NEWS: NOVEMBER 2003

-11/27/2003-

Press Release: Using samples only a few microlitres in volume the innovative PCA™ (Personal Cell Analysis) system from Guava Technologies enables advanced cell based assays to be started sooner and finished faster, streamlining the entire research and development process. To read press release click here.

Johnson & Johnson stops clinical trials of Procrit due to unexpected blood clotting side effects. To read article click here.

MorphoSys AG receives U.S. patent 6,653,068 entitled "Generation of Specific Binding Partners to (Poly)Peptides Encoded by Genomic DNA Fragments or ESTs." To read article click here.

-11/26/2003-

Genentech Inc.'s cancer drug Avastin found not to significantly extend the lives of patients in clinical trials. To read article click here.

Genitope Corporation goes IPO. To read article click here.

-11/25/2003-

Bayer Healthcare and ComGenex extend chemistry collaboration. To read article click here. Comgenex Inc. provides services for the synthesis of drug-like compounds for high-throughput screening (HTS) and drug discovery. For a review of Comgenex Inc's services here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Schering-Plough Corp. and ViroPharma Inc. sign agreement to develop an intranasal formulation of antiviral compound Pleconaril. To read article click here.

FDA approves Praecis Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Plenaxis™ for advanced prostate cancer. To read article click here.

-11/24/2003-

Antigenics Inc. resumes Phase III clinical trials for cancer vaccine Oncophage® (HSPPC-96). To read article click here.

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. terminates license agreement with C.R. BARD Inc. To read article click here.

Iconix Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company sign chemogenomics profiling collaboration. To read article click here.

Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) licenses the Ingenuity Pathways Analysis application for genomic data analysis. To read article click here.

Neogen Corporation acquires Hacco Inc. and Hess & Clark Inc. To read article click here.

Artemis Pharmaceuticals GmbH and Bayer AG form mouse genetics agreement. To read article click here.

-11/21/2003-

Press Release: Porvair Sciences has introduced TriSeal™ a new automated plate sealer that can produce an accurate and tight seal on any SBS proposed standard plate from 15 to 45mm in height. To read press release click here.

FDA approves Eli Lilly & Co. and Icos Corp.'s drug Cialis (Tadalafil) for male erectile dysfunction. To read article click here.

U.S. appeals court invalids GlaxoSmithKline's patents for the antibiotic Augmentin. To read article click here.

CytRx Corporation and 3rd Millennium Inc. form collarboration fo scientific computing platform for RNAi-based type II diabetes and obesity drug development. To read article click here.

Eli Lilly and Co. acquires Applied Molecular Evolution Inc. for about $400 million. To read article click here.

Argenta Discovery Ltd. and Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. sign 3-year drug discovery research collaboration. To read article click here.

-11/20/2003-

Press Release: Frost & Sullivan has available new business report "Funding Shortfalls and Capacity Gap Threaten to Hamper Biopharmaceutical Industry's Progress". To read press release click here.

Allergan Inc. acquires Oculex Pharmaceuticals Inc. To read article click here.

Elan Corporation buys royalty rights of Zonegran™, Frova™ and Zanaflex™ from Pharma Marketing. To read article click here.

Genaera Corporation receives U.S. patent entitled "Methods for Treating Asthma with Interleukin-9 Receptor Antibodies." To read article click here.

Reliant Pharmaceuticals acquires the U.S. rights to Rythmol® (propafenone HCl) from Abbott Laboratories. To read article click here.

Eli Lilly and Company and Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s second-generation antisense drug LY2181308 targeting survivin found to inhibit tumor growth in animal models. To read article click here.

Scientists at MedImmune Inc. publish in the November 15 issue of Cancer Research antibodies targeting protein EphA2 attack and destroy cancer cells. To read article click here.

Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. disclose preclinical data of Raf kinase and VEGFR2 inhibitor investigational drug BAY 43-9006. To read article click here.

Advanced Viral Research Corp. receives patent in China for compound AVR118 (Product R) for AIDS treatment. To read article click here.

Geron Corporation discloses preclinical data on its lipidated telomerase inhibitor anti-cancer drug candidate GRN163L. To read article click here.

-11/19/2003-

Press Release: A new technical note from ESA describes how the company has applied its unique products and expertise in bioanalytical detection to provide the tools to easily and quickly test early stage drug discovery compounds for their oxidative stability. To read press release click here.

Press Release: Available from Porvair Sciences, specialists in microplate technology, the Krystal 2000 range of clear-bottomed 96-well microplates offer the high level of photometric accuracy and repeatability required by High Throughput Screening applications. To read press release click here.

PPD Inc. and Syrrx Inc. form alliance for human dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DP4) inhibitors for type 2 diabetes. To read article click here.

Amersham Biosciences releases new tools for its CodeLink™ Informatics Solution for gene expression data handling. To read article click here.

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals Inc. discloses findings on its anti-angiogenesis compound candidate AP23573. To read article click here.

Celltech Group to close target discovery R&D facility in Seattle at the beginning of 2004. To read article click here.

-11/18/2003-

GlaxoSmithKline signs deal with ChemBridge Research Laboratories (CRL) to have access to CRL's GPCR Targeted Library. To read article click here. ChemBridge offers compound libaries and services in combinatorial chemistry and drug discovery. For a review of ChemBridge's chemicals here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Genome Therapeutics acquires GeneSoft Pharmaceuticals for $80 million in stock. To read article click here.

The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will test Vical Inc.'s Ebola vaccine. To read article click here.

Genaissance Pharmaceuticals Inc. acquires 30% equity stake in Sciona Ltd. To read article click here.

Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. initiates Phase II clinical trials of neuroimmunophilin ligand GPI 1485 for post- prostatectomy erectile dysfunction (PPED) treatment. To read article click here.

Cellular Genomics Inc. and Serono expand kinase discovery program collaboration. To read article click here.

Applied Molecular Evolution Inc. files IND application to the FDA for AME-527 for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. To read article click here.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. receives U.S. patent 6,649,157 entitled "Viruses for the Treatment of Cellular Proliferative Disorders." To read article click here.

Cyclacel Limited discoveres novelhuman Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) inhibitors involved in the regulation of the cancer cell cycle. To read article click here.

-11/17/2003-

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. initiates Phase II clinical trials of EOquin for bladder cancer. To read article click here.

Paradigm Genetics Inc. signs 2-year herbicide discovery collaboration with Bayer CropScience. To read article click here.

deCODE genetics Inc. acquires worldwide rights to Bayer AG's experimental drug DG031 for heart attacks and plans to move it right away to Phase II clinical trial. To read article click here.

Kalypsys Inc. and CV Therapeutics Inc. form discovery research collaboration for cardiovascular disease. To read article click here.

-11/14/2003-

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. ro acquire STS Biopolymers Inc. for $23 million in cash. To read article click here.

-11/13/2003-

Press Release: INTEGRA Biosciences, specialists in cell cultivation equipment, have chosen three important international meetings to launch the CELLine adhere, a novel disposable flask-bioreactor for long-term, high level protein expression from adherent cells. To read press release click here.

ImClone Systems Inc.'s drug Erbitux™ for colon cander to be sold in Switzerland by the end of 2004. To read article click here.

Tanox Inc. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals form osteoporosis research alliance. To read article click here.

-11/12/2003-

Press Release: Genevac, specialists in advanced evaporator technology, have announced a new heated condenser inlet pipe for its Series II Model HT-8 and HT-12 Centrifugal Evaporator systems. 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.

Biogen Inc. and Idec Pharmaceuticals Corp. complete merger. To read article click here.

VaxGen Inc. HIV vaccine Aidsvax fails Phsse III clinical trials. To read article click here.

Lynx Therapeutics Inc. and the University of Delaware form research collaboration to map rice gene expression patters. To read article click here.

ViaCell Inc. acquires Kourion Therapeutics AG. To read article click here.

Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc. initiates Phase I clinical trials of R803 for hepatitis C virus (HCV). To read article click here.

ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc. changes name to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. To read article click here.

Idun Pharmaceuticals Inc. receives U.S. patent entitled "Inhibition of apoptosis using interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme (ICE)/CED-3 family inhibitors". To read article click here.

-11/11/2003-

Press Release: Genevac has announced a new CD containing a wealth of useful hints and tips on optimising solvent evaporation techniques, a utility for calculating a solvents boiling point at different pressure and a unique unit conversion program. 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.

Varian Inc. introduces its new 800 MHz Cold Probe for proteomics and structural biology research. To read article click here. Varian Inc. provides NMR instrumentation for a broad range of analytical applications in drug discovery, including its VAST system for combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput NMR analysis. For a review of Varian Inc.'s VAST system here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Lexicon Genetics Inc. identifies WNK1 gene linked to high blood pressure. To read article click here.

Amgen Inc. stops drug development of epratuzumab for indolent and aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment. To read article click here.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. stops Phase II clinical trials of pralnacasan for rheumatoid arthritis due to liver toxicity issues. To read article click here.

Acusphere Inc. receives U.S. patent 6,645,528 entitled "Porous Drug Matrices and Methods of Manufacture Thereof." To read article click here.

Boehringer Ingelheim and Genentech Inc. initiate clinical trials of TNKase(TM)/Metalyse® (Tenecteplase) for acute myocardial infarction. To read article click here.

Genaissance Pharmaceuticals Inc. finds correlations between genetic markers and drug response in heart disease. To read article click here.

Lynx Therapeutics Inc. and DuPont sign multi-year ag research collaboration. To read article click here.

Metaphore Pharmaceuticals discovers novel pathway for superoxide in pain and inflammation. To read article click here.

Boehringer Ingelheim and Galapagos Genomics antiviral discovery research collaboration. To read article click here.

RoboDesign International Inc. signs agreement with Structural GenomiX Inc. to provide custom designed systems for high-throughput crystallization. To read article click here.

-11/10/2003-

Press Release: Radleys (Saffron Walden, UK) has introduced Lara, a Controlled Laboratory Reactor (CLR) system that sets new standards in flexibility and ease-of-use for process automation. To read press release click here. Radleys has a line of workstations and also offers the Lollipop Phase Separator for the removal of aqueous layers for parallel synthesis, combinatorial chemistry and drug discovery. To read a review of Radleys' systems and the Lollipop Phase Separator here at CombiChem Lab click here and here, respectively.

OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. initiates Phase II dose-escalation study of HER1/EGFR kinase inhibitor Tarceva™ (erlotinib HCl) for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To read article click here.

Cambrex Corp. sales its Rutherford Chemicals unit to Arsenal Capital Partners. To read article click here.

Chiron Inc. to sell Swedish vaccine unit. To read article click here.

XenoPort Inc. initiates Phase I clinical trials of XP13512 as next-generation gabapentin. To read article click here.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s experimental diabetes drug exenatide found effective in clinical trials. To read article click here.

Fulcrum Pharmaceuticals and Johns Hopkins University scientists discover SARS-associated coronavirus protease
3CLpro enzyme inhibitors. To read article click here.

-11/06/2003-

Chiron Corp. gives nonexclusive Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) license to Vertex Pharmaceuticals to move forward Vertex's HCV protease inhibitor VX-950. To read article click here.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc. brake off merger talks. To read article click here.

Eli Lilly and Company adopts and purchased suite of cellular screening technology from Amersham Biosciences. To read article click here.

-11/06/2003-

Varian Inc. introduces new HPLC column for its Helix™ DNA Analysis System. To read article click here. Varian Inc. provides NMR instrumentation for a broad range of analytical applications in drug discovery, including its VAST system for combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput NMR analysis. For a review of Varian Inc.'s VAST system here at CombiChem Lab click here.

GlaxoSmithKlineto to create a seventh Center of Excellence for Drug Discovery (CEDD). To read article click here.

Recent biotech IPO companies facing unclear market debut. To read article click here.

Pharmacyclics Inc. begins clinical trials of Xcytrin® (motexafin gadolinium) in combination with Rituxan® and Zevalin® for non-Hodgkins B-cell lymphoma. To read article click here.

Protein map of fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) published. To read article click here.

Lexicon Genetics Inc. begins new ophthalmology therapeutic program. To read article click here.

ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc. to move Viramidine to Phase III clinical trials for Hepatitis C treatment. To read article click here.

Chiron Corporation opens nucleic acid testing lab in China. To read article click here.

English Court of Appeal rules on favor of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. invalidating two Merck & Co. patents on osteoporosis drug Fosamax. To read article click here.

Corixa Inc. to cut its work force by 18 percent. To read article click here.

-11/05/2003-

Pharmion Corp. goes IPO. To read article click here.

Avigen Inc. files NDA to the FDA for AV201 for advanced Parkinson's disease. To read article click here.

Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc to invest $35 million to expand its Quebec City vaccine production facility. To read article click here.

Targeted Genetics Corporation receives U.S. patent 9180114 entitled "Amplifiable Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Packaging Cassettes for the Production of Recombinant AAV Vectors." To read article click here.

GenVec Inc. and NIH expand vaccine contract. To read article click here.

Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) found to be a strong predictor of coronary artery disease. To read article click here.

-11/04/2003-

Press Release: Radleys introduces its new 664-page ChemScience catalogue. To read press release click here. Radleys has a line of workstations and also offers the Lollipop Phase Separator for the removal of aqueous layers for parallel synthesis, combinatorial chemistry and drug discovery. To read a review of Radleys' systems and the Lollipop Phase Separator here at CombiChem Lab click here and here, respectively.

Thermo Electron Corporation acquires Laboratory Management Systems Inc. To read article click here. ThermoQuest-Finnigan, a division of Themo Corp., offers a wide line of LC/MS systems for analysis in diverse areas and applications of drugd discovery. For a review of ThermoQuest-Finnigan's LC/MS systems here at CombiChem Lab click here. Jouan, a division of Thermo Electron, offers a line of rotors and evaporators for high-throughput applications. For more information about Jouan here at CombiChem Lab click here.

Esperion Therapeutics Inc. publishes in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) results of Phase 2 clinical studies of ETC-216 (ApoA-I Milano/phospholipid complex or AIM) for atherosclerosis. To read article click here.

OriGene Technologies Inc to include its Kinase CloneSet™ to its TrueClone™ collection product line. To read article click here.

Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s drug candidate HE2200 found ineffective in clinical trials for cholesterol treatment. To read article click here.

Genentech Inc. and IDEC Pharmaceuticals Inc. provide initial data from a Phase III study of Rituxan® (rituximab) for aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma treatment. To read article click here.

Invitrogen Corp. acquires Sequitur Inc. To read article click here.

Genomatica Inc. receives 2-year $765,000 Phase II SBIR grant from NHGR to integrating high throughput data within its SimPheny™ modeling software. To read article click here.

-11/03/2003-

Press Release: Tecan (UK) has announced a series of new real time videos accessible via its website homepage (www.tecan.com) introducing the Freedom EVO laboratory workstation, demonstrating its versatile scalability and illustrating some of the applications that the system helps to automate. 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: INTEGRA Biosciences has announced strong development of UK sales following its transfer of direct sales activity to Scientific Laboratory Supplies Ltd (SLS) in February 2003. To read press release click here.

Cephalon Inc. to acquire Cima Labs Inc. for $515 million. To read article click here.

Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. expands RNA-based drug discovery programs: micro-RNA drug discovery and antisense drug discovery targeting the coronavirus associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). To read article click here.

DeCode Genetics discovers gene BMP-2 is linked to osteoporosis. To read article click here.

The Immune Response Corporation moves its vaccine candidate IR103 for further development for HIV treatment. To read article click here.

Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc. linceses nonexclusively Chiron Corporation's hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug targets. Rigel will test its drug candidate R803 against those targets. To read article click here.

Applied Biosystems Group completes genome-wide human genetic variation map based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). To read article click here.