NEWS: MARCH 2004

-3/22/2004 to -3/30/2004-

No news. Attending CHI and ACS meetings.

-3/22/2004-

Genentech Inc. and Xoma Ltd.'s drug Raptiva fails to show significant benefit in treating psoriatic arthritis. To read article click here.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals introduces its Kinerase® Intensive Eye Cream. To read article click here.

Gene Logic Inc. launches its ToxPlus™ Program. To read article click here.

International Isotopes Inc. now offers for sale Iodine-131. To read article click here.

FDA approves Impax Laboratories Inc.'s generic version of depression drug Wellbutrin. To read article click here.

InKine Pharmaceutical begins Phase II clinical trials of INKP-102. To read article click here.

Affymetrix Inc. introduces its new GeneChip® Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array for whole-genome expression analysis. To read article click here.

-3/19/2004-

IVAX Corporation wins patent dispute on asthma drug Seretide® (known in the U.S. as Advair®) against GlaxoSmithKline in the UK. To read article click here.

Chiron Corp.'s tezacitabine fails Phase II clinical trials for gastroesophageal cancer treatment. Chiron stops further development of tezacitabine. To read article click here.

OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. initiates Phase II clinical trials of Tarceva™ (erlotinib HCl) for non-small cell lung cancer treatment. To read article click here.

-3/18/2004-

Hemispherx Biopharma Inc. acquires worldwide rights on Alferon N® from Interferon Sciences. To read article click here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approves IDEXX Laboratories Inc.'s IDEXX HerdChek® BSE Antigen Test Kit. To read article click here.

MacroChem Corporation initiates Phase I clinical trials of EcoNail™ for nail fungal infection treatment (onychomycosis). To read article click here.

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals Inc. receives australian patent on its Thymosin beta 4 (TB4) wound healing technology. To read article click here.

Depomed Inc.'s Phase III clinical trials of Ciprofloxacin GR for urinary tract infections gives positive results. To read article click here.

-3/17/2004-

General Electric Company acquires Amersham plc. To read article click here.

Affymetrix Inc. introduces its new GeneChip® Drosophila Genome 2.0 Array for gene expression analysis. To read article click here.

Genaera Corporation publishes in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology an article entitled "The Involvement of IL-9 in the Bronchial Phenotype of Patients with Nasal Polyposis." To read article click here.

Lynx Therapeutics Inc. lays-off 15 percent of its workfoce. To read article click here.

Targeted Genetics initiates Phase I clinical trials of tgAAC94 for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. To read article click here.

Maxim Pharmaceuticals reacquires from Shire BioChem Inc. the rights to anticancer drug candidate MX2105. To read article click here.

-3/16/2004-

Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. reacquires from Wyeth rights to Indiplon for insomnia treatment. To read article click here.

Panacos Pharmaceuticals Inc. initiates Phase I clinical trials of its small molecule drug candidate PA-457 for HIV treatment. To read article click here.

ZymoGenetics Inc. and Novo Nordisk A/S sign license agreement for Interleukin 20 (IL-20). To read article click here.

-3/15/2004-

Pharmos Corporation initiates Phase III clinical trials of Dexanabinol for the treatment of severe traumatic brain injury. To read article click here.

FDA grants Exelixis Inc.'s XL119 orphan drug status for bile duct tumor treatment. To read article click here.

ChemoCentryx Inc. and Forest Laboratories Inc. form small molecule research collaboration for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. To read article click here.

Protein Design Labs Inc.'s Phase II clinical trials of Daclizumab for asthma treatment affords positive results. To read article click here.

-3/12/2004-

Press Release: Tecan (Europe) has announced the availability of issue 4 of the Tecan Journal providing scientists involved with Drug Discovery, Genomics, Proteomics and Clinical Diagnostics a global insight into the latest laboratory automation application developments and product introductions. 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.

ImClone Systems Inc. receives $250 million milestone payment from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. for EGFR ihnibitor Erbitux. To read article click here.

Novartis AG is considering potential merger with Aventis. To read article click here.

Genentech Inc. to test five cancer drugs and five immunology drugs by 2010. To read article click here.

-3/11/2004-

Press Release: Available from Guava Technologies the Guava PCA-96 is an affordable, ultra-compact system ideally suited for automatic, 96-well microplate and multiple microcentrifuge tube analysis of cell lines and compounds. To read press release click here.

FDA puts on hold Praecis Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Phase I clinical trials of PPI-2458 for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment due to "neuropathological abnormality". To read article click here.

Isis Pharmaceuticals and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals from RNAi research collaboration. To read article click here.

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co.'s Riquent drug found to reduce kidney disease in lupus patients. To read article click here.

Viragen Inc. names Charles A. Rice President and CEO. To read article click here.

Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. goes IPO. To read article click here.

-3/10/2004-

Argonaut Technologies announces FlashMaster™ Personal+ Flash Chromatography system for medicinal chemistry. To read article click here.

ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. and Serono form protein-purification collaboration. To read article click here.

Gene Logic Inc. establishes UK-based subsidiary: Gene Logic Ltd. To read article click here.

-3/09/2004-

Pharmacopeia Inc.-Schering-Plough Corporation research collaboration provides inflammatory experimental candidate that is being taken to clinical trials. 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.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. receives U.S. patent 6,703,232 entitled "Method of Producing Reovirus." To read article click here.

Aventis and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. initiate Phase I clinical trials of VEGF Trap for age related macular degeneration. To read article click here.

Compound Therapeutics Inc. acquires Phylos Inc.'s assets. To read article click here.

FDA approves Alamo Pharmaceuticals' Fazaclo™ for schizophrenia. To read article click here.

Cellomics Inc. launches new High Content Biology platform for basic science research. To read article click here.

Avigen Inc.'s CEO John Monahan resigns. To read article click here.

Eisai Research Institute selects Synthematix's ARTHUR™ Suite for its chemistry operations. To read article click here.

Telik Inc. to initiate Phase I-IIa clinical trials os TELCYTA™ (TLK286) for non-small cell lung cancer treatment. To read article click here.

CyDex Inc. and Array BioPharma Inc. form drug delivery technology collaboration for CAPTISOL®. To read article click here.

-3/08/2004-

FDA approves Amgen and NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Sensipar™ (cinacalcet HCl) for complications in chronic kidney disease. To read article click here.

Tularik Inc. and Sankyo Company Ltd. expanded G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) research collaboration. To read article click here.

Cytomedix Inc. to initiate Phase I clinical trials of AutoloGel™ System for the treatment of chronic diabetic foot ulcers. To read article click here.

Genaera Corporation and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research extend for another 2 years research collaboration. To read article click here.

Kos Pharmaceuticals Inc. acquires Aventis SA's asthma drug Azmacort for $200 million. To read article click here.

Threshold Pharmaceuticals initiates Phase I clinical trials of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose for cancer treatment. To read article click here.

-3/05/2004-

Array BioPharma Inc. files investigational new drug (IND) application to the FDA for MEK inhibitor ARRY-142886 (AZD6244) for cancer treatment. To read article click here.

King Pharmaceuticals Inc. begins Phase II clinical trials of Sonata® for insomnia. To read article click here.

-3/04/2004-

FDA approves Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s TAXUS™ Express2™ paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system. To read article click here.

Connetics Corporation acquires U.S. rights to Roche's Soriatane®-brand (acitretin) for psoriasis treatment. To read article click here.

Kosan Biosciences Inc. initiates Phase Ib clinical trials of KOS-862 (Epothilone D) in combination with Gemzar® (gemcitabine HCl) for cancer treatment. To read article click here.

-3/03/2004-

Press Release: Tecan Europe, a leading player in the fast-growing Life Science product industry, will demonstrate a range of new, breakthrough products at several key European exhibitions during Spring 2004. 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: Genevac has announced that the new scroll pump versions of their high-performance HT series centrifugal evaporators will take centre stage at Analytica 2004 in Munich (11-14th May). 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: Genetix has announced the launch of its Protein Array Platform a new system that uniquely offers a complete solution for the printing of high quality protein arrays. To read press release click here.

Celgene Corp.'s experimental cancer drug Revlimid receives orphan drug status in Europe. To read article click here.

-3/02/2004-

Press Release: The European Ligand Bank (LigBank®) has selected Radleys Discovery Technologies (RDT) to supply products from its range of innovative parallel chemistry equipment to all eight members of this Consortium. 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.

Press Release: SciTegic® announces the expansion of Pipeline Pilot™ deployment to 6 AstraZeneca sites. To read press release click here.

Par Pharmaceutical Inc. and Advancis Pharmaceutical Corp. form developing and marketing collaboration for antibiotic Amoxicillin. To read article click here.

AutoImmune Inc. receives Nasdaq delisting notice. To read article click here.

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.'s Phase III clinical trials of Indiplon for chronic insomnia affords good results. To read article click here.

Telik Inc.'s TRAP drug discovery collaboration with Roche provides active lead compounds against Roche's undisclosed target. To read article click here.

Eli Lilly & Co. and Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. to move peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) modulator LY519818 to Phase III clinical trials for type 2 diabetes treatment. To read article click here.

-3/01/2004-

FDA approves Sepracor Inc.'s sleep drug Estorra. To read article click here.

Compugen Ltd. discovers novel soluble CD40 protein as potential target for autoimmune diseases, cancer, organ transplantation, and inflammation. To read article click here.

Chiron Corp. and Xoma Ltd. form cancer drug research collaboration. To read article click here.