News

Evotec AG is downgrading its proprietary discovery and development business and instead emphasizing its research services to third parties.

NovImmune SA of Switzerland has raised CHF 62.5 million in a private share placement with existing and new investors. The proceeds will be used to take control of two therapeutic monoclonal antibodies previously licensed to Merck Serono.

Vernalis Plc has signed a new, three-year collaboration with the Servier group of France to discover drugs against an undisclosed cancer target. This is the second cancer collaboration in two years between the two companies.

In a bid to attract more US investors, Intercell AG has launched an American Depositary Receipt (ADR) facility with the Bank of New York Mellon acting as the depository. Each dollar denominated ADR represents one Intercell ordinary share.

After strong revenue growth and a small profit in the 2009 first quarter, Crucell NV is maintaining its forecast for increases in both revenue and operating profit for the year as a whole. The first quarter results were boosted by sales of paediatric vaccines.

Shire Plc, the UK specialty pharmaceutical company, reported sparkling results for the first 2009 quarter, but this happened to be the last quarter in which its lead drug will be free from generic competition.

The US National Institutes of Health is requesting comments on draft guidelines that will inform the use of embryonic stem cells in medical research. Comments are requested by 26 May 2009 to the NIH.

European health authorities have met with vaccine manufacturers to discuss a strategy for making vaccines available to the public should a flu pandemic be declared by the World Health Organisation.

The chief executive officer and co-founder of MediGene AG, Peter Heinrich, has resigned from the company with immediate effect. He is being replaced by Frank Mathias who joined the German company on 1 April 2008.

Vernalis Plc of the UK announced plans to raise £22.1 million in a fully underwritten share issue and separate plans for a 20-1 reverse split of its outstanding shares.