¿ Pharming Group NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, said its shares will be listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, starting June 16, in addition to the existing listing on the pan-European market Easdaq. The company, which raised Euro64 million (US$66 million) when it went public in June 1998, will not issue any new shares, but said the co-listing was a response to retail demand in the Netherlands. George Hersbach, CEO, said ¿private investors in our home market have given us a strong indication of their interest and we welcome them as shareholders.¿ ¿ PPL Therapeutics plc, of Edinburgh, Scotland, focused on production of human proteins in the milk of transgenic animals, has been granted FDA orphan drug status for its lead product, alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), for the treatment of congenital deficiency of this protein. The company previously received orphan drug status for AAT in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. ¿ Xenova plc, of Slough, said it will halt research and development at its MetaXen subsidiary in California, making 12 staff members, or about one-third of the workforce, redundant. The unit will continue to work on the collaboration with Eli Lilly and Co., of Indianapolis, for the development of anti-thrombotic drugs for chronic use. MetaXen was established to develop advanced lead optimization technologies, and David Oxlade, CEO, said the latest move is consistent with the strategy of focusing resources on cancer and cardiovascular products. ¿With MetaXen now concentrating on the PAI-1 collaboration with Lilly and with the recent disposal of our discovery business, we have streamlined our activities and significantly reduced cash burn,¿ he said.
