Medicon Valley RSS : News

Lundbeck Expands Geographical Rights for Circadin

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0200

H. Lundbeck A/S and Neurim Pharmaceuticals Ltd. have announced that Lundbeck has obtained expanded exclusive rights to commercialize Circadin in Asia, Latin America and other major markets such as Australia and Turkey. Following regulatory filing and approval Lundbeck expects to market Circadin in the first markets outside of Europe in 2009.

Under the terms of the agreement Neurim will receive an upfront payment and a share of revenue. The upfront payment will be deducted from the share of revenue in the first three years of commercialization. Neurim is responsible for manufacturing.

Circadin, a novel sleep aid, was approved by the European Commission in June 2007 indicated as monotherapy for the short-term treatment of primary insomnia characterized by poor quality of sleep in patients aged 55 and above. The approval was based on clinical trials that show positive effects on sleep induction, sleep quality, and most importantly, day-time functioning and quality of life. The trials also show that there are no signs of development of dependency.

"Circadin is a unique treatment of poor sleep with a new mechanism that differs from all other approved medicines. With this new agreement we will now be able to offer this valuable alternative to traditional sedative hypnotics in a number of markets worldwide to the benefit of the many patients suffering from sleep disorder problems," says Executive Vice President Stig L�kke Pedersen, head of Commercial Operations.

For further information please contact:

Jacob Tolstrup

Director

Tel: +45 36 43 30 79

Email: jtl@lundbeck.com

Or visit: www.lundbeck.com

BioGaia In Stategic Alliance with Bericap

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0200

BioGaia AB has concluded a global collaborative agreement with Bericap Sarl, the French subsidiary to the German Bericap Group, which is one of the world`s largest manufacturers of caps and other package closures, with 20 factories in 18 countries that produce approx. 50 billion closures per year.

The agreement means that the two companies will collaborate in the development, manufacture, marketing and sales of BioGaia`s patented cap, Life Top Cap, which was developed to protect sensitive ingredients, such as probiotics, from humidity, heat and light in PET bottles.

The Bericap Group will market Life Top Cap to its customers throughout the world, produce it and develop new variations to different bottle types and sizes. BioGaia will sell and market the product and through its 50%-owned company Two Pac, handle the ingredients and produce the aluminium blisters that protect these ingredients and that are mounted in Life Top Cap.

"This collaboration with BioGaia follows several years of searching by Bericap to find the best compromise between an efficient system of protection for the ingredients against humidity and a simple and cost effective solution that is easy to understand and to use by the consumer" says Dominique-Paul Vall�, CEO, Bericap Sarl.

"We have already had many benefits of collaborating with Bericap and we are very happy that they have chosen BioGaia as partner in this growing segment of the market. BeriCap will help us to enter the market in a completely different way to how we otherwise could have done." comments Peter Rothschild, President

For further information please contact:

Peter Rothschild,

President

Tel: +46 85 55 293 00

Email: info@biogaia.com

Or visit: www.biogaia.com

Novo Nordisk Donates Compound Library to Chinese Pharmaceutical Development and WHO

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200

Novo Nordisk A/S has announced a scientific collaboration that will benefit both Chinese pharmaceutical development and WHO efforts to combat neglected diseases. Novo Nordisk will donate a licence to its small molecule compound library to the National Center for Drug Screening affiliated to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The centre will use the library - both the actual compounds and an associated database - for screening activities to identify new drug candidates for infectious tropical diseases that affect people in poor countries.

The World Health Organization-based Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases will select targets and screens to support the identification of new drug candidates or leads for infectious tropical diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, African sleeping sickness, dengue, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, filariasis, onchocerciasis and soil-transmitted helminths. It will also bring in young scientists from developing countries, especially Africa, to be trained at the institute.

For further information please contact:

Elin K. Hansen,

Media Relations

Tel: +45 44 42 34 50

Email: ekh@novonordisk.com

Or visit: www.novonordisk.com

NatImmune Initiates Phase IIb Clinical Study with BAMLET Topical Gel

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0200

NatImmune A/S has announced the initiation of a phase IIb clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its BAMLET Topical Gel, a protein-lipid based proprietary dermatological product candidate, for the treatment of recalcitrant warts in immuno-suppressed kidney-transplanted patient when applied locally to wart lesions.

Approximately a total of 45,000 transplants were performed in the US and EU in 2007, with recipients now living longer with their organs. In the US alone, the prevalence of living organ-transplant recipients is approximately 200,000.

The phase IIb clinical trial, which will be conducted at several dermatology centres and clinics in Denmark, will enrol approximately 120 patients in the double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial investigating two concentrations of BAMLET. The drug will be applied once daily for 8 weeks to selected wart lesions on each patient. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate efficacy of BAMLET based on reduction in area of each lesion. In addition, secondary objectives include evaluations of resolution/clearance, time-to-resolution, and recurrence of the treated warts and tolerability of the product.

For further information please contact:

Martin Bonde,

CEO

Tel: +45 39 17 94 44

Email: mb@natimmune.dk

Or visit: www.natimmune.com

Dako Introduces Unique Package of RTU Antibodies for Cancer Diagnostics

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0200

Dako A/S's new set of ready-to-use antibodies, Flex RTU, is the largest and most clinically relevant antibody portfolio on the market. It has been developed for diagnosis of the most common types of cancer such as breast, colon, lung, prostate, melanoma, etc.

With the number of patients waiting for cancer diagnosis continually on the rise, Dako works to provide pathology laboratories with workflow solutions linking knowledge, reagents, instruments and software for fast and accurate answers.

The set of 61 new, ready-to-use antibodies, Flex RTU, has been designed to deliver unique staining performance through collaboration with leading international pathologists, improved laboratory efficiency by reducing hands-on time and improving system efficiency, increased productivity by speeding up the process from test to diagnosis, and increased patient safety due to fewer errors.

For further information please contact:

Maria Fredtoft S�chting,
Corporate Communications

Tel: +45 25 46 10 83

Email: contact@dako.com

Or visit: www.dako.com

Zymenex Sells Clinical Candidate Metazym to Shire for EUR 85.6 Million

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 06:00:00 +0200

Zymenex A/S has achieved successful early clinical development of a therapeutic candidate Metazym against the rare, lethal and genetically caused, disease metachromatic leukodystrophy, MLD, which most often affects children at a very young age. This has now resulted in a sale of the therapeutic project to the global specialty biopharmaceutical company Shire plc.

Shire delivers EUR 85.6 Million to Zymenex in an upfront payment for global rights to the Metazym clinical candidate, which has been through clinical phase 1 and is currently in phase 2 in Denmark with European patients. Zymenex also receives EUR 1 Million for transitional services. Zymenex, headquartered in Hiller�d, Denmark, is a privately owned company with BankInvest Biomedical Venture and Sunstone Capital as the largest shareholders.

Zymenex CEO Jens Fogh says, "This deal gives Zymenex a validation of the development of treatment options for other life-threatening diseases. Zymenex already has other similar projects in their pipeline."

Thomas Tscherning, Chairman of the Board in Zymenex and partner with BankInvest`s Biomedical Venture group, is proud to see Danish research and development efforts recognized by global pharmaceutical companies. For BankInvest and Sunstone Capital this breakthrough is visible proof, that a focused strategy, strong management and financial staying power are key success criteria in the biotech venture arena. "Zymenex has from the very beginning focused on orphan drugs for LSD. Market focus and high quality research in all aspects of the development process are the basis for the company's success", says Sten Verland from Sunstone Capital and emphasizes, that Zymenex has a strong pipeline with the potential to develop further successes.

For further information please contact:

Jens Fogh,

President, CEO

Tel: + 45 48 25 00 54

Email: zxmail@zymenex.com

Or visit: www.zymenex.com

Zymenex Gets US Orphan Approval

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200

Zymenex A/S, focused on products for the treatment of rare, genetic diseases has been granted Orphan Designation in the USA by the FDA. The designation concerns a Zymenex enzyme used in the treatment of metachromatic leukodystrophy, a disease that causes irreparable neurological damage and death. The enzyme has previously been granted Orphan status in the EU. Phase II trials have been going for a year in Europe, and Phase II trials will begin in the US.

For further information please contact:

Jens Fogh,

President, CEO

Tel: + 45 48 25 00 54

Email zxmail@zymenex.com

Or visit: www.zymenex.com

TopoTarget Acquires US & RoW Rights from CuraGen Corporation

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:00:00 +0200

TopoTarget A/S has announced that the company has successfully gained full control of belinostat so that global rights are now wholly owned by the company. Belinostat is TopoTarget's lead product in clinical development and is due to enter registration trial in the second half of this year.

Belinostat is a potential blockbuster product, has shown positive results when tested in patients including proof of concept in Cutaneous and Peripheral TCell Lymphoma and very promising effect in treating ovarian cancer in combination with standard chemotherapy drugs. The product has been developed for multiple cancer indications jointly by TopoTarget and CuraGen Corporation since 2004.

For further information, please contact

Ulla Hald Buhl

Director IR and Communications

Tel: +45 39 17 83 92

Email: irmedia@topotarget.com

Or visit www.topotarget.com

BioGaia Signs Agreement for Belgium and Luxembourg

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:00:00 +0200

BioGaia AB has signed a distribution agreement with the Belgium company NeoCare which gives NeoCare rights to sell BioGaia's Probiotic drops and tablets in Belgium and Luxembourg. The products will be sold under BioGaia's trademark.

For further information please contact:

Peter Rothschild,

President

Tel: +46 85 55 293 00

Email: info@biogaia.com

Or visit: www.biogaia.com

Action Pharma and Bachem Cooperate on AP214

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:00:00 +0200

Action Pharma A/S and Bachem have announced their cooperation on AP214, Action Pharma's lead compound, about to enter Phase 2 clinical trials in post-surgical organ failure. Since 2002, Bachem has supported Action Pharma by producing the peptide active ingredient of this drug candidate, by analytical method development, analytical method validation as well as by regulatory services. For the upcoming Phase 2 clinical trial, Bachem also supplies finished dosage forms under its Clinalfa brand.

The cooperation between Action Pharma and Bachem has been particularly close and also included involvement of Bachem in direct discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, last year. Action Pharma has completed clinical Phase 1A, 1B and 1C studies and filed an Investigational New Drug Application with the FDA in November 2007. With AP405, Action Pharma has a second peptide-based development compound in its pipeline. This project, targeted at atopic dermatitis, is currently in pre-clinical development.

Also for AP405, Bachem is the partner for process development, production and related services.

For further information please contact:

S�ren Nielsen,

CEO

Tel: +45 23 24 45 33

Email: sn@actionpharma.com

Or visit: www.actionpharma.com

Preclinical Data Presented for Active Biotech's ANYARA Technology

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:00:00 +0200

Active Biotech AB has presented results from pre-clinical studies at the 99th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, AACR, in San Diego, USA.

The technology behind the project ANYARA ; Tumor Targeted Superantigens, TTS, was studied and evaluated in combination with a standard chemotherapeutic agent, Taxotere (docetaxel).

Combining TTS and Taxotere significantly improved anti-tumor activity compared to the respective mono therapy. Furthermore, combining TTS and Taxotere synergistically prolonged long-term survival in tumor bearing mice.

In conclusion, the results of the study demonstrate that TTS therapy is suitable for combination treatment agents such as Taxotere, and suggest a significant potential for such a combination in human cancer therapy.

The drug candidate ANYARA, using the TTS technology, is currently in pivotal Phase II/III clinical trials for Renal Cell Cancer.

ANYARA has also been tested in Phase I clinical trials with Taxotere in patients with Non Small Cell Lung Cancer. This trial demonstrated that the combination is safe and indicated anti-tumor activity.

For further information please contact:

Sven Andr�asson,
President and CEO
Tel: +46 46 19 20 49

Email: sven.andreasson@activebiotech.com

Or visit: www.activebiotech.com

Bioimaging Center in Lund Reciewes EUR 4.2 Million

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:00:00 +0200

The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, which serves to promote scientific research, teaching and education, has given a grant of EUR 4.2 million for the creation of a new bioimaging center in Lund, Sweden. The Lund Bioimaging Center, an interdisciplinary center at Lund University, will host 18 research groups working within experimental and clinical medicine, medical radiation physics, chemistry, technology and applied mathematics who will collaborate to develop new bioimaging methods, focusing mainly on magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. The new center will work to link experimental research and clinical application with diagnostics and treatment.

For further information please contact:

Freddy St�hlberg,

Professor

Tel: +46 46 17 31 19

Email: Freddy.Stahlberg@med.lu.se

Or visit: www.lu.se

Biovitrum and Symphogen Initiates Clinical Study with a Novel Treatment of Hemolytic Diseases

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:00:00 +0200

Biovitrum AB and Symphogen A/S has announced the initiation of a clinical proof of mechanism study to demonstrate the ability of Sym001, RhD polyclonal antibody, to clear RhD-positive red blood cells from the circulation of RhD-negative healthy volunteers. Clearance of red blood cells by RhD antibodies is an important treatment in preventing hemolytic disease in RhD-positive newborns with RhD-negative mothers.

"Sym001 is the first ever recombinant polyclonal antibody product to have entered human clinical trials and this red blood cell challenge study is an important step in the further development of Sym001", said Kirsten Drejer, CEO of Symphogen. "Symphogen's antibody technology platform offers the opportunity to generate compositions of recombinant polyclonal antibodies as well as single monoclonal antibodies which opens an exciting avenue for development of antibody therapeutics addressing unmet medical needs."

For further information please contact:

Kirsten Drejer,

CEO

Tel: +45 45 26 50 59

Email: kd@symphogen.com

Or visit: www.symphogen.com

7TM Pharma Receives Milestone Payment from Asthma and Allergy Collaboration

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0200

7TM Pharma A/S has received an undisclosed milestone payment in their research collaboration with Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ortho-McNeil. The milestone was triggered by successful progress in selecting a pre-clinical candidate for the treatment of asthma and allergy.

In June 2005 7TM Pharma entered an exclusive worldwide license agreement and research collaboration with Ortho-McNeil, to further develop 7TM Pharma's program on novel oral compounds for the treatment of asthma and allergy. The basis for the collaboration is 7TM Pharma's drug discovery platform, Site-Directed Drug Discovery and one of its resulting drug discovery programs targeting the discovery of novel antagonists to a certain 7-transmembrane receptor.

For further information please contact:

Mette Kirstine Agger,

CEO

Tel: +45 39 25 77 77

Email: agger@7tm.com

Or visit www.7tm.com

MycoTeq Raises Money for Development of New Antibiotics

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0200

Danish biotech company MycoTeq A/S has raised an undisclosed investment from Novo Seeds, DTU Innovation and Symbion. The money will be spent to continue and expand the search for new antibiotics, which can be used for treating patients who suffer from antibiotic-resistant infections.

Henrik Blou, one of the founders of MycoTeq commented: "We are pleased our efforts have now come to fruition so we can progress searching for and developing new antibiotics. We look forward to being supported by such a strong player such as Novo Seeds that knows the biotech industry from the inside."

S�ren Carlsen, managing partner of Novo Ventures and Novo Seeds said in a press release: "After some years when the pharmaceutical industry turned its back on the antibiotics business for financial reasons, we see a strongly increasing interest today for new antibiotics because of the increasing spread of resistant bacteria. MycoTeq is an interesting company with a great potential for finding new compounds that work against resistant bacteria. In addition, it is a young biotech company which fits perfectly into Novo Seeds' investment strategy."

For further information please contact:

Henrik Blou,

CEO

Tel: +45 28 61 68 45

Email: info@mycoteq.com

Or visit: www.mycoteq.com

Microlytic is Ready to Launch its First Product

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0200

Danish fledgling firm Microlytic ApS is preparing to enter the equipment market for protein structure determination with a product called Crystal Maker at the "International Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules" in Mexico, and seeks further investment capital.

The company aims to gain a 10% slice of the protein structure determination market in three years. Morten Sommer, CEO, says: "The total market is worth about EUR 134 million annually. And it's our hope that Crystal Maker will win widespread acceptance among customers since it has a 30-fold greater success rate than conventional technologies. It is also easy to use and is priced very competitively."

Crystal Maker offers a new way of making protein crystals, which has proved successful in producing better results with greater reliability. Crystallizing proteins is a procedure, which can cause bottlenecks in the process of determining protein structures, and it is here that that Crystal Maker can prove its value.

Microlytic was originally set up with funding from the Danish Ministry of Science and CAT Seed. The company will need further capital to finance scaling up of production and creating a sales organisation. A number of investors are reported to be interested.

For further information please contact:

Morten Sommer,

CEO

Tel: +45 46 74 02 00

Or visit: www.microlytic.com

NsGene�s Restorative Alzheimer�s Product has Successfully Been Implanted in Patients

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 16:00:00 +0200

NsGene A/S has announced that its encapsulated cell, EC, biodelivery product, NsG0202, has successfully been implanted into the brains of three patients with Alzheimer's disease ,AD. The NsG0202 device for AD is the first in a pipeline of EC biodelivery products based on NsGene's proprietary platform expected to enter clinical trials for neurological disorders over the next two years. The product is a disease modifying implant that represents a novel treatment method aimed at restoring brain function and not only at alleviating symptoms. Thereby, it may constitute a breakthrough in the treatment of severe diseases of the central nervous system, such as AD, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy.

"This is a significant milestone for NsGene and our EC Biodelivery platform and pipeline" says Lars U. Wahlberg, Exec. Vice President and COO, NsGene. He continues: "The successful implantation of the first three patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease has demonstrated that the devices can be implanted with both precision and safety and is paving the way for additional clinical studies."

For further information please contact:

Lars U. Wahlberg,

Executive Vice president and COO,

Tel: +45 44 60 89 13

Email: luw@nsgene.dk

Or visit: www.nsgene.com

TopoTarget Announces Allowance of Valproic Acid Patent in Europe Covering Savicol

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 10:00:00 +0200

TopoTarget A/S has announced that a patent related to the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid, VPA, the active ingredient of TopoTarget`s drug product Savicol, has been allowed in Europe.

Corresponding applications are pending in major territories including the US, Japan, India, China, Mexico and Brazil. The allowed application EP04 010 333 covers TopoTarget's novel formulation of VPA now called Savicol. This is a tablet formulation with biphasic release kinetics i.e. some of the drug is released quickly and some slowly in order to give high and constant therapeutic drug levels over a long time period. The allowed application has broad claims to VPA tablets with biphasic release kinetics and to their use in diverse indications such as Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and cancer. Savicol is based on a novel and proprietary, orally available formulation of VPA.

"This formulation principle now utilized in TopoTarget`s drug product Savicol distinguishes it from any other VPA containing medication available and thus represents a unique advantage," said Peter Buhl Jensen, Chief Executive Officer. "This patent is part of TopoTarget's strategy to vigorously protect our product portfolio with a robust patent estate".

For further information please contact:

Ulla Hald Buhl

Director IR and Communications

Tel: +45 39 17 83 92

Email: irmedia@topotarget.com

Or visit www.topotarget.com

NeuroSearch Initiates Phase I Study with NSD-788 for the Treatment of Anxiety and Depression

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 10:00:00 +0200

NeuroSearch A/S has dosed the first healthy volunteers in a clinical Phase I study with NSD-788 with a view to developing this drug candidate as a new treatment for anxiety and depression. The Phase I study is a randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled single ascending dose study to evaluate the compound's safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile after oral administration. The study is being performed in France.

NSD-788 is a new development candidate from the monoamine neurotransmitters drug discovery programme where NeuroSearch has built very broadly founded competences. NSD-788 has a unique effect on the monoamine re-uptake systems in the brain with primary effect on serotonin and dopamine. Based on studies in preclinical models, NeuroSearch believes that NSD-788 may show significant advantages over existing drugs for the treatment of anxiety, but also of other CNS disorders. NeuroSearch is performing the first phases of the clinical development of NSD-788 with a view to studying the compound's anxiolytic properties and with special focus on certain specialist CNS indications.

For further information please contact:

Flemming Pedersen,

CEO

Tel: +45 44 60 82 14

Email: ns@neurosearch.dk

Or visit: www.neurosearch.com

MediCult Receives European CE Marking for IVF Media Product Line

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:00:00 +0100

MediCult A/S has announced the receipt of CE Marking for a range of its marketed IVF media products.
The CE Mark covers media products that contain the protein human serum albumin which constitute about half of MediCult's product portfolio. Products such as EmbryoAssist and ISM are a vital part of the IVF process that contain the essential nutrients needed to foster the safe and efficient growth of embryos prior to implantation in the womb. MediCult is continuing with its efforts to secure additional CE certification for its products range.

Although CE Marking is not required for selling IVF media in Europe it provides a manufacturer's declaration that the products comply with the relevant European health and safety legislation. The receipt of CE Marking is recognised by regulatory authorities around the world and often facilitates additional approval in other regions.

For further information, please contact:

Jesper Funding Andersen,

CEO

Tel.: +45 46 79 02 15

E-mail: jfa@medicult.com

Or visit: www.medicult.com

Chr. Hansen Sells to Competitor

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:00:00 +0100

Chr. Hansen has announced the signing of an agreement whereby Symrise acquires a part of Chr. Hansen's Flavor Division. The activities to be divested are the seasonings, savory, sweet and dairy flavor businesses, which are primarily located in North America

Chr. Hansen flavor customers will benefit from the global infrastructure and technical expertise Symrise offers as one of the leading global flavor companies. Chr. Hansen management stated that they are very pleased with the planned transaction because with its capabilities, Symrise will be able to better leverage the growth potential of the Chr. Hansen flavour portfolio.

"The divestment of these business areas is an important step in the last couple of year's strategic change of focus for Chr. Hansen. It is a move towards a stronger biotechnological profile with a focus on more complex, innovative and value adding solutions based on our strong knowledge and position within the fields of lactic acid bacteria, enzymes and natural colours" explains Lars Frederiksen, CEO.

For further information please contact:

Lars Wodschow,

Director, Communications & PR

Tel: +45 45 74 76 20

E-mail: dklwl@chr-hansen.com

Or visit: www.chr-hansen.com

CellaVision Establishes Subsidiary in Japan

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:00:00 +0100

CellaVision AB has registered a subsidiary in Japan. "By establishing our own subsidiary in Japan we can effectively meet the demands on our products in the region. We look forward to be active on this potentially substantial market", says Yvonne M�rtensson.

The new subsidiary, CellaVision Japan K.K, will primarily prepare for sales by arranging for the licenses required for sales and support of Medtech products in Japan. The process is expected to come to completion during the third quarter this year. A small-sized sales organization will be set up during the year, with intentions of being operative when all licenses have been obtained.

For more information please contact:

Yvonne M�rtensson,

CEO

Tel: +46 462 86 44 00

E-mail: yvonne.martensson@cellavision.com

Or visit: www.cellavision.com

BioInvent Signs Deal with Bayer HealthCare

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:00:00 +0100

BioInvent International AB has signed an agreement with Bayer Healthcare concerning the research and development of therapeutic antibodies. The agreement covers the development of up to 14 antibody products. It gives Bayer Healthcare, which will provide the funding, a non-exclusive research license for the use of a proprietary Bioinvent library, which will be used for the discovery of monoclonal antibodies. Bioinvent will provide access to an extended antibody technology suite, which includes its proprietary selection processes, streamlined robotics and immunoglobulin transient expression technology. Bioinvent will receive milestone payments and royalties on sales of any commercialized products in addition to the license fees.

For further information please contact:

Svein Mathisen

President & CEO

Tel: +46 (0)46-286 85 67

E-mail: svein.mathisen@bioinvent.com

Or visit: www.bioinvent.com

Sophion to Sell CHO-hERG Cell Line Optimized for the QPatch Automated Patch Clamp System

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Sophion Bioscience A/S has announced an agreement with bSys, Switzerland that allows Sophion to sell a CHO-hERG cell line fully optimized for and validated on the QPatch automated patch clamp system. The cell line was created by bSys and further developed by scientists at Sophion. These cells, marketed by Sophion as "CHO-hERG DUO" cells, are being sold to existing and new customers to maximize the quality and throughput of ion channel screening with the QPatch. By offering the CHO-hERG DUO cell line Sophion strengthen its position as a complete solution provider.

Automated patch clamp studies depend, to a great extent, on the quality of tissue culture cells used during experiments. Cells optimized for peak performance on the QPatch more readily achieve gigaohm seals and successful whole-cell recordings. Furthermore, all cells express enough ion channel protein for measurable whole cell currents, giving the maximal success rate possible.

For further information please contact:

Torsten Freltoft,

CEO

Tel: +45 44 60 88 00

Email: tof@sophion.dk

Or visit: www.sophion.com

University of Copenhagen and CLC Bio Sign Site License Agreement

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:00:00 +0100

CLC bio and Department of Biology, Faculty of Science at University of Copenhagen, have signed a site license agreement for CLC bio's premier bioinformatics software solution, CLC Combined Workbench, in combination with CLC bio's Educational Suite. The deal runs for five years and is for several hundred seats, giving every researcher, student and teacher access to the software at all times.

University of Copenhagen's Department of Biology is organized in different Research Centers which are involved in international top tier research collaborations. They are funded from sources like the European Union and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. The many projects range from retrieval of ancient DNA from fossils, bioinformatics, gene regulations and SNP (Cancer Research), complex dependent mutations, primates genome evolution, whole genome sequencing of hyperthermophilic archaea bacteria, muscle biology to studies of how climate changes affects distribution of life on Earth.

For further information please contact:

Department of Biology,

University of Copenhagen

Tel: +45 35 32 23 21

Email: lkjonsson@bio.ku.dk

Or visit: www.bio.ku.dk

CMC to Expand Under US Ownership

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:00:00 +0100

CMC Biologics A/S recently fetched EUR 25 million from a US capital fund which is to take over the leadership in the company from BankInvest. CMC Biologics will now have financial strength to consolidate the market for active pharmaceutical ingredients through the support from a new US investor. CMC already ranks in the top four and is growing faster than the market. However, the new investor, which will have the majority on the board continue to expand through acquisitions based on the Danish company. The US capital fund Monitor Clipper will have an owner share of approximately 50 per cent of CMC which on the other hand will have a capital injection of EUR 25 million to be employed in expanding the capacity in the manufacturing facilities of ICOS Biologics that the company recently acquired.

For further information please contact:

Mads Laustsen,

CEO

Tel: +45 29 48 84 01

Email: info@cmcbio.com

Or visit: www.cmcbio.com

Novozymes Transfers Manufacture of LONG-R3-IGF-I to Lund

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:00:00 +0100

Novozymes A/S has decided to consolidate its current pharma production by transferring the manufacture of LONG-R3-IGF-I from Adelaide, Australia, to Novozymes Biopharma AB in Lund, Sweden. LONG-R3-IGF-I is an effective alternative to recombinant insulin for cell culture applications.

"As a part of our ongoing efforts to optimize production, we are now consolidating by moving this product to our pharmaceutical site in Sweden. At the same time our strategy is to build a strong product portfolio within the cell culture market and to build an R&D group with some of the best people in the field," says Anders Gram, VP of Pharma Operations.

For further information please contact:

Eva Hald,

Media relations manager

Tel: +45 44 42 33 38

Email: evvh@novozymes.com

Or visit: www.novozymes.com

Pharmexa and Ichor Medical Systems Enter Into a License Agreement

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Pharmexa A/S and Ichor Medical Systems, Inc. have entered into a license agreement to co-develop Pharmexa's DNA-based vaccines delivered by Ichor's TriGridTM electroporation device. The co-development programmes include a vaccine against malaria as well as a universal influenza vaccine.

Ichor's TriGrid Delivery System uses electroporation to open pathways into cells, dramatically increasing the intracellular delivery of the DNA vaccine into the cells at the site of administration, increasing potency over 100 times compared to other methods of delivery.

"Pharmexa is delighted to partner some of its unique polyepitope vaccine projects with Ichor", says Marc Hertz, CEO of Pharmexa-Epimmune. "We believe electroporation-mediated delivery of DNA vaccines has the potential to revolutionize the DNA vaccine field. Rationally designed vaccines, such as the universal influenza vaccine, combined with superior delivery technologies, may provide new opportunities for prophylaxis and treatment of important diseases"

For further information please contact:

Jakob Schmidt,

CEO

Tel +45 4516 2525

Email: info@pharmexa.com

Or visit: www.pharmexa.com

7TM to Discover with Dr. Reddy's

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0100

7TM Pharma A/S has signed a drug discovery collaboration agreement with Indian pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy's. The company's will work together to identify clinical candidates for pre-selected targets for the treatment of metabolic disorders. The targets will be jointly developed from the pre-clinical stage to Phase IIa. After this point the company's can choose to out-license the candidates or to continue joint development and commercialization.

For further informayion please contact:

Marianne Meyer Clausen

Corporate Communication Manager

Tel: +45 3925 7114

Email: mmc@7tm.com

Or visit: www.7tm.com

Symphogen Issued Patent Covering Symplex Technology

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 14:00:00 +0100

Symphogen A/S has announced that the European Patent Office granted the Company European Patent number 1 670 912 B1, which describes a high-throughput method for isolating fully human, antigen-specific antibodies directly from human donors, and other related methods.

The patent covers Symplex, Symphogen's proprietary process for discovering antibodies with diversity and specificity customized to a particular therapeutic application. The granted European patent is effective in 33 countries across Europe. Symphogen has additional pending applications from this patent in numerous countries across the world.

For further information please contact:

Kirsten Drejer,

CEO

Tel: +45 45 26 50 59

Email: kd@symphogen.com

Or visit www.symphogen.com

Upfront Chromatography in Development Agreement with Cangene Corporation

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 16:00:00 +0100

Upfront Chromatography A/S, the world's leading developer of customised industrial-scale protein chromatography processes, has entered into an agreement with Cangene Corporation to develop a high-yield process for the isolation of human and equine IgG directly from blood plasma. Initial testing has demonstrated the successful capture of IgG from plasma using Upfront's proprietary Rhobust processing platform. The project will incorporate a process-development and scale-up phase in order to produce material suitable for clinical trials and to determine the compatibility with Cangene's manufacturing processes.

The implementation of Upfront's Rhobust platform has the potential to minimise the process steps required for the isolation of IgG from blood plasma, and maximise yield and plant capacities at Cangene's multi-product facilities.

For further information please contact:

Anders Weber,

CEO

Tel: +45 39 27 37 63

Email: awe@upfront-dk.com

Or visit: www.upfront-dk.com

Genmab and Pepscan in Research Collaboration

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 16:00:00 +0100

Genmab A/S and Pepscan Therapeutics have announced the start of a research collaboration aimed at identifying fully human monoclonal antibodies against intractable disease targets. Intractable targets include those that are difficult to address using commonly available technologies but are highly desirable for targeting with monoclonal antibodies. These difficulties can for example be due to the fact that target proteins are buried to a large extent very close to the cell surface or in the cell membrane or due to poor immunogenicity of the protein or desirable epitopes.

In the collaboration, Pepscan will use its proprietary CLIPS technology to identify functional mimics of the essential parts of such intractable targets. These mimics will be used by Genmab to create and select unique therapeutic antibodies, using its fully human monoclonal antibody technology.

For further information please contact:

Helle Husted,

Director Investor Relations

Tel: +45 33 44 77 30

Email: hth@genmab.com

Or visit: www.genmab.com

The �resund Science Region is Number One in the EU RegioStars Award

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 15:00:00 +0100

One of this year's prestigious RegioStars Awards handed out by the EU goes to the Danish-Swedish cross-border partnership �resund Science Region for the innovative regional development projects that support sustainable regional development and a knowledge based regional economy. According to the jury, �resund Science Region sets an example to the entire European Union with the practicing of the unique triple helix model.

RegioStars Awards is a celebration of Europe's most innovative regional projects. �resund Science Region was awarded in the category "Supporting clusters and business networks" and 70 projects from all over Europe competed for the award.

�resund Science Region is a cross-border partnership between Denmark and Sweden. Six innovative platforms bring together regional authorities, businesses and universities from both sides of the border, working on life science, food, logistics, environment, IT and design. The platform within life science is Medicon Valley.

G�ran Bexell,

Chairman of �resund Science Region

Tel: +46 (0) 70 559 70 01

TopoTarget Announces APO010 Patent Allowed in the USA

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:00:00 +0100

TopoTarget A/S has announced that a patent related to APO010 has been allowed in the United States of America. APO010 is currently in Phase I trials in patients with refractory solid tumours. Also called a mega-FasLigand, APO010, is a recombinant fusion protein derived from the pro-apoptotic human Fas ligand (FasL) protein, a member of the TNF protein family.

The allowed application US 10/185,425 covers TopoTarget's Megaligand technology whereby members of the tumour necrosis factor family such as FasL can be multimerised into highly active forms. Additionally TopoTarget has been given a patent extension in the US of approximately 15 months which means that the estimated expiry is in 2022. This patent has already been granted in Europe, Australia, Singapore, South Korea and South Africa and is pending in other major territories.

"APO010 provides a completely new mechanism of action in treating cancer, which we are testing in Phase I clinical trials. We are presently escalating the dose to find the right level, and if we reach sufficiently high doses to expect efficacy, we should have very good opportunities for finding a partner for this project," said Peter Buhl Jensen, Chief Executive Officer of TopoTarget.

For further information please contact:

Ulla Hald Buhl

Director IR and Communications

Tel: +45 39 17 83 92

Email: irmedia@topotarget.com

Or visit www.topotarget.com

Sweden and Denmark in Top 5 of the European Innovation Scoreboard 2007

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:00:00 +0100

Sweden is ranked most innovative country and Denmark is ranked 5^th in the European Innovation Scoreboard 2007, EIS 2007.

The European Innovation Scoreboard is the instrument developed on the initiative of the European Commission, under the Lisbon Strategy, to provide a comparative assessment of the innovation performance of EU member states. The EIS 2007 includes innovation indicators and trend analyses for the 27 EU member states as well as for Croatia, Turkey, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, the US, Australia, Canada and Israel.

The assessment is based on a wide range of indicators. covering structural conditions, knowledge creation, innovative efforts by firms, and outputs in terms of new products, services and intellectual property.

Sweden is the most innovative country, largely due to strong innovation inputs, followed by Switzerland, Finland, Israel and Denmark, all of which are ahead of the US.

For further information please contact:

Niels Hovmand

Head of Communication, Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation

Tel: +45 33 92 97 37

Email: vtu@vtu.dk

Or visit: www.vtu.dk

Statens Serum Institut and Sanofi Pasteur Join Forces to Combat Tuberculosis

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:00:00 +0100

Statens Serum Institut, SSI, a public enterprise under the Danish Ministry of Health and Prevention, has entered into a Collaborative Research and License Agreement with Sanofi Pasteur, one of the world's largest vaccine manufacturers, for the purpose of developing a novel tuberculosis vaccine. Under the agreement, SSI has granted to Sanofi Pasteur a license to its technology, including the right to use fusion proteins and Intercell's IC31 adjuvant in the development of tuberculosis vaccines.

SSI will continue its world-leading tuberculosis research and vaccine development and in collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur extend these activities into more advanced phases, aiming to make a new TB vaccine widely available as soon as possible.

The collaboration with Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation in the TB vaccine field will continue, and together the parties represent an extensive range of technology and expertise necessary to address this complex global health problem.

For further information please contact:

Pia Lading

Executive Vice President, SSI

Tel: +45 32 68 35 65

Email: pla@ssi.dk

Or visit: www.ssi.dk

Genmab to Purchase Antibody Manufacturing Facility

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:00:00 +0100

Genmab A/S and PDL BioPharma, Inc. have entered into an agreement under which Genmab would acquire PDL's antibody manufacturing facility located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, USA for USD 240 million to be paid in cash. The transaction also includes land, equipment and access to a leased space housing a development lab.

Genmab expects the Minnesota facility, which has a production capacity of 22,000 liters, will be sufficient to provide a sustainable source of both clinical and commercial scale material for its pipeline. The facility features two 1,000 liter and two 10,000 liter bioreactors, which support the simultaneous manufacture of multiple antibody products and will enable Genmab to transition three antibodies from research to manufacturing per year.

Genmab plans to retain the approximately 170 employees currently working at the manufacturing facility and does not foresee reducing either the PDL BioPharma or Genmab headcount following the acquisition. In connection with this transaction, Genmab would produce clinical material to supply PDL's investigational studies for certain of its pipeline products under a clinical supply agreement.

For further information please contact:

Helle Husted,

Director Investor Relations

Tel: +45 33 44 77 30

Email: hth@genmab.com

Or visit: www.genmab.com

Lundbeck Further Strengthens Pipeline by Moving Lu AA34893 into Phase II

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:00:00 +0100

H. Lundbeck A/S has decided to investigate Lu AA34893 for the treatment of bipolar disorder. The decision is based on positive pre-clinical results as well as positive conclusion of the phase I trials in healthy individuals. Bipolar disorder is a serious, life-long disorder, in which patients suffer from episodes of depression, alternated with episodes of mania or hypomania. This mood disorder usually starts early in life and has a significant impact on the lives and relatives of the patients.

The first patients in a 600-patient Phase II study have now been enrolled. The study will investigate the effects of Lu AA34893 on the depressive episodes in bipolar disorder and its potential to prevent occurrence of mania.

Lu AA34893 was selected as a development candidate based on its convincing effect in preclinical animal models suggesting a potential to improve the treatment of mood disorder. The mechanism of action for Lu AA34893 incorporates a number of monoaminergic systems and includes allosteric effects. Thus, the compound has a potential profile that is superior to other treatments currently used in bipolar disorders.

For further information please contact:

Anders Schroll

Head of Communication

Tel: +45 36 43 20 81

Email: asch@lundbeck.com

Or visit: www.lundbeck.com

BioGaia Signs new Agreement with Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:00:00 +0100

BioGaia AB has signed a new agreement with the Swiss biopharmaceutical company Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The agreement gives Ferring exclusive rights to sell BioGaia's Probiotic Drops in Australia, New Zealand and Israel as well as BioGaia's Probiotic Tablets in Brazil, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Jordan, Canada, Lebanon, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The collaboration, which was first initiated in spring 2006, has been so successful that, as well as extending the duration of the agreement, Ferring will be marketing BioGaia's Probiotic Drops in additional markets and adding a tablet form of the treatment to its product portfolio.

"We are very pleased with the success of our collaboration with BioGaia. BioGaia's Probiotic Drops have been very well received by the medical profession and the patients and we are delighted to be able to make it available to more patients globally and to add a new administration form, which some patients will find more convenient," says Michel Pettigrew, COO at Ferring.

"The agreement means that BioGaia's brand will be found in a large number of new markets and this is a stepping stone in our efforts to create a global brand for probiotic dietary supplements," says Peter Rothschild, President, BioGaia AB.

For further information please contact:

Peter Rothschild,

President

Tel: +46 85 55 293 00

Email: info@biogaia.com

Or visit: www.biogaia.com

Alligator Bioscience and ImmuRx Enter Into Strategic Collaboration

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:00:00 +0100

Swedish Alligator Biosciences AB, which develops protein drug candidates, has entered into a strategic collaboration with American biopharmaceutical company Immurx. The latter is developing an adjuvant platform that stimulates the immune system to fight cancers and chronic infections. The companies will cooperate in the development of a cancer vaccine adjuvant, using their proprietary technology platforms.

For further information please contact:

Gun-Britt Fransson

CEO

Tel:: +46 46 286 4284

Email: guf@alligatorbioscience.com

Or visit: www.alligatorbioscience.com

LEO Pharma Supports Research

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:00:00 +0100

EUR 46.000 has been given to two researchers by the LEO Pharma Research Foundation, which supports research within medicine, chemistry, biology and pharmacy. Thomas E. Nielsen, Associate Professor at the Technical University of Denmark is given EUR 33.000 for a research project concerning chemical genetics and molecular libraries. The money is to be used to purchase machines for the quick filtration of small synthetic molecules.

The remaining EUR 13.000 goes to Henrik C. Sch�nheyder, who is a Professor at the Department of Clinical Microbiology at Aalborg Hospital. Sch�nheyder's research project is focused on E-coli bacteria and resistance and is conducted in collaboration with the Department of Health Sciences and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering. The project is to investigate where the bacteria come from, why they cause infection, and the risk of developing resistance with the use of antibiotics.

For further information please contact:

Dag Holmstad

Director, Corporate Communications

Tel: +45 4494 5888

Email: leo.group@leo-pharma.com

Or visit: www.leo-pharma.com

Lund University Respiratory Network Changes Asthma Perspective

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:00:00 +0100

The Lund University Respiratory Network, LURN, a local network of allergy and lung researchers in the Swedish �resund region, has conducted translational medical research that can affect the choice of asthma treatment. The research revealed changes in vessels and connective tissue that point towards asthma being rooted in the lower peripheral airways. This changes the common perception of asthma being an illness that only affects and changes structures in the large airways, and can affect that way in which asthma patients are treated.

For further information please contact:

Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson,

Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University

Tel: +46 705 94 63 60

Email: Gunilla.Westergren-Thorsson@med.lu.se

Or visit: www.lurn.lu.se

Danish Scientist Discovers New Genes in Malaria Parasite

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:00:00 +0100

Danish scientist Tobias Mourier at Copenhagen University together with malaria experts from Cambridge and Oxford have isolated and identified new genes in the most common and dangerous malaria parasite Plasmodium Falciparum. They have found 33 so-called RNA-genes active in the parasite's lifecycle that takes place in the human blood cells. The discovery could possibly be used in the battle against malaria by leading to new and effective medicine. The research results will be published in the international journal "Genome Research".

For further information please contact:

Tobias Mourier,

Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen

Tel: +45 35 32 12 36

Email: tmourier@bi.ku.dk

Or visit: www.bio.ku.dk

BioGaia Continues its Japanese Venture

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0100

BioGaia AB started pilot sales of soya drinks with BioGaia`s Probiotic Straw in Japan in the second quarter of 2007. The work with adaptation of the products and their marketing to the Japanese market is now complete and, in light of the positive feedback from the trade, BioGaia have decided to further develop the product line and continue the launch. This venture is expected to further burden the result, but not at all to the same extent as earlier. The goal with this investment is to establish products with the BioGaia brand in the important Japanese market and in the long term, reach a good return with significant volumes.

For further information please contact:

Peter Rothschild,

President

Tel: +46 85 55 293 00

Email: info@biogaia.com

Or visit: www.biogaia.com

Symphogen and Biovitrum have Successfully Completed Phase I Trial with Recombinant Polyclonal Antibody

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 17:00:00 +0100

Symphogen A/S and Biovitrum have announced the completion of a phase I clinical trial to test the safety and tolerability of Sym001 in healthy volunteers. The results from the dose-escalation, placebo-controlled study show that Sym001 is well tolerated.

Sym001 is a recombinant, polyclonal antibody product candidate, comprised of 25 different anti-Rhesus D antibodies. Sym001 is in development for the treatment of Idiopathic/Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura and for Anti RhD Prophylaxis of hemolytic disease of the newborn. Symphogen and Biovitrum are jointly developing Sym001 under a co-development and commercialization agreement announced in February 2006.

"Sym001 is the first ever recombinant polyclonal antibody product to enter human clinical trials. The successful completion of this phase I trial is a very significant milestone for Symphogen", said Kirsten Drejer, CEO of Symphogen. "Symphogen's antibody technology platform offers the opportunity to generate compositions of recombinant polyclonal antibodies as well as single monoclonal antibodies which opens an exciting avenue for development of antibody therapeutics addressing large and unmet medical needs."

For further information please contact:

Kirsten Drejer,

CEO

Tel: +45 45 26 50 59

Email: kd@symphogen.com

Or visit www.symphogen.com

7TM Pharma Announces the Selection of a New Pre-Clinical Development Candidate

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 17:00:00 +0100

7TM Pharma A/S has selected a new pre-clinical development candidate, TM38837, for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases. TM38837 is derived from 7TM Pharma's discovery program targeting the development of Cannabinoid type 1 receptor antagonists, CB1 antagonists, acting specifically in the periphery of the body. TM38837 has shown a substantial and robust weight reduction effect in various chronic animal models for obesity. Importantly, it has further been shown to have a very favorable side effect profile in various animal models compared to other known CB1 antagonists. CB1 antagonists have been demonstrated in a number of clinical trials to reduce body weight and improve obesity associated risk factors, for example Type 2 diabetes.

"We are very excited about our peripherally acting CB1 program and the selection of our first pre-clinical candidate from this program." says Mette Kirstine Agger, CEO of 7TM Pharma. "Previous CB1 antagonists have shown clear effects in terms of weight reduction and improvement of associated risk factors. Maintaining this effect with TM38837, while simultaneously improving the safety profile is an important step forwards towards safe and effective medicines in this field and significantly strengthens our pipeline focusing on metabolic disorders."

For further information please contact:

Mette Kirstine Agger,

CEO

Tel: +45 3925 7777

Email: agger@7tm.com

Or visit: www.7tm.com

Vaginal Probiotic Product Reduces Recurrence Rate of Bacterial Vaginosis

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 16:00:00 +0100

The Danish company Bifodan A/S has announced that a newly published double blind, randomised, placebo controlled study shows that EcoVag, a patented vaginal probiotic product, significantly reduces the recurrence rate of Bacterial Vaginosis, BV, following antibiotic treatment. BV is one of the most frequent vaginal infections and if left untreated may have severe gynaecological and obstetric consequences such as pelvic inflammatory disease, miscarriage and preterm delivery.

The study involved 100 women diagnosed with BV. All women were given a standard antibiotic treatment with Clindamycin vaginal cream. On a randomised basis half of the cured women were treated with one EcoVag vaginal capsule and the other half with an identical placebo capsule per day for 10 days during 3 consecutive menstrual cycles to measure the impact on recurrent infection rates. The study shows that the recurrent BV infection rate is significantly reduced for the women taking EcoVag. At the study completion after 6 months, 65% of the EcoVag treated women were still BVfree compared to 46% of the placebo treated women. Comparison of the two groups regarding "time from cure to relapse" was also statistically significant. Furthermore, the study also confirmed that EcoVag is safe to use.

For further information please contact:

Niels Peter Bak

Business Development Manager

Tel: +45 47 98 15 16

Email: npb@bifodan.com

Or visit: www.bifodan.com

Dako Receives FDA Approval of Diagnostic Test for Breast Cancer Patients

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:00:00 +0100

The US Food and Drug Administration has given Dako A/S PMA approval to market its TOP2A FISH pharmDx assay. The assay is intended as an adjunct in determining the prognosis for high risk breast cancer patients. Dako, a world leading provider of cancer diagnostic solutions, is the first company to receive FDA approval for a TOP2A diagnostic test for breast cancer patients.

The test, TOP2A FISH pharmDx, is marketed to assess clinical breast cancer tissue specimens for changes in the status of the TOP2A. This information aids physicians in evaluating the prognosis for breast cancer patients, since patients with normal TOP2A status have a better outcome than patients with TOP2A gene amplifications or deletions. TOP2A FISH pharmDx provides new prognostic information for additional groups of patients and may serve as an adjunct to existing HER2-testing.

TOP2A FISH pharmDx is part of Dako's range of pharmacodiagnostic products, and is based on the fluorescence in-situ hybridization, FISH, technique. TOP2A FISH pharmDx also has the CE-label within the European Union.

For further information please contact:

Anne Thommesen,

Corporate Communications

Tel: +45 40 63 95 93

Email: anne.thommesen@dako.com

Or visit: www.dako.com

Vivolution Acquires Extensive Patent Portfolio from Bristol-Meyers Squibb

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:00:00 +0100

ConvaTec, a subsidiary of Bristol-Meyer Squibb, who developed the VivostatSystem, and subsequently sold the project to Vivolution A/S, has agreed to sell all patents covering the Vivostat technology and other related technologies for an undisclosed sum.

The patent portfolio covers 66 issued and 20 pending patents, covering a large number of countries. The acquisition by Vivolution marks the end of a long relationship with ConvaTec and provides Vivolution with the option to out-license the technology to strategic partners.

"I am very happy that we have finalized the acquisition after three years of negotiation", says Tom Bjerg Lauritzen, CEO of Vivolution A/S. "We are now completely independent and can now develop our own patent strategy."

For further information please contact:

Tom Bjerg Lauritzen

CEO

Tel. +45 8880 8420

Email: tbl@vivolution.com

Or visit www.vivolution.com

BioInvent and ThromboGenics Receive Approval to Begin Clinical Trials of TB-403

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:00:00 +0100

BioInvent International AB and co-development partner ThromboGenics NV have announced that they have received approval from the regulatory authorities in Denmark to initiate a Phase I clinical trial of the novel anti-cancer agent TB-403. TB-403 is a monoclonal antibody that targets the angiogenic factor PlGF, placental growth factor. TB-403 has demonstrated strong inhibition of PlGF-associated angiogenesis and tumour growth in animal models, without affecting healthy tissues. This product candidate is being developed within the framework of the alliance between ThromboGenics and BioInvent.

For further information please contact:

Svein Mathisen

President & CEO

Tel: +46 (0)46-286 85 67

E-mail: svein.mathisen@bioinvent.com

Or visit: www.bioinvent.com

Action Pharma Raises EUR 15 Million from Investors

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:00:00 +0100

Action Pharma A/S has announced that it has signed a financing agreement with new and existing investors, raising a total of EUR 15 million. Swiss/German Global Life Science Ventures and Scandinavian SLS Venture will as new investors invest a total of EUR 8 million, while the existing investors InnovationsKapital of Sweden, Sunstone Capital and Inventure Capital of Denmark will invest a total of EUR 7 million.

The raised capital allows Action Pharma to further develop its pipeline of drug candidates, currently comprising 7 projects of which two are in clinical development. The most advanced project is AP214 for the prevention of organ damage in connection with major surgery for life threatening cardiovascular diseases. A clinical Phase II trial in the US is expected to be initiated in the first half of 2008. The company's second clinical compound, AP1030, focused on the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, will complete an initial Phase I clinical study in Sweden in the first quarter of 2008.

For further information please contact:

S�ren Nielsen,

CEO

Tel: +45 2323 4533

Email: sn@actionpharma.com

Or visit: www.actionpharma.com

Genmab Reaches Milestones in Ofatumumab Collaboration

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:00:00 +0100

Genmab A/S has announced that it has reached the second and third development milestones for ofatumumab under the terms of its collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline. The second milestone payment of the collaboration of EUR 11.5 million was triggered by treatment of the first patient in the Phase II study of ofatumumab in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, which occurred in 2007. The third milestone payment of EUR 11.5 million was triggered by the first patient receiving treatment in the Phase III rheumatoid arthritis RA program, which occurred in 2008.

Ofatumumab is an investigational, fully human, next generation monoclonal antibody that targets a distinct small loop epitope on the CD20 receptor on the surface of B-cells. This epitope is different from the other anti-CD20 antibodies currently available or in development. Ofatumumab is being developed under a co-development and commercialization agreement between Genmab and GlaxoSmithKline.
For further information please contact:

Helle Husted,

Director Investor Relations

Tel: +45 33 44 77 30

Email: hth@genmab.com

Or visit: www.genmab.com

Novozymes and Cargill Signs Acid Agreement

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:00:00 +0100

Novozymes A/S has entered into a development agreement with American company Cargill, a provider of food, agricultural, and risk management products. They have agreed to jointly develop technology for the production of acrylic acid from renewable raw materials. The transformation is to occur via 3-hydroxypropionic acid, 3HPA, a carboxylic acid related to which Cargill already holds patents. The technology to be developed is to enable fermentation of sugar into 3HPA using a bioengineered microorganism. The acid can then be transformed into a range of chemical derivatives, such as acrylic acid, which is used in various materials.

The US Department of Energy supports the project with a EUR 1,03 million matching cooperative agreement.

For further information please contact:

Johan Melchior

Press Coordinator

Tel.: +45 4446 0690

Email: jmel@novozymes.com

Or visit: www.novozymes.com

BioInvent and Genentech Initiate Phase I Clinical Trial for BI-204

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:00:00 +0100

BioInvent International AB has announced that they have received approval from the Danish Medicines Agency to initiate a Phase I clinical trial of BI- 204, a potential treatment for cardiovascular conditions brought on by atherosclerosis. The trial will be managed by BioInvent and carried out in Denmark, with the first subject expected to be recruited in the study imminently. BioInvent and Genentech, Inc. co-develop BI-204 under an agreement signed in January 2007. BI-204 is an antibody that targets oxidized forms of the harmful LDL cholesterol a key component thought to drive the inflammatory processes associated with atherosclerotic plaques. It is being developed as a drug for the secondary prevention of cardiac events, such as heart attack or stroke, in high-risk patients.

The Phase I study is a double-blind, within-group randomised dose-escalation trial testing both single and multiple doses of BI-204 administered either intravenously or subcutaneously. In total, 80 healthy male or female subjects with elevated levels of LDL cholesterol are planned to be included in the trial. In addition to monitoring the tolerability and safety of BI-204, the study will evaluate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters in order to help set the dosage of BI-204 administered to patients in future Phase II trials.

For further information please contact:

Svein Mathisen

President & CEO

Tel: +46 46-286 85 67

E-mail: svein.mathisen@bioinvent.com

Or visit: www.bioinvent.com

Danish Stem Cell Research to Cure Injured Knees

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:00:00 +0100

In around four years researchers from Coloplast A/S and Interface Biotech A/S plan to be able to implant stem cells, growing on a kind of mould of newly developed biomaterials, in humans with osteoarthritis. Sport injuries and osteoarthritis in the knee will be treated with tissue grown in the laboratory from the patients own cells. Stem cells are already tested as treatment for injured knees, but instead of injecting the stem cells directly in the knee the new and improved method involves growing of new tissue in a mould consisting of polyester and connective tissue molecules. The formed cartilage tissue will subsequently be implanted in the knee.

The same technique will also be used for development of new muscle tissue to patients with weak urethral sphincters.

Behind this development are the companies Coloplast and Interface Biotech, who together with researchers from four Danish universities and hospitals have received a EUR 1.3 million from the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation.

For further information please contact:

Peter Samuelsen,

Head of Research at Coloplast

Tel: +45 49 11 14 81

Or visit: www.coloplast.com

Or visit: www.interfacebio.com

Danish Professor of Glycomics on top 10 List of Scientific Breakthroughs for 2007

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:00:00 +0100

Professor Henrik Clausen from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine appears in 4th place on Wired's list of the top ten scientific discoveries for 2007. He was nominated for his discovery of how to convert blood type A, B and AB into type O - the blood type that anyone can tolerate during a blood transfusion.

During the Autumn of 2007, the American National Institute of Health faced a critical shortage of blood type O. Thanks to Professor Clausen's research, this problem can now be avoided and, as all patients can tolerate blood type O, the technology can be used in both blood transfusions and the treatment of cancer, leukaemia, as well as different blood disorders, such as anaemia and sickle cell disease.

The difference between the four blood types is their sugar content. Blood type A contains one type of sugar on the surface of the red blood cells, blood type B another, while type AB contains both types of sugar. Type O has no sugar on the surface of the blood cells and that's why all patients can tolerate a blood type O transfusion. Professor Clausen and his colleagues have discovered an enzyme, that can remove the sugar from the A, B and AB blood cells and thereby convert them to type O.

For further information please contact:

Henrik Clausen,

Professor

Tel: +45 35 32 42 61

Email: kommunikation@adm.ku.dk

Or visit: www.ku.dk

TopoTarget�s Savene Recommended Treatment for Anthracycline Extravasation

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:00:00 +0100

TopoTarget A/S has announced that Savene has been recommended as standard treatment for anthracycline extravasation in the new European Oncology Nursing society, EONS guidelines. The guidelines offer a practical guide to extravasation management from prevention and recognition through to management strategies and advice on the implementation of guidelines into clinical practice. The guidelines are based on existing literature and form a web-based toolkit available to oncology nurses.

Ulla Hald Buhl

Director IR and Communications

Tel: +45 39 17 83 92

Email: irmedia@topotarget.com

Or visit www.topotarget.com

MIP Technologies and Supelco Launch a New Selective SPE Product

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:00:00 +0100

MIP Technologies AB and Supelco have launced a new product for tracing amphetamine and related drugs. MIP Technologies, which develops molecularly imprinted polymers, has collaborated on this product with Supelco, a division of Sigma-Aldrich that develops high technology life science products. They developed this selective solid phase extraction product for trace level determinations in forensic, toxicological and pharmaceutical testing. The product uses very low levels for the confirmation of drug use.

For further information please contact:

Christine Widstrand

VP Sales and Marketing

Tel: +46-46-163905

Email: info@miptechnologies.com

Or visit: www.miptechnologies.com

CellaVision Prolongs Cooperation with Kitron

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:00:00 +0100

CellaVision AB signs a new agreement with the contract manufacturer Kitron AB in Karlskoga. The agreement spans for two years and involves manufacturing of CellaVision's analysis instruments of a worth of around EUR 2.7 million annually.

The new agreement will replace the previous agreement from 2005 and is signed in relation to the restructuring of Kitron and the company's manufacturing move. The cooperation involves manufacturing of the analysis instrument CellaVision DM96 and further development of the product's optics and optronics.

For further information please contact:

Yvonne M�rtensson,

CEO

Tel: +46 46 286 44 00

Email: yvonne.martensson@cellavision.com

Or visit: www.cellavision.com

Billion Potential for BioPorto within Diagnosis of Kidney Failures

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:00:00 +0100

A partner agreement for the biotech company Bioporto A/S's method of quick diagnosis of kidney failures is to create profit and secure a quantum leap in sales. Bioporto is estimating that the company's biomarker NGAL, which identifies renal injury at an earlier stage than existing diagnosis methods, has a billion potential provided that all patents are secured and the right licence agreements entered into.

The biomarker is unique and so far undisputedly the best diagnosis methods with renal injuries. The presence of NGAL in the blood or the urine increases by renal injury and is measurable earlier than with existing measurements. This allows the medical staff the possibility of starting a treatment much sooner.

Bioporto has 21 patents under consideration and as a first step these have been evaluated patentable whereas competitive US patent applications have been dismissed.

The large international diagnostic groups such as Roche, Abbott, Genzyme, Siemens and Danish Radiometer are all in the running as potential partners and Bioporto is not going after a solo agreement but will optimise the potential through several agreements.

For further information please contact:

Thea Olesen,

CEO

Tel: 4529 0000

Email: info@bioporto.com

Or visit: www.bioporto.com

Gambro and Sandoz in Strategic Alliance

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:00:00 +0100

Gambro AB has formed a strategic alliance with Sandoz in the area of hemodialysis. Both companies have agreed to cooperate in the launch of Sandoz' biosimilar Binocrit, the first biosimilar epoetin alfa which has been approved by the European Commission in August this year.

This alliance will use the leading position of Gambro in the treatment of Chronic Kidney failure through dialysis and the pioneering position of Sandoz in the development and production of biosimilar pharmaceuticals to enhance the care of patients.

Binocrit is indicated in treating patients with renal anemia, dialysis patients, and cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. More than 250,000 patients in Europe are estimated to be treated with epoetin alfa, which is marketed under various brand names to regulate the formation of red blood cells.

For further information please contact:

Maria L�ngberg,

Vice President, Communications

Tel: +46 70 513 65 73

Email: maria.langberg@gambro.com

Or visit: www.gambro.com

ViroGates Launches the SuPARnostic ELISA Test Kit to the European Market

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 14:00:00 +0100

ViroGates A/S has signed two exclusive distribution deals with carefully selected partners to market its suPARnostic kit in Europe. Ramcon A/S will cover the home markets of Denmark and Sweden and INyDIA Biomedical will cover two further European markets - Spain and Portugal. ViroGates is in discussion with other potential European partners and is also preparing a product launch in Asia and Africa, where suPARnostic provides an affordable and practical solution for resource-poor settings.

suPARnostic was invented and developed in Denmark and South Africa and was originally intended to be a tool for monitoring HIV progression and treatment response, but has during its development revealed amazing potential as a prognostic tool in other infectious diseases including tuberculosis and sepsis. These are areas where there is no proven solution: In sepsis, people are dying in the absence of a tool to assess how fatal their condition is; in tuberculosis, there is no tool to show if lengthy treatment is working. Clinical results in these indications have proven that suPARnostic can help save lives and thus facilitates great interest of international distribution partners.

For further information please contact:

Betina Macho, CEO

Tel: +45 6035 3340

Email: bm@virogates.com

Or visit www.virogates.dk

BioGaia Signs Global Agreement for Oral Health Products

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 14:00:00 +0100

BioGaia AB has signed an agreement with Sunstar Suisse SA, which gives Sunstar exclusive rights to distribute BioGaia`s probiotic oral health products in more than 100 countries.

Sunstar Suisse launched BioGaia`s oral health products 2007 in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden. Sunstar have had an option to sign a distribution agreement for a large number of countries. Sunstar have now taken the option and have signed a distribution agreement which means that they receive exclusive distribution rights for more than 100 countries.

The products will be sold under Sunstars brand GUM PerioBalance. The agreement further includes possibilities to develop new oral products in common projects. The launch will take place within a 2-year period.

"The global agreement with Sunstar provides a solid recognition for BioGaia`s probiotic oral products and an acceptance of the probiotic principle in an entirely new area. To date Sunstar`s launches of BioGaia`s oral products have been very successful. That the partnership now expands is a breakthrough for BioGaia - Sunstar is an ideal global partner for BioGaia. Already today, oral health products account for a significant part of BioGaia`s turnover and we expect that Sunstar will shortly be our largest customer." says Peter Rothschild, President BioGaia AB.

For further information please contact:

Peter Rothschild,

President

Tel: +46 855 52 93 00

Email: info@biogaia.com

Or visit: www.biogaia.com

Genmab Announces HuMax-CD32B Pre-clinical Program

Fri, 4 Jan 2008 11:00:00 +0100

Genmab A/S has announced a new pre-clinical antibody program called HuMax-CD32b. This fully human IgG1,k antibody targets the CD32b receptor found on immune cells and hematological tumors. HuMax-CD32b may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, small lymphocytic lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

The lead candidate for HuMax-CD32b was selected from a panel of over 60 antibodies based on its excellent selectivity and binding ability for the CD32b target and potent triggering of the immune system killing mechanism antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The antibody was highly effective in suppressing tumor growth in in vivo mouse tumor models in which tumor growth was monitored by highly sensitive bioluminescence imaging.

In animal models, HuMax-CD32b has been shown to induce impressive anti-tumor responses. The CD32b receptor has an inhibitory role on immune cells and blockade of CD32b has been documented to strongly potentiate the therapeutic effects of other anti-tumor antibodies. An antibody targeting CD32b may thus be attractive for combination therapy with other antibodies.

"We believe HuMax-CD32b has great potential as a cancer therapeutic, both because of its impressive anti-tumor activity, and the potential for combination with other therapeutic antibodies, such as antibodies directed to CD20 or CD38." said Prof. Jan G. J. van de Winkel, Chief Scientific Officer at Genmab.

For further information please contact:

Helle Husted,

Director Investor Relations

Tel: +45 33 44 77 30

Email: hth@genmab.com

Or visit: www.genmab.com

Lundbeck Adds New Pharmaceutical Candidate Lu AA37096 to Development Pipeline

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 09:00:00 +0100

Lundbeck A/S has initiated phase I clinical studies with Lu AA37096 in order to investigate safety, tolerability and the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug in humans.

Lu AA37096 has been discovered based on findings with the unique mechanism of action of escitalopram but incorporates effects on a number of additional targets in the brain. Lu AA37096 has shown very convincing effects in animal models of mood disorders as well as in pain models.

For further information please contact:

Anders Schroll

Head of Communication

Tel: +45 36 43 20 81

Email: asch@lundbeck.com

Or visit: www.lundbeck.com

LifeCycle Pharma Initiates Phase II Clinical Trial of LCP-Tacro for the Treatment of Autoimmune Hepatitis

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 08:00:00 +0100

LifeCycle Pharma A/S has initiated a Phase II clinical trial of LCP-Tacro for the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis, AIH, also referred to as chronic active hepatitis, a disease which causes a person's body to reject its own liver. The clinical trial is expected to enroll up to 60 patients in up to 12 centers throughout the US and Canada.

"We are excited about participating in the first clinical trial of LCP-Tacro in patients with autoimmune hepatitis," said Gerald Y. Minuk, MD, Professor of Medicine & Pharmacology and Head of the Section of Hepatology at the University of Manitoba Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. "It's important that physicians have new options for the management of AIH and we think LCP-Tacro could make a real difference in patients' lives."

The clinical trial is a phase II, open-label, multi-center, prospective, randomized study to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of LCP-Tacro tablets given once daily vs. azathioprine, each in combination with prednisone, for the treatment of AIH.

LifeCycle Pharma is pursuing LCP-Tacro for what could be the first FDA-approved drug indicated for the treatment of AIH.

For further information please contact:

Michael Wolff Jensen,

EVP and CFO

Tel: +45 70 33 33 00

Email: mwj@lcpharma.com

Or visit: www.lcpharma.com

EUR 4 Million to Improved Animal Research in Copenhagen

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 08:00:00 +0100

The Danish Ministry of Science has granted EUR 4 million to a joining and extension of animal research facilities at Copenhagen University and university hospitals in the Copenhagen region. With focus on animal welfare and ethics, "The Campus Animal Research Unit" will strengthen efficiency and quality and create conditions of international top class for biomedical research within human diseases and physiology.

The Campus Animal Research Unit will be used by more than 1000 researchers and will be a unique research facility in the Medicon Valley. The facilities will make it possible to test new ground-breaking hypotheses with transgenic, surgical and medical experiments.

For further information please contact:

Ralf Hemmningsen,

President of Copenhagen University

Tel: +45 35 32 26 26

Or visit: www.fi.dk

Genmab Antibody to Enter Phase II study to Treat Sarcoma

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:00:00 +0100

Genmab A/S has announced that its partner, Roche has initiated a Phase II clinical study of R1507 for the treatment of recurrent or refractory sarcoma The R1507 antibody was created by Genmab under the company's agreement with Roche and initiation of the trial will trigger a milestone payment to Genmab of EUR 344,450

"R1507 will be the first antibody created by Genmab under our agreement with Roche to enter Phase II development," said Lisa N. Drakeman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. "We believe that R1507 may offer an additional treatment option to sarcoma patients."

For further information please contact:

Helle Husted,

Director Investor Relations

Tel: +45 33 44 77 30

Email: hth@genmab.com

Or visit: www.genmab.com

Santaris Pharma and GlaxoSmithKline Enter Global R&D Alliance

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:00:00 +0100

Santaris Pharma A/S and GlaxoSmithKline, GSK, has announced that they have entered into a worldwide strategic alliance for the discovery, development and commercialisation of novel medicines against viral diseases. The collaboration provides GSK access to patented RNA antagonist compounds, based on Santaris Pharma's unique Locked Nucleic Acid technology, for development as potential new therapies for selected viral diseases.

GlaxoSmithKline will participate in the alliance through its Infectious Diseases Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery. Under the terms of the agreement, Santaris Pharma will grant GlaxoSmithKline options to drug candidates discovered and developed under the collaboration in up to four different viral disease programmes. In each of these R&D programmes, Santaris Pharma will be responsible for the discovery and development of RNA antagonist drug candidates through to completion of Phase IIa at which point GlaxoSmithKline has an exclusive option to license each compound for further development and commercialisation on a worldwide basis.

"We are delighted that GlaxoSmithKline has chosen to collaborate with Santaris Pharma in the RNA medicines field. We are confident that the high potency and exquisite precision of RNA targeting achievable by LNA oligonucleotides has the potential to achieve clinical breakthroughs in viral infections. I can think of no stronger partner for Santaris Pharma in infectious disease research than GSK." Said Henrik �rum, Santaris Pharma's Chief Scientific Officer and VP Business Development

For further information please contact:

Randi Krogsgaard,

Director of Corporate Communications

Tel: +45 45 17 98 79

E-mail: rmk@santaris.com

Or visit: www.santaris.com

TopoTarget and CuraGen Initiate Phase II Clinical Trial of Belinostat for Thymoma and Thymic Carcinoma

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0100

TopoTarget A/S and CuraGen Corporation have initiated patient dosing in a Phase II open-label, multi-center clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of intravenous belinostat, a small molecule histone deacetylase, HDAC, inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with previously treated thymoma and thymic carcinoma. This trial is being sponsored by the National Cancer Institute under a Clinical Trials Agreement with CuraGen for belinostat.

Patients with either thymoma or thymic carcinoma who have received at least one prior platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen are eligible for enrollment. The trial utilizes a Simon 2-stage design and is expected to enroll up to 33 patients who will receive belinostat administered by intravenous infusion once daily for five days every three weeks. Patients will continue to receive treatment with belinostat until disease progression.

The primary objective of the study is to determine the objective response rate by RECIST criteria. Secondary endpoints include evaluation of the time to response, duration of response, progression-free and overall survival, and the safety profile of belinostat. The pharmacodynamic activity of belinostat will also be evaluated by assessment of protein expression, changes in p21 and protein hyperacetylation, and identification of chromosomal gains or losses.

For further information please contact:

Peter Buhl Jensen,

CEO

Tel: +45 39 17 83 41

Email: pbj@topotarget.com

Or visit: www.topotarget.com

Pharmexa Extends and Updates License Agreement with Lundbeck

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0100

Pharmexa A/S and H. Lundbeck A/S have entered into a new agreement, which is an extension of the original research and license agreement from April 2000, wherein Lundbeck received a global and exclusive license to PX106, a vaccine against Alzheimer's disease based on Pharmexa's proprietary AutoVac technology.

With the updated agreement, Lundbeck's rights to PX106 and other possible Alzheimer's vaccines covered by Pharmexa's patents are strengthened.

For further information please contact:

Jakob Schmidt,

CEO

Tel: +45 45 16 25 25

Email: info@pharmexa.com

Or visit: www.pharmexa.com

NeuroSearch Initiates Clinical Phase I Study with ACR343 as a Treatment for Parkinson�s Disease

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0100

NeuroSearch A/S has enrolled and dosed the first healthy volunteers in a clinical Phase I study with ACR343 with a view to develop this drug candidate as a new treatment for Parkinson's disease. The Phase I study is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled single ascending dose study to evaluate the safety and tolerability as well as the pharmacokinetic profile of ACR343 after oral administration. The study will be performed in Sweden.

Dopaminergic stabilizers are a novel class of CNS, Central Nervous System, active compounds that can both enhance and counteract dopaminergic effects in the brain depending on the initial level of dopaminergic activity. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in the brain, and the dopaminergic system plays a central role in the regulation of motor function and behaviour. Thus, dopaminergic stabilisers have the ability to stabilise motor and behavioural disturbances caused by neurological and psychiatric disorders. They do this in pathological states without compromising normal brain functions.

In preclinical studies, ACR343 has been able to stabilise motor function in a variety of models for CNS disorders. In a specific model for Parkinson's disease, ACR343 reduces involuntary movements resulting from treatment with L-Dopa without compromising its anti-parkinsonian effects.

For further information please contact:

Flemming Pedersen,

CEO

Tel: +45 44 60 82 14

Email: ns@neurosearch.dk

Or visit: www.neurosearch.com

Santaris Pharma Raises EUR 20 Million of New Equity

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:00:00 +0100

Santaris Pharma A/S has completed a new EUR 20 million private investment round. Gilde Healthcare Partners, a new investor in the Company, contributed EUR 7.5 million of the financing, with the remaining EUR 12.9 million provided by a strong international syndicate of existing investors, including BankInvest, Novo, LD, Forbion Capital Partners, Global Life Science Venture, Sunstone Capital, Seventure, Omega, Innovation Capital and members of the Company's board and management.

The proceeds of the financing will be used primarily to fund continued development of Santaris Pharma's pipeline of innovative RNA antagonist drug candidates based on its breakthrough LNA chemistry. The Company expects to advance its SPC2996 compound, an RNA Antagonist of Bcl-2, into Phase II clinical trials in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia and B-cell Lymphoma and to initiate phase I volunteer studies of two new RNA antagonists for the treatment of metabolic disorders.

Edwin de Graaf, General Partner of Gilde Healthcare Partners, said: "We invest in biopharmaceutical companies with strong technology platforms and experienced management and we have a strong portfolio of international companies. Santaris Pharma is well positioned to become a leader in the field of RNA medicines. It is a company that quickly has built an impressing and promising pipeline of drug candidates, which are getting ready to be validated in the clinic."

For further information please contact:

Randi Krogsgaard,

Director of Corporate Communications

Tel: +45 45 17 98 79

E-mail: rmk@santaris.com

Or visit: www.santaris.com

Novo Nordisk Licenses Global Rights to Potential New Haemostasis Therapy

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:00:00 +0100

Novo Nordisk A/S has signed a global licensing agreement with C2X Pharma, a French biotechnology company, and Inserm, the French national institute for health and medical research. The agreement pertains to a protein discovered by a team at Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences Faculty at Ren� Descartes University and developed by C2X Pharma. The protein is a bypassing agent, is to be explored by Novo Nordisk as a treatment for hemophilia and other bleeding conditions. This expands Novo Nordisk's portfolio with regards to hemophilia and hemostatis projects.

For further information please contact:

Michael Laub

Media Relations Officer

Tel: (+45) 4442 1960

Email: mclb@novonordisk.com

Or visit: www.novonordisk.com

Lundbeck Enters Clinical Phase III with Lu AA21004

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:00:00 +0100

H. Lundbeck A/S and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited have announced the advancement of Lu AA21004 for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders into clinical phase III. Based on the positive clinical phase II data, the first patient in a phase III study in major depressive disorder has been enrolled.

The clinical phase III program will consist of several clinical studies that will be conducted at investigational sites around the world. More than 2,000 patients are expected to be enrolled in the clinical phase III program.

Lu AA21004, discovered by Lundbeck and being jointly developed by Lundbeck and Takeda, belongs to a new chemical class having a mode of action that is different from currently marketed antidepressants. In the clinical phase II study, Lu AA21004 showed highly significant improvements on the primary efficacy endpoints for both 5 and 10 mg doses compared to placebo and had an attractive safety profile.

For further information please contact:

Anders Schroll

Head of Communication

Tel: +45 36 43 20 81

Email: asch@lundbeck.com

Or visit: www.lundbeck.com

New Danish Drug Company Raises EUR 17.6 Million

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 10:00:00 +0100

Ascendis Pharma A/S, a new, privately held biotech company, has closed its first-round of venture capital financing and the acquisition of Complex Biosystems GmbH, Germany. The financing of EUR 17.6 million was led by Sofinnova with two other international investors. The proceeds will be used to strategically broaden the company's pipeline and to bring drugs to clinical development. Focus is on diabetes, CNS, and cardio-vascular diseases.

Ascendis Pharma is an emerging pharmaceutical company which is creating improved, patentable versions of both currently marketed drugs and high-value development-stage opportunities. The company is built upon a novel transient linker technology, which conjugates peptides, proteins and small molecules to a carrier molecule in a reversible fashion. This unique reversibility allows an unmodified active drug to be released in the body in a precise, time-controlled fashion, creating a long-acting effect. Conventional conjugation technologies are unable to achieve this type of slow-release mechanism because the polymer cannot de-link from the drug.

The acquisition of Complex Biosystems is the platform for Ascendis Pharma's business. CEO Jan M�ller Mikkelsen was previously in the consideration as CEO for Complex Biosystems but he chose the Danish solution. "Copanhagen is a great international environment, and there are good possibilities to have an IPO-exit. The infrastructure both in pharma and biotech makes it easy to attract talented people to such a concept," says Jan M�ller Mikkelsen.

All commercial aspects of the company will be lead from Copenhagen, while research and development will take place in Germany

For further information please contact:

Jan M�ller Mikkelsen,

CEO

Tuborg Boulevard 12

2900 Hellerup