CuraGen Corp. said it plans to offer $75 million in convertible notes due 2011 in a private placement, with an option for the initial purchaser to buy up to $15 million more. (BioWorld Today)

Adding a third product to its marketed line of dermatology treatments, Connetics Corp. entered an agreement to buy exclusive U.S. rights to F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.'s marketed oral psoriasis drug, Soriatane, for $123 million. (BioWorld Today)

Any pupil of biotech will tell you: One eyebrow-raising initial public offering does not an IPO wave make. Still, observers held hopes that if Eyetech Pharmaceuticals Inc. came through with a solid pricing and decent after-market performance, more of the pending IPOs might follow suit.