Summer 2007

Alabama

ProEthic Gains License to Sell Cipher's Cholesterol Drug

ProEthic Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it has the exclusive license to distribute Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Lipofen cholesterol-lowering drug in the U.S. The Montgomery, Ala.-based firm said it will pay Ontario, Canada-based Cipher a $2 million licensing fee, plus royalties based on sales.

Hudson-Alpha Institute to Open in Huntsville, Ala., in November

The 270,000-square-foot Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Ala., is expected to start operations in November with about 45 employees, including four principal investigators. The facility, designed to foster the interaction of scientists and the companies it houses, is expected to employ 100 to 120 researchers in the next two years. Additionally, 10 companies are set to move into the facility, creating some 200 jobs.

Southern Research Institute Sells Brookwood Pharmaceuticals

Birmingham’s non-profit Southern Research Institute agreed to sell its Brookwood Pharmaceuticals drug delivery firm to SurModics Inc. for $62 million. Southern Research will be paid $40 million when the deal closes and is to get up to $22 million more when Brookwood achieves specified milestones. Brookwood will remain in Birmingham, where it provides about 70 jobs.

UAB Buys a Supercomputer for Research

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has purchased a new, super-fast computer that will help medical researchers studying tumors and other diseases. UAB said the IBM Blue Gene/L, which can perform 5.6 trillion calculations a second, will improve the school's ability to perform computational biology and molecular simulations, as well as attract top teachers and researchers.

Arkansas

Combo Biofuel/ Soy Oil Plant to Create 200 Jobs in Ark.

Consolidated Biofuels Inc. said it plans to build a combination biodiesel and soybean oil facility east of McGehee in Chicot County, Ark., with up to 200 employees. The Chicago-based firm and International Bio Fuels Corp. will jointly build and operate the $78 million plant, which could produce 150 million gallons of biodiesel and 70 million bushels of soybean oil crush annually.

Georgia

Quintiles Transnational to Expand its Global Lab Headquarters in Atlanta

Pharmaceutical development company Quintiles Transnational Corp. is investing $19 million to consolidate its Global Central Laboratories in Smyrna and its Clinical Development Services office in Atlanta within a single structure in Marietta. The move will more than double its current space. Quintiles will retain 450 jobs and create 400 new high-level ones by 2011.

Range Fuels Secures Key Georgia Permits for Biofuel Plant

Range Fuels Inc., which plans to turn pine trees into biofuel, obtained key environmental and construction permits from Georgia for a proposed $225 million cellulosic ethanol plant in Soperton, Ga. Range Fuel is in line for a $76 million U.S. Energy Department grant to build and operate the plant.

Kansas

MWI Veterinary Picks Kansas City-Area Site for New Warehouse

MWI Veterinary Supply Inc. of Meridian, Idaho, will build a distribution center in Edwardsville, Kan., creating about 30 jobs. The site is in the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, which is home to more than 120 animal health companies.

Kentucky

University of Louisville Wins $4.4 Million NIH Grant

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $4.4 million to the University of Louisville for its new Center for Environmental Genomics and Integrative Biology. Its research will focus on cardiology, environment and cancer, and the origins of health and disease.

Louisiana

Groundbreaking Held for Louisiana's Ninth Biodiesel Plant

Renewable Energy Group broke ground on an $80 million biodiesel plant in St. Rose, La., the ninth ethanol project under development in the state. The Louisiana facility is expected to produce 60 million gallons of synthetic diesel a year and create 25 jobs. Renewable operates three ethanol plants in the Midwest.

Maryland

Gates Foundation Gives University of Maryland Researchers $15 Million

The Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine received a $15 million, five-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to further AIDS research and drug development. The center’s researchers are working in 109 sites in 36 countries to treat and research HIV and AIDS.

Human Genome Sciences to Begin Advanced Trials of Hepatitis Drug

Rockville-based Human Genome Sciences Inc. has enrolled patients earlier than expected in the first two advanced trials of its drug for chronic hepatitis C. The company expects to finish enrollment by the end of 2007 for two Phase III trials for Albuferon, its hepatitis C drug and already has signed up more than 1,000 patients at 150 sites in 12 countries in the first of those trials. Novartis AG, the company’s pharmaceutical partner for developing and selling Albuferon, will pay Human Genome Sciences $40 million for completing a Phase II trial. Human Genome Sciences does not yet have drugs on the market, but has a second lead drug in late-stage trials to treat lupus.

Biotech Companies Land Large Share of Venture Capital Funds

In the second quarter of 2007, venture capital investments in Maryland companies rose to $114.5 million, an increase of $2.5 million from the first quarter. Biotech companies led the way, with $43.9 million.

North Carolina

Novo Nordisk Opens Bigger N.C. Insulin Facility, Adds 50 Jobs

Novo Nordisk has opened its $100 million, 200,000 square-foot insulin-production addition in Clayton, N.C. This marks the company's second expansion in three years. A total of 50 new jobs are being created, increasing the total workforce to 400.

California Device Maker Picks N.C. for Shipping Facility

Kyphon Inc., a California developer and marketer of medical devices to restore and preserve spinal function, is opening a 19,200-square-foot distribution and customer-support center in Huntersville, N.C. It will begin operating in early 2008 with as many as 25 employees.

Morrisville-based Gentris Forms New Business

Gentris has sold a stake in one of its genetic testing businesses and has formed a new company called ParagonDx, also based in Morrisville, N.C. ParagonDx is nearing completion of work on a test to help doctors ensure that stroke and heart attack patients receive a dose of blood thinner that fits their genetic makeup.

Icagen Enters $397 Million Deal with Pfizer

Durham-based company Icagen will develop pain treatments in a new deal with Pfizer worth as much as $397 million. Under the deal, Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, will provide $38 million in funding over two years, including buying up to $15 million worth of Icagen stock. Icagen also could receive up to $359 million more if new products reach certain milestones.

Tennessee

Tennessee to Get U.S.-Funded Biofuel Research Center

The U.S. Energy Department announced that one of three bioenergy research centers it will create will be located in Tennessee. The center will be led by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory with participation by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia and Tennessee’s universities. The U.S. Energy Department will provide $25 million in funding for each center for the next five years.

Device Maker Plans to Build Big Warehouse in Memphis

Medical device maker Smith & Nephew will build a 210,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center at the Memphis Logistics & Technology Center. Based in London, Smith & Nephew’s Orthopedic Reconstruction and Orthopedic Trauma and Clinical Therapies units are based in Memphis.

Medical Device Company to Open Memphis Distribution Center

Millstone Medical Outsourcing will open a 105,000-square-foot distribution facility in Memphis. The company plans to employ 55 to 60 people there within the next 12 months. Millstone is a provider of customized outsourcing solutions to the medical device industry, including packaging and distribution.

For the latest Life Sciences industry news from around the South, visit www.BioIndustrySouth.com.