Drug Companies Update Oct 2006
Mergers, acquisitions & Joint Ventures
- Athenagen and Zapaq have merged to form a neurology-focused company, Athenagen.
- Biogen Idec has acquired both the Californian company Conforma Therapeutics and Switzerland based Fumapharm.
- Corus Pharma has been acquired by Gilead.
- Omeros has acquired Nura, which developed treatments for CNS disorders, including schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.
- PharmaFrontiers has changed name to become Opexa.
- Predix Pharmaceuticals has merged with EPIX Pharmaceuticals, and the company will be continue to operate as EPIX.
- Xytis has merged with Remergent to form Xytis Inc, which is developing treatments for CNS disorders.
New Companies
- Axordia is a UK-based human embryonic stem cell company.
- Elpen is a privately owned, Grecian pharmaceutical company, which develops original pharmaceutical products in collaboration with multinational companies.
- Healtheuniverse researches and develops regenerative medicine therapies using non-embryonic adult stem cells for use in plastic, reconstructive, orthopedic, vascular and cardiac surgery.
- ImmvaRx has two platforms: humanized antibodies, vaccines and diagnostics to prevent and treat adenocarcinoma cancers, and vaccines and diagnostics to eliminate or reduce a broad range of Type I allergies.
- Life Science Pharmaceuticals develops monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.
- Lux Biosciences is a privately-owned company that identifies and develops ophthalmic products.
- Nabriva Therapeutics is an Austrian specialist antibiotic company, developing small molecules for use in community- and hospital-acquired infections.
- Canadian pharmaceutical company NeuroMedix is focused on the development of therapeutic agents for degenerative and inflammatory diseases.
- Oncalis, a spin-off from ESBATech, investigates small molecule inhibitors for oncology indications.
- Orexigen is using its proprietary screening technology to identify pairs of molecules with synergistic activity for the treatment of obesity.
- Pathogenics is a US based, privately-owned biopharmaceutical company, which acquires and develops new therapeutic drugs that target unmet therapeutic needs.
- RHEI Pharmaceuticals is concerned with the acquisition, licensing, development and commercialization of therapies.
