Six months ago start-up firm Epiphany Biosciences in-licensed a compound for varicella zoster virus. With the closing of a $36 million Series A round, the company now is poised to advance that product through Phase IIb trials, as well as continue work on a blood-screening product for herpesvirus-8. (BioWorld Today)

A glitch in the early stage research deep-sixed Maxygen Inc.'s pact with F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. for a next-generation Factor VII product, but their older agreement related to finding new compounds for hepatitis B and C viruses continues. (BioWorld Today)