achieved primary and secondary efficacy endpoints, including a significant reduction in swollen joints and pain. The drug was safe and well tolerated as well.

¿ Sangui BioTech International Inc., of Santa Ana, Calif., began trading Monday on the Hamburg Stock Exchange under the symbol SBH.GR (Bloomberg) or SGBI.H (Reuters).

¿ Senetek PLC, of Napa, Calif. entered into a research and development collaboration with Tel Aviv University-Ramot and the Weizmann Institute of Science-Yeda in Israel for the development of novel compounds for the topical treatment of sexual dysfunction. Senetek will receive exclusive rights to 17 patented novel compounds for the treatment of male and female sexual dysfunction.

¿ SuperGen Inc., of San Ramon, Calif., acquired rights to lucanthone, a radio-sensitizing topoisomerase II inhibitor in a Phase I trial for advanced brain tumors. SuperGen acquired the rights from Robert Bases, professor of radiation/oncology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Hospital in New York.

¿ The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, of Morgantown, W. Va., is building a 49,000-square-foot research facility on John Hopkins University's Rockville, Md., campus. The facility is expected to open this fall.

¿ Unigene Laboratories Inc., of Fairfield, N.J., initiated a collaboration with "a major international pharmaceutical company" to investigate oral delivery of a diabetes compound. Unigene also reported positive animal results for several orally delivered peptides, including products that potentially could treat diabetes, endometriosis, urinary incontinence and certain types of cancer.

¿ Universal Preservation Technologies Inc., of San Diego, named Gene Tutwiler president and chief executive officer.