Pharmaceutical industry
Norak Biosciences, Inc. has announced a significant milestone in the expansion of its intellectual property portfolio, with the broad issuance of a European patent covering compositions of matter and methods that protect its patented Transfluor(R) technology. This patent, EP1015608, claims compositions and cells including a conjugate of a beta-arrestin,
Biotechnology industries
Immusol, a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company, has announced the appointment of Nicholas F. Paoni, Ph.D. as its new Vice President of Therapeutics. Dr. Paoni will lead the development of the company's protein therapeutic and small molecule-based drug programs. With a background in chemistry and biochemistry, Dr. Paoni
Biotechnology industries
Therion Biologics Corporation has announced the licensing of patent rights related to lymphocyte function associated antigen-3 (LFA-3) from Biogen Idec Inc. This licenses adds to Therion's intellectual property portfolio, strengthening its proprietary position in advancing its lead cancer vaccine candidates, Prostvac-VF and Panvac-VF. The agreement allows Therion to
Drugs
Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc, in collaboration with BioChem Pharma Inc, has secured a crucial victory in a patent dispute with Emory University relating to the antiviral medication 3TC/Epivir. The US Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences has invalidated Emory University's patent for the medication, a decision that
Drugs
Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc and BioChem Pharma Inc are merging to create one of the world's leading global specialty pharmaceutical companies. The deal will be achieved through the exchange of shares, valuing BioChem at $4 billion on a fully diluted basis. The merged company will have a broadened
Pharmaceutical industry
Biogen and Elan announced a collaboration to develop, manufacture, and commercialize Antegren, a humanized monoclonal antibody currently in Phase 2 clinical trials for multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease. This announcement marks the beginning of a new class of agents with potential uses in various diseases. The collaboration will
Pharmaceutical industry
Biogen, a leading biopharmaceutical company, has received a significant victory in a patent dispute over its flagship treatment for multiple sclerosis, AVONEX(R) (Interferon beta-1a). The company announced that Judge Mark L. Wolf of the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted summary judgment, ruling that Biogen'
Drugs
Tamiflu, the number one prescribed antiviral treatment for influenza, has been shown to effectively treat children aged 1 year and older for acute influenza, a significant medical breakthrough considering the high incidence of the disease in this age group. The new indication was supported by clinical trial data demonstrating a
Drugs
Medarex and MedImmune announced a partnership to develop fully human antibodies using Medarex's HuMAb-Mouse technology. Under the agreement, MedImmune gains exclusive rights to the technology for the development of antibodies against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and an option to further license the technology for additional antigens. Medarex will
Pharmaceutical industry
ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, has announced the conversion of 433,333 American Depositary Shares (ADSs) of Cantab Pharmaceuticals Plc into 1,300,000 Ordinary Shares of Cantab, with plans to sell these shares on the London Stock Exchange for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $7,215,000. Additionally,
Pharmaceutical industry
QIAGEN has announced the acquisition of Operon Technologies, a leading provider of synthetic DNA, synthetic genes, and DNA microarray tools. The acquisition expands QIAGEN's presence in the synthetic probe market, a rapidly growing area of nucleic acid research and genomics. Operon Technologies has built a strong reputation for
Pharmaceutical industry
Aclara BioSciences is preparing its pilot manufacturing plant to supply LabCard array chips to marketing partners Packard BioScience and Cellomics, Inc. The LabCard device enables rapid, parallel processing of large numbers of samples, using minute volumes of expensive or rare reagents. Commercialization of the Oasis LabCard chips is expected to
