* Agennix Inc., of Houston, said it completedfermentation and downstream processing of lactoferrin,an iron binding protein in neutrophils involved inantimicrobial activity. Agennix is developing lactoferrinin collaboration with Zeneca BioMolecules, of Teeside,England, a subsidiary of London-based Zeneca.

* Biomira Inc., of Alberta, Canada, received an up-frontfee and will get royalties in a licensing agreement withAltaRex Inc., of Edmonton, Canada, for use of Biomira'smonoclonal antibody B43.13 in AltaRex's Ovarexvaccine. Biomira's antibody is designed as an anti-idiotype therapy for ovarian cancer. Financial details werenot disclosed.

* Cambridge NeuroScience Inc., of Cambridge, Mass.,completed a public offering of 1.2 million shares toinstitutional investors at $8 per share, raising $9.6million. Robertson Stephens & Co. L.P., of SanFrancisco, acted as placement agent. (See BioWorldToday, Nov. 17, 1995, p. 4.)

* Scios Nova Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., will spendup to $6 million to repurchase 5 percent of the company's36 million outstanding shares. Scios Nova said it willmake the purchases over the next year to offset, in part,stock dilution caused by issuance of new shares foremployee benefit and stock option programs.

* Seragen Inc., of Hopkinton, Mass., formed SeragenBiopharmaceuticals Ltd. in Montreal with $13.5 million(Canadian) in private financing from six Canadianinvestors, who will own 51 percent of the new company.Seragen will own the remaining 49 percent. SeragenBiopharmaceuticals will conduct research and clinicaltrials of Seragen's fusion toxin products. The Canadianinvestors are Montreal-based Sofinov, a subsidiary ofCaisse de depot et placement du Quebec; SocieteInnovatech du Grand Montreal; Royal Bank CapitalCorp., of Toronto; and MDS Health Ventures, ofToronto, along with two funds it manages, Health Careand Biotechnology Fund, of Toronto, and CanadianMedical Discoveries Fund, of London, Canada. MDSHealth Ventures is part of the MDS Health Group inToronto.

* Transcend Therapeutics Inc., of Cambridge, Mass.,began a Phase I trial of Procysteine for amyotrophiclateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). Procysteine is adrug aimed at replenishing glutathione, which is used bythe body to protect against damage from reactive oxygenspecies. The trial will involve 10 to 20 ALS patients andsix healthy volunteers, all of whom will receive 28 daysof treatment.

* Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass.,reported positive data from a Phase I/II study of its anti-multidrug resistance compound, VX-710, in combinationwith the anti-cancer drug, doxorubicin. VX-710 isdesigned to prevent tumor cells' multidrug resistancegene from pumping out chemotherapeutics before theyhave a chance to work. The ongoing Vertex study incancer patients shows VX-710 is well-tolerated andimaging data indicates the compound appears to block theefflux mechanism.

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