NEWS: FEBRUARY 2003

-2/28/2003-

Bayer AG not to sell its specialty chemicals unit Rheinchemie. To read article click here.

Abbott Laboratories to expand its operations in Ireland creating 900 new jobs. To read article click here.

-2/27/2003-

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission investigates AstraZeneca for allegations of unfair marteking tacticts of its ulcer drug Nexium. To read article click here.

The European Union conditionally approves Pfizer's merger with Pharmacia. To read article click here.

-2/26/2003-

The Strategic Research Institute (SRI) will host the "1st International Psychiatric Drug Discovery & Development" conference on June 24-25, 2003, in Princeton, NJ. To read article click here. SRI promotes and hosts a broad range of scientific oriented conferences. For more information on SRI here at CombiChem Lab click here.

FDA approves Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s OXYTROL™, the first transdermal therapy for overactive bladder. To read article click here.

BioForce Nanosciences Inc. releases second-generation nanotechnology tool UV TipCleaner. To read article click here.

-2/25/2003-

FDA gives Schering-Plough Corporation 6 more months to exclusively sell CLARINEX® (desloratadine). To read article click here.

Exelixis Inc. gives an update on its cancer antibody research agreement with Protein Design Labs Inc. To read article click here.

Lexicon Genetics Incorporated discovers and validates the enzyme LG881 as a novel target for the development of drugs to treat osteoporosis. To read article click here.

IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation files lawsuit against Corixa Corporation and GlaxoSmithKline for Bexxar™ patent infringement. To read article click here.

Bayer AG pays $125 million to settle 450 Baycol lawsuits. To read article click here.

MethylGene Inc. receives U.S. Patent 6,506,735 entitled "Optimized Antisense Oligonucleotides Complementary to DNA Methyltransferase Sequences." To read article click here.

Gene Logic Inc. to acquire TherImmune Research Corp. for $52 million in cash and stock. To read article click here.

MorphoSys AG and Boehringer Ingelheim form therapeutic antibody collaboration. To read article click here.

Roche Holding AG and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to co-develop potential rheumatoid arthritis drug. To read article click here.

4SC AG and Boehringer Ingelheim form research collaboration to identify novel ligands against three undisclosed targets. To read article click here.

-2/24/2003-

VaxGen Inc's AIDS vaccine fails Phase III clinical trials with mixed results. To read article click here.

Eli Lilly & Co. and 3M Co. halt clinical trials of resiquimod for genital herpes treatment. To read article click here.

-2/21/2003-

Press Release: Advanced ChemTech Europe has announced the availability of a new on-line bibliography providing Combinatorial, Organic and Peptide Chemists with easy access to useful applications and technical information. To read press release click here. Advanced ChemTech (ACT) provides automated and semi-automated systems and resins for combinatorial chemistry, polymer-assisted, and high-throughput organic and peptide synthesis. For a review of ACT's systems here at CombiChem Lab click here and here.

Press Release: Available now from Advanced ChemTech Europe the new Vulcan High Pressure Reactor provides a flexible new tool for radically enhancing the productivity of automated organic syntheses. To read press release click here. Advanced ChemTech (ACT) provides automated and semi-automated systems and resins for combinatorial chemistry, polymer-assisted, and high-throughput organic and peptide synthesis. For a review of ACT's systems here at CombiChem Lab click here and here.

-2/20/2003-

The Strategic Research Institute (SRI) will host the "siRNA in Drug Discovery & Development" conference on March 24-25, 2003, in La Jolla, CA. To read article click here. SRI promotes and hosts a broad range of scientific oriented conferences. For more information on SRI here at CombiChem Lab click here.

The Strategic Research Institute (SRI) will host the "Antibacterial Drug Discovery & Development Summit" conference on March 24-25, 2003, in Princeton, NJ. To read article click here. SRI promotes and hosts a broad range of scientific oriented conferences. For more information on SRI here at CombiChem Lab click here.

NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. to acquire Enzon Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $770 million in stock. To read article click here.

Researchers at Zengen Inc. develop 'super' peptide that kills Candida albicans. To read article click here.

-2/19/2003-

IBC to host the "ScreenTech® World Summit" conferences on March 23-17, 2003, in San Diego, CA. For more information on this conference click here. IBC promotes and hosts a broad range of scientific oriented conferences. For more information on IBC here at CombiChem Lab click here.

The Strategic Research Institute (SRI) will host the "Biochips World Summit 2003" conference on June 23-25, 2003, in Princeton, NJ. To read article click here. SRI promotes and hosts a broad range of scientific oriented conferences. For more information on SRI here at CombiChem Lab click here.

SciQuest Inc. intorduces SelectSite® Spend Director. To read article click here. SciQuest provides software applications for R&D including the Analytical Chemical Manager (ACM) for combinatorial chemistry analytical data tracking and handling. For a review on SciQuest's Analytical Chemical Manager (ACM) here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Incyte Genomics Inc. acquies Maxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $28.3 million. To read article click here.

-2/18/2003-

SCIENCE FACTORY GmbH and IBM form collaboration to create a data management solution to enhance drug discovery and development. To read article click here.

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co.'s shares fall 78% after drug candidate Riquent™ for lupus kidney disease treatment fails Phase III trials. To read article click here.

Merck & Co. Inc. and Sunesis Parmaceuticals Inc. form multiyear research collaboration for Alzheimer's disease. To read article click here.

Geron Corp. to publish in the March issue of the Journal of Virology the article "Effects of telomerase transduction suggest differential impairment of lytic and cytokine functions in senescent HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes." To read article click here.

Merck KgaA to cut 4% of its German workforce by the end of 2003. To read article click here.

-2/17/2003-

Press Release: ESA Analytical Ltd., a leading supplier of high sensitivity detectors for HPLC, has announced a series of Spring 2003 workshops. To read press release click here.

De Novo Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Roche's joint technology development collaboration materializes in new chemoinformatics platform to accelerate drug discovery: SkelGen II™. To read article click here.

-2/14/2003-

Bayer AG receives approval from the Federal Trade Commission to sell its insecticide Fipronil Assets to BASF AG. To read article click here.

UK court blocks generic drug companies from making copycat version of GlaxoSmithKline's antidepressant Seroxat (Paxil in the United States). To read article click here.

-2/13/2003-

Press Release: INTEGRA Biosciences has announced the availability of CELLROLL a modular and expandible solution that automates the task of rolling cell cultivation bottles. To read press release click here.

IBC to host TIDES® 2003 covering the "7th International Oligonucleotide Technology Conferene" and the "6th International Peptide Technology Conference" on April 28 throught May 1, 2003, in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on this conference click here and here. IBC promotes and hosts a broad range of scientific oriented conferences. For more information on IBC here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Discovery Partners International Inc. (DPII) and Novartis Pharma AG sign assay development and biological screening collaboration. To read article click here. DPII offers its IRORI microreactor-based product line for high-throughput solid phase combinatorial chemistry. For a review of IRORI's product line here at CombiChem Lab click here.

The state of New York files lawsuits agains GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Pharmacia Corp. for allegedly inflating the price of prescription drugs. To read article click here.

Merck & Co. Inc. and MerLion Pharmaceuticals sign research collaboration agreement to discover and develop novel drugs from natural sources. To read article click here.

Deltagen Inc.'s CEO resigns. To read article click here.

-2/12/2003-

FDA grants orphan drug designation to Dyax Corp. 's recombinant inhibitor of human plasma kallikrein DX-88 for angioedema treatment. To read article click here. Biotage Inc., a division of Dyax Corp., has a broad variety of purification systems for drug discovery. To find a review of Biotage's purification systems here at CombiChem Lab click here.

LION bioscience AG signs global perpetual license with AstraZeneca for LION's SRS integration technology modules. To read article click here. LION offers its iDiscovery™ technologies and services for drug discovery. For a review of Lion's services here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Caliper Technologies Corp. rejects $100 million takeover bid. To read article click here.

Elixir Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Centagenetix merge. To read article click here.

Telik Inc. and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center form cancer drug discovery research collaboration. To read article click here.

AstraZeneca to invest $85 million in new cancer research building at Alderley Park, Cheshire. To read article click here.

-2/11/2003-

Press Release: Based upon proven Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV) technology the Model 3010B Lead Analyser from ESA Analytical makes blood lead analysis rapid and routine, without the high costs of other analytical methods. To read press release click here.

FDA approves Wyeth's antidepressant EFFEXOR® XR for social anxiety disorder. To read article click here.

Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corp. and H. Lundbeck A/S to merge. To read article click here.

CEO of Transkaryotic Therapies Inc. resigns. To read article click here.

Avanir Pharmaceuticals creates anthrax antibody. To read article click here.

AstraZeneca submits IRESSA™ (gefitinib, ZD1839) for european approval for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. To read article click here.

Beyond Genomics Inc. (BG) and Novartis Pharma AG sign agreement to use BG's Systems Biology for cardiovascular disease research. To read article click here.

Akzo Nobel NV to cut anothe 500 jobs. To read article click here.

-2/10/2003-

Pharmacopeia Inc. and AstraZeneca extend drug discovery research collaboration. To read article click here. Pharmacopeia Inc. provides services for drug discovery R&D. For a review of Pharmacopeia's services here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Johnson & Johnson to buy Scios Inc. for $2.4 billion in cash. To read article click here.

Johnson & Johnson completes the acquisition of OraPharma Inc. To read article click here.

Abbott Laboratories Inc.'s experimental drug Atrasentan for prostate cancer fails clinical trials. To read article click here.

FDA approves Pfizer Inc.'s Zoloft® for acute and long-term treatment of social phobia. To read article click here.

OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. to acquire Cell Pathways Inc. To read article click here.

-2/07/2003-

Johnson & Johnson interested to buy Scios Inc. for $2 billion. To read article click here.

FDA approves Biogen Inc.'s drug Avonex® for early treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). To read article click here.

-2/06/2003-

Press Release: RiboTargets' exclusive licence with ASINEX extended. To read press release click here. ASINEX offers a large collection of highly pure and diverse small organic compounds for CombiChem and HTS as well as its services for chemistry and drug discovery. For a review of ASINEX's compound collections and services here at CombiChem Lab click here.

The Strategic Research Institute (SRI) will host the "2nd Antibody World Summit" conference on February 24-28, 2003, in San Diego, CA. To read article click here. SRI promotes and hosts a broad range of scientific oriented conferences. For more information on SRI here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Discovery Partners International Inc. (DPII) and GlaxoSmithKline sign agreement for access to Discovery Partners' next generation IRORI combinatorial chemistry instruments product line: X-Kan chemistry synthesis systems. To read article click here. DPII offers its IRORI microreactor-based product line for high-throughput solid phase combinatorial chemistry. For a review of IRORI's product line here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Merck & Co. halts Phase II clinical trials for GABA-A a2/a3 lead compound for anxiety treatment. To read article click here.

-2/05/2003-

Press Release: Tecan, a world leader in microplate automation and detection systems, has announced the launch of its new microplate stacker system CONNECT. To read press release click here. Tecan provides the ChemSystem workstation and the TECAN MiniPrep systems for combinatorial chemistry and drug discovery. To read a review of TECAN's systems here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Press Release: A new 16-page newsletter, produced by Tecan (Northern Europe), has been introduced to provide researchers with a broad overview of innovations in laboratory automation and to showcase new technologies and applications in proteomics, genomics, diagnostics and drug discovery. To read press release click here. Tecan provides the ChemSystem workstation and the TECAN MiniPrep systems for combinatorial chemistry and drug discovery. To read a review of TECAN's systems here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Drug & Market Development (D&MD) releases new report:"Cell Therapy: Technologies, Markets, & Opportunities." To read article click here.

Illumina Inc. introduces its new RefSet™ Oligos for the human genome. To read article click here.

Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Inc. discloses novel drug discovery technology for the rapid and efficient identification of enzyme inhibitor molecules. Initial efforts and results are directed at caspases. To read article click here and here.

Celgene Corporation receives U.S. patent for its CC-401 JNK (c-Jun N-terminal Kinase) inhibitor. To read article click here.

Bayer AG faces around 7,800 lawsuits over its drug Baycol. To read article click here.

-2/04/2003-

Protein Design Labs Inc. to acquire Eos Biotechnology Inc. for $37.5 million in stock. To read article click here.

Cell Genesys Inc. to cancel some of its gene therapy programs and cut 26 positions. To read article click here.

Myriad Genetics Inc. discovers new gene called DEP1 linked to depression. To read article click here.

-2/03/2003-

Press Release: Autoscribe Ltd. and Varian Instruments UK are pleased to announce a co-operative business partnership associated with the new Galaxie chromatography data system developed by Varian. To read press release click here. Varian provides a line of preparative HPLC systems as well as its high-throughput NMR VAST system for drug discovery and combinatorial chemistry. For a review of Varian's HPLC systems and its VAST system here at CombiChem Lab click here and here.

Press Release: Genevac Ltd., a leading developer and supplier of solvent removal technology, has announced the recent sale of its 1000th Cole Principle Vacuum Pump to a customer in Germany. To read press release click here. Genevac Ltd. provides high-throughput centrifugal evaporation systems for combinatorial chemistry, high-throughput screening (HTS) and drug discovery. To read a review of Genevac's systems here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Press Release: Ideal for medicinal chemistry and other drug discovery research applications, the new Genevac Model DD-4X is the latest cost-effective system for general-purpose centrifugal solvent evaporation. To read press release click here. Genevac Ltd. provides high-throughput centrifugal evaporation systems for combinatorial chemistry, high-throughput screening (HTS) and drug discovery. To read a review of Genevac's systems here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Tecan US introduces new products at Lab Automation 2003: Aquarius (a 96 or 384-channel multi-channel liquid handler), CONNECT Microplate Stacker System, Te-Mo 3/3 (a multi-channel pipetting option), and new Gemini software versions. To read article click here. Tecan provides the ChemSystem workstation and the TECAN MiniPrep systems for combinatorial chemistry and drug discovery. To read a review of TECAN's systems here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Tecan US and IDBS to integrate the Tecan Genesis Assay Workstation and IDBS' ActivityBase data management software. To read article click here. Tecan provides the ChemSystem workstation and the TECAN MiniPrep systems for combinatorial chemistry and drug discovery. To read a review of TECAN's systems here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Waters® Corporation and Taratec to host half-day seminars entitled "Productivity Improvements and Compliance for the Automated Laboratory" from February through May 2003. To read article click here. Micromass UK Ltd., a division of Waters Corporation, provides mass spectrometer systems for combinatorial chemistry and drug discovery. For a review of Micromass' systems here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Zymark Corporation introduces its Sciclone iNL10® robotic liquid handling system at Lab Automation 2003. To read article click here. Zymark Corporation provides automated systems for combinatorial chemistry and drug discovery. For a review of Zymark's systems for combinatorial chemistry here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Pharmacopeia Inc. and Novartis AG sign new collaboration for lead discovery. To read article click here. Pharmacopeia Inc. provides services for drug discovery R&D. For a review of Pharmacopeia's services here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Pharmacopeia Inc. and Celgene Corporation form inflamation research collaboration. To read article click here. Pharmacopeia Inc. provides services for drug discovery R&D. For a review of Pharmacopeia's services here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Pharmacopeia Inc. reach research milestone in its collaboration with Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. To read article click here. Pharmacopeia Inc. provides services for drug discovery R&D. For a review of Pharmacopeia's services here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Vion Pharmaceuticals Inc. initiates second Phase I trial of its VNP40101M in patients with solid tumors. To read article click here.

CN Biosciences Inc. changes its name to EMD Biosciences Inc. To read article click here.

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. acquires Cohesion Technologies Inc. To read article click here.

A U.S. Court of Appeals orders Biogen Inc. to pay $75 million to Schering AG. To read article click here.