April 12, 2007 Notes: Abbott opens new manufacturing facility, Genaera to reduce workforce, more

Company Notes

Barceloneta, PR (Apr. 10)-Abbott (www.abbott.com) officially opened Abbott Biotechnology Limited (ABL), its new biologics-manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico. The 330,000-ft² facility will produce "Humira," Abbott's biologic agent for the treatment of arthritis and Crohn's disease. ABL received US Food and Drug Administration approval to commercially produce Humira for the US market in February 2007.

Norwood, MA (Apr. 4)-Apogee Technology, Inc. (www.apogeemems.com) signed an exclusive license agreement with Georgia Tech Research Corporation (Atlanta, GA, www.gtrc.gatech.edu). The agreement gives Apogee the rights to a US patent application and knowledge related to the design and manufacture of microneedle-based drug delivery systems. Apogee hopes to apply the technology to its "PyraDerm" intradermal drug-delivery system.

Dublin, OH (Apr. 10)-Cardinal Health (www.cardinalhealth.com) completed the previously announced sale of its Pharmaceutical Technologies and Services (PTS) segment to The Blackstone Group (New York, www.blackstone.com) for approximately $3.3 billion. Cardinal announced its plans to divest PTS in November 2006. The deal with Blackstone was announced in January 2007.

Plymouth Meeting, PA (Apr. 10)-Genaera Corp. (www.genaera.com) plans to reduce its workforce by approximately 30% over the next three months and divest certain noncore assets. The company will focus its resources on the development of trodusquemine, an obesity treatment, after terminating its "Evizon" wet age-related macular degeneration program.

San Diego, CA (Apr. 11)-Illumina (www.illumina.com) will consolidate its Wallingford, Connecticut operations, established as part of its acquisition of CyVera Corporation, into its facilities in San Diego. The Wallingford site has supported the development and manufacture of the "BeadXpress" laser detection system. All activities related to the BeadXpress system will now take place in San Diego. Illumina plans to complete the consolidation by the end of the year.

Minneapolis, MN (Apr. 6)-Pace Analytical (www.pacelabs.com) purchased P3 Scientific, Inc. (Oakdale, MN, www.p3scientific.com), a life-sciences testing facility that serves the pharmaceutical and medical-device industries. Pace will combine its laboratory in Minneapolis with P3's laboratory facility in Oakdale. The combined operations will offer compendial testing, raw materials testing, microbiology capabilities, finished product testing, extractables and leachables studies, and research capabilities.

Strasbourg, France (Apr. 11)-Transgene S.A. (www.transgene.fr) entered into a collaboration agreement with Roche (Basel, Switzerland, www.roche.com) to develop and commercialize products to treat human papillloma virus (HPV) diseases using Transgene's vaccine program. Transgene currently has a vaccine candidate, TG 4001 (MVA-HPV-IL2), in clinical development. Roche will lead the worldwide development and commercialization of TG 4001 and pay Transgene EUR 13 million up front (approximately $17.5 million) and EUR 10 million (approximately $13.4 million) as a near-term regulatory milestone payment related to planning the Phase III studies.

Rockville, MD (Apr. 11)-TheUnited States Pharmacopeia's (USP, www.usp.org) laboratory in Hyderabad, India received International Organization for Standardization (ISO, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.org) accreditation. The laboratory opened in February 2006.

People Notes

Buffalo Grove, IL (Apr. 5)-Shawn L. Silvestri, PhD, was appointed vice-president, new product development at Akorn, Inc. (www.akorn.com). Silvestri previously served as director, Abbott Diagnostics Division Focused Factory and Technical Services with Abbott Laboratories.

Thousand Oaks, CA (Apr. 10)-Amgen (www.amgen.com) promoted Robert Bradway to executive vice-president and chief financial officer. Bradway joined Amgen in 2006, after 18 years with Morgan Stanley.

Heerlen, Netherlands (Mar. 26)-Wei-Ming Jiang was named president of DSM China (www.dsm.com). Before joining DSM, Jiang held several management positions with Novozymes.

Tarrytown, NY (Apr. 10)-Emisphere Technologies, Inc. (www.emisphere.com) named Michael V. Novinski president and chief executive officer. Novinski joins the company from Organon USA Inc., where he served as president. He replaces Lewis Bender, who was appointed interim chief executive officer January 16, 2007.

Memphis, TN (Apr. 10)-Jeff Hesselberg was appointed vice-president of regulatory affairs with GTx, Inc. (www.gtxinc.com). Hesselberg joins GTx from ICOS, where he served as director of regulatory affairs.

Montvale, NJ (Apr. 4)-Intranasal Therapeutics, Inc. (www.intranasal.com) named Peter F. Young president and chief executive officer. Young was most recently president and CEO of AlphaVax.

Portage, IN (Apr. 2)-MonoSol Rx (www.monosolrx.com) appointed Larry W. Kranking senior vice-president of pharmaceutical operations. Kranking previously was president of thecontract manufacturing company Lang Medikaments, Inc. While employed with Esai Inc., Kranking managed the design, construction, qualification, and FDA approval of the company's parenteral and solid-dose drug development and commercial operations faciility.

Durham, NC (Apr. 10)-M. Nixon Ellis, PhD, was appointed president and chief executive officer of Phase Bioscience, Inc. (www.phasebio.com). Ellis was president of Trimeris, Inc. and cofounder, president, chief operating officer. and director of Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Marlborough, MA (Apr. 9)-Xcellerex, Inc. (www.xcellerex.com) appointed John Chickosky chief operating officer. Chickosky joins the company after holding management positions at Kendro Laboratory Products, CARR Separations, and Sepracor.