Dr Roland Scollay, CEO-in-waiting for Melbourne biotech Metabolic Pharmaceuticals (ASX:MBP) believes a new dose-ranging trial of Metabolic's anti-obesity drug AOD9604 will confirm its promise as "a big one". [ + ]

Peptech (ASX:PTD) has declared a fully-franked dividend of AUD$0.08 per share, and announced that its UK-investee Domantis is to join a European Commission cardiovascular research project which will receive Euro 9 million (AUD$15.2 million) in funding over four years. [ + ]

Former Benitec CEO John McKinley appears to have been a casualty of continuing adverse publicity surrounding the Brisbane gene-therapy company's ongoing battle with Pennsylvania rival Nucleonics over ownership of key patents to RNA-induced (RNAi) gene-silencing technology. [ + ]

Pfizer Australia has hired cryogenic storage company Cryosite (ASX:CTE) to handle storage of its clinical trial drugs in Australia, and Cryosite CEO Gordon Milliken has pointed to a growing trend for big pharma and international biotechs to outsource the storage and logistics of their newest drugs to local service providers. [ + ]

ASX debutant Dia-B Tech (ASX:DIA) suffered a poor debut today; although its shares listed at $0.27, they quickly fell below their $0.20 issue price and at time of writing were trading at $0.17. [ + ]

Chemgenex Pharmaceuticals (ASX: CXS) has raised US$6.2 million (AUD$8.2 million) in a placement to existing and new shareholders including a number of US investors. [ + ]

Sydney's Biosignal (ASX:BOS) and its Institute for Eye Research (IER) partner have finalised a deal with an anonymous suitor - one of the world's biggest contact lens makers - to test Biosignal's novel antibacterial coating for extended-wear lenses. [ + ]

An appeals court has ruled against Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries in its bid to keep 180 days of exclusivity for its generic version of Pfizer's popular Zoloft antidepressant. [ + ]

In the lead up to the completion of the replacement nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights, the Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation (ANSTO) plans to announce a name for the new reactor next week, as well as launch a new Small Tandem for Applied Research (STAR) accelerator. [ + ]

The fact that blood's not only thicker than water, but biologically "sticky", creates problems for cardiovascular surgeons replacing blocked coronary arteries. [ + ]

Epitan (ASX: EPT) has promoted its CFO Iain Kirkwood to CEO, replacing retiring CEO Wayne Millen. [ + ]

Cryptome Pharmaceuticals (ASX: CRP) is a step closer to proving the validity of its cryptomics approach to speeding up drug discovery, after animal studies of its lead antithrombotic drug CR001 produced positive results. [ + ]

Starpharma (ASX:SPL) was forced into a trading halt this morning after a report in Melbourne broadsheet The Age revealed that Starpharma's US subsidiary Dendritic Nanotechnologies (DNT) was about to consummate an intellectual property deal with US giant Dow Chemical company. [ + ]

Sydney-based Biosignal (ASX:BOS) has engaged Custom Pharmaceutical Serivces, a business unit of Indian generics-manufacturing specialist Dr Reddy's Laboratories, to develop a large-scale manufacturing procedure for Biosignal's antibacterial furanone compounds. [ + ]

The first full-scale production season for Australia's new Bollgard 2 transgenic cotton cultivars is shaping as an outstanding success, despite continuing drought in areas of NSW and southern Queensland. [ + ]