Sanofi Pasteur , FDA Licenses DAPTACEL® Vaccine for the Fifth Consecutive Dose in the Pediatric DTaP Immunization Series

March 13, 2008 - DAPTACEL vaccine is licensed for the entire immunization series to protect against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis -Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has licensed DAPTACEL® (Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed) to be administered as a fifth consecutive diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine dose for children 4 years through 6 years of age for the prevention of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis... [PDF] Sanofi Pasteur's Press Release - version française du PDF -

TcLand Expression : creation of CIMNA, a unique integrated immunomonitoring service platform

Nantes, January 15th, 2008 - The biotechnology company TcLand Expression SA and its partners, Nantes’ University Hospital, Atlanstat, and Nantes' "GIS Ouest Genopole" transcriptomics platform, today announced the creation of CIMNA, a unique integrated immunomonitoring service platform located in Nantes.
CIMNA will be managed by TcLand Expression SA (one of the Atlantic Biotherapies Competitiveness Cluster’s leading companies).
With immune response profiling and monitoring being acknowledged key elements in the development of new biotherapies - particularly in the areas of auto-immune disorders, infectious disease, cancer, transplantation, allergies and vaccines, CIMNA’s ambition is to become a major European player in immunomonitoring by providing clinical investigators and industrial researchers with access to a high-quality, one-stop shop. By bringing together all the local stakeholders in the field of immunomonitoring, the Center will offer a critical mass of services in an environment meeting industrial standards... [PDF] TcLand's Press Release -

Polyplus-transfection, GMP-quality clinical batch of its nucleic acid transfer reagent

Strasbourg, February 1st, 2008 – Polyplus-transfection, a company specialized in the research, development and marketing of innovative reagents for transfection and RNA interference (RNAi), announced the production of the first batch of its transfection reagent in vivo-jetPEI manufactured in full compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). This GMP-compliant in vivo-jetPEI is required for clinical trials involving nucleic acids delivery (DNA and siRNA).
Polyplus-transfection carried out preliminary work to transfer production to GMP-compliance in 2007 thanks to financial support from the AFM, France’s Muscular Dystrophy Association. This has made it possible for a Phase II clinical trial to start in the field of cancer therapy this year using Polyplus’ GMP-compliant in vivo-jetPEI. Details of the clinical trial have not yet been disclosed... Polyplus-transfection's Press Release [PDF English version] - PDF Version Française-

Genfit and Pierre Fabre, alliance

Lille (France), Cambridge (Mass.), January 7, 2008 – GENFIT (Alternext: ALGFT; ISIN: FR0004163111) the biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of research and development of cardiovascular, inflammatory and metabolic drugs today announced a new phase in the evolution of its research collaboration with the PIERRE FABRE Laboratories.

The PIERRE FABRE group and GENFIT have been collaborating on several programs since 2001, and more specifically since 2005 on two drug discovery programs targeting metabolic disorders. The two companies have recently identified a first-in-class group of molecules corresponding to an innovating therapeutic strategy and aiming at a simultaneous effect on Type II diabetes and dyslipidemia and a potential effect on obesity, specifically through a phenotypic approach...
[PDF] GENFIT's Press Release- PDF du Communiqué de Presse GENFIT-

UCB and sanofi-aventis, FDA Approves XYZAL® (levocetirizine dihydrochloride) Oral Solution for the Relief of Seasonal and Year Round Allergies

February 19, 2008 - UCB and sanofi-aventis announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a New Drug Application (NDA) for XYZAL® (levocetirizine dihydrochloride) 0.5 mg/mL oral solution, a prescription antihistamine indicated for the relief of symptoms associated with indoor and outdoor allergies, as well as the treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria. XYZAL® tablets received FDA approval on May 25, 2007 and both formulations are now approved for use in adults and children 6 years and older...Many people suffer from the symptoms associated with common allergic conditions. The immune system of allergy sufferers over-reacts to something in the environment, leading to symptoms that affect their respiratory system, eyes, or skin. Estimates from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) suggest that indoor and outdoor allergies affect as many as 40 million people in the United States... UCB's press Release- [PDF] sanofi-aventis' Press release- PDF du Communiqué de Presse de sanofi-aventis-

LFB and the French Rare Diseases Alliance, Partnership

Paris, 5 February 2008 - The French pharmaceutical group LFB and the French Rare Diseases Alliance, a collective of 179 associations of patients with rare diseases, signed a two-year agreement. This first agreement serves to confirm and structure relations built between the collective and LFB over nearly five years to ensure transparency and continuity... LFB is a French pharmaceutical group specialised in therapeutic proteins in the form of plasma-derived or biotechnology medicinal products... LFB's Press Release - Communiqué de Presse de LFB-

IPSOGEN, Genomic Grade to improve Breast Cancer diagnosis & treatment decision

Marseille, France, January 28, 2007 – IPSOGEN SAS, a leading molecular diagnostic company based in France and Connecticut, USA announced today the signature of a license agreement with Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium for the worldwide and exclusive rights on the Genomic Grade™...The Genomic Grade™ represents the common core feature of the main breast cancer prognostic genomic signatures published worldwide, as shown by a meta-analysis presented by Pr. Piccart at the St. Gallen Breast Cancer conference in March 2007. Importantly, the Genomic Grade™ can be measured by both DNA microarray and multiplex PCR technologies, as presented at the 2007 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology... [PDF] IPSOGEN's Press Release-