LONDON – Procarta Biosystems Ltd. was awarded more than £1 million (US$1.6 million) in two European Union (EU) grants, enabling it to prepare the first of a new generation of antibiotics based on transcription factor decoys for the clinic, and providing a stepping stone to a funding round in which the company aims to raise £10 million. Read More

LONDON – A new understanding of how the neural circuits in the brain alter following exposure to addictive drugs such as cocaine could allow researchers to identify targets for drugs to treat addiction. Read More

One day after disclosing an $840 million licensing deal with Ghent, Belgium-based Ablynx NV for nanobody technology to treat rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, Abbvie Inc. turned to another Belgian biotech – existing partner Galapagos NV – for a global alliance to discover, develop and commercialize potentiator and combination therapies in cystic fibrosis (CF). Read More

SHANGHAI – The venture capital arm of Eli Lilly and Co. plans to invest in a small but rapidly growing biotech company with a strong pipeline to push forward the development of a third-generation whooping cough vaccine. Read More

Following calls to improve supervision over clinical trials, China has launched a new online registration platform that should help improve transparency and the quality of the growing number of trials done in the country. Read More

• Biotie Therapies Corp., of Turku, Finland, said that its partner H. Lundbeck A/S, of Copenhagen, has brought Selincro (nalmefene) to the market in Italy, triggering a €2 million (US$1.9 million) milestone to Biotie. Read More