Industry News
Prana settles clioquinol dispute
Melbourne dementia drug-hunter Prana Biotechnology Ltd (ASX:PBT, NASDAQ:PRAN) has resolved a long-running patent dispute with Greek pharma PN Gerolymatos (PNG) over the composition and uses of Prana’s former lead anti-Alzheimer’s drug, clioquinol, or PBT-1. [ + ]
IP experts cast doubt on Labor FTA changes
IP industry doubts have emerged as to whether the Australian Labor Party's proposed changes to Free Trade Agreement legislation -- to prevent drugmakers from using spurious patents to block generics -- would be valid. [ + ]
Psivida feeling no pain
Perth nano-biotech company pSivida has been keeping its patent lawyers in the UK from their repose, with the company announcing that its UK subsidiary, Psimedica, has been issued with yet another US patent for its proprietary biomaterial BioSilicon. [ + ]
Progen's Lee denies partnering rumours
Progen's (ASX: PGL) CEO Lewis Lee confirmed today that its partnering strategy, as announced at last year's AGM, was proceeding on track, but that no agreements are pending. [ + ]
Eiffel to raise $3 million
Shares in Sydney drug re-engineering company Eiffel Technologies (ASX: EIF) slumped today when the company announced a capital raising of AUD$3.0 million, placing 36.4 million fully paid ordinary shares at 8.25 cents per share. [ + ]
Biobanks a must for personalised medicine
Future drug development efforts are likely to depend heavily on access to patient and clinical data, according to IBM's Dr Bruce Ross, who gave a keynote speech at the recent Health Informatics Conference 2004 held in Brisbane. [ + ]
C3 raises $10 million, readies for product launch
Clinical Cell Culture (C3; ASX: CCE) has completed an AUD$9.8 million placement to Australian institutional and sophisticated investors to help fund the company's expansion into European and US markets. [ + ]
CSIRO’s IP revenues on the up
CSIRO has reported sharp rise in intellectual property revenues 2003-04 financial year, to $22 million -- a 60 per cent increase on its 2003-03 figure of $13.75 million. [ + ]
Macquarie start-up Applimex seeks extreme solutions for industry
New Sydney biotechnology company Applimex Systems, Macquarie University’s latest spin-off, is commercialising microbes that, in the modern tabloid lexicon, qualify as 'superbugs'. [ + ]
Alchemia's synthetic heparin on track
Alchemia (ASX: ACL) has completed the scale-up of its manufacturing process for synthetic heparin on schedule. [ + ]
Imugene crows over immune booster
Microbiologists warned nearly three decades ago that antibiotics used as livestock growth promoters were a human health hazard. [ + ]
New test developed for oesophageal cancer
Researchers at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at University College London have developed a test to detect cancer of the oesophagus which could improve survival rates. [ + ]
Select Vaccines boosted by licensing agreement
Select Vaccines (ASX: SLT) shares jumped 18 per cent to close at AUD$0.33 yesterday after the company announced it had successfully reached an agreement to license its hepatitis E laboratory and point-of-care diagnostic tests to Genelabs Diagnostics. [ + ]
Extreme makeovers: body-bits and injectable scaffolds
New Melbourne-based biotechnology company PolyNovo Biomaterials has gone into the body-bits business -- with a material straight from the surgery of the Starship Enterprise. [ + ]
Regenera sees new applications for technology
Regenera (ASX:RGA) has picked up three new applications for ocular applications of its core product Visagen, a proprietary formulation of synthetic steroid triamcinolone acetonide. [ + ]
