Replies to post #1803 on Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

Sirna, Archemix in aptamer manufacturing deal:

[Note to GTCB followers: privately held Archemix is developing an antithrombin aptamer called ARC183. Archemix also has a broad aptamer alliance with EYET (which excludes Macugen).]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040728/law005_1.html

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Sirna Therapeutics & Archemix Form Exclusive Aptamer Manufacturing Alliance

BOULDER, Colo. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RNAI - News) and Archemix Corp. today announced that they have entered into an exclusive four-year process development, analytical development and manufacturing alliance for all of Archemix's cGMP aptamers through Phase 2a clinical development. As part of this agreement, Sirna also granted Archemix a worldwide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to its intellectual property for the manufacture and commercialization of aptamers. In addition to payments for the manufacture of aptamers, Sirna will receive certain downstream consideration for the license granted to Archemix.

This agreement follows an October 2003 agreement between the companies that provided for Sirna to manufacture cGMP grade of Archemix's anti-thrombin aptamer, ARC183, for preclinical, Phase 1 and Phase 2a studies. Based on the success of this earlier agreement, both companies agreed to enter into this expanded agreement to cover additional aptamers in Archemix's development pipeline.

According to Nassim Usman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and COO at Sirna Therapeutics, "Sirna's mission is to develop nucleic acid therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi). One of Sirna's strategic advantages is its expertise and intellectual property in the chemistry, process development and manufacturing of nucleic acids in general, and RNA in particular. Through our partnership and licensing agreement with Archemix, the leading aptamer therapeutics company, Sirna will generate revenues as Archemix develops and commercializes its aptamer products. Further, through such alliances, we continue to strengthen our manufacturing capabilities that are essential for the successful development of RNAi-based therapeutics."

"Archemix is focused on discovering and developing aptamer therapeutics to address unmet medical needs in cancer, inflammation and cardio-vascular indications. The rapid progress we have made in advancing our pipeline has made it critical to have a reliable, long-term source of cGMP aptamers to support preclinical and clinical studies," commented Marty Stanton, Executive Vice President at Archemix. "This agreement also provides us with full access to Sirna's extensive expertise in RNA chemistry, analytical development and process development. Based on the success of our ARC183 manufacturing agreement with Sirna and Sirna's leadership position in the field of RNA chemistry and technology, we felt confident that Sirna could best fill these needs, and could do so in a cost-effective manner while maintaining the highest standards of quality."
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[DewDiligence]

Co. specializing in aptamer anti-cancer drugs acquired

[Aptamera is a little-known private company based in Louisville, KY, of all places. The best-known player in aptamer drugs is the private firm, Achemix, which has a collaboration with EYET to develop aptamers for ophthalmology (#msg-2842395). The most famous aptamer drug is, of course, Macugen.]

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh22674_2005-01-10_08-10-02_l10...

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UK's Antisoma to buy U.S. cancer drug firm

LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - British cancer specialist Antisoma Plc (ASM.L) is to acquire privately owned Aptamera Inc. for around 11.5 million pounds ($21.6 million) in shares to gain access to a novel cancer drug being developed by the U.S. firm.

Antisoma said on Monday that Aptamera's AGRO100 aptamer drug had shown promising anti-cancer effects and lower side effects in Phase I trials among patients with various cancers.

"The acquisition of Aptamera will expand our clinical portfolio to four drugs, each based on very different technology, and make us a leader in the exciting new area of anti-cancer aptamers," Antisoma Chief Executive Glyn Edwards said in a statement.

The company said it would assess which cancers to focus on in the next phase of development of AGRO100, which targets nucleolin, a protein found on the surface of many types of cancer cell.

Antisoma said it would issue 66.5 million new shares to Aptamera's shareholders as part of the deal, representing around 20 percent of its enlarged issued share capital.

Shares in the company were 1.5 percent down at 17 pence in opening trade, valuing it around 45 million pounds.
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[DewDiligence]

OSIP – Now that Lucentis has been approved with a broad and clean label, the latest nonsense to appear on the OSIP ymb is that EyeTech must have brought with it some ace in the hole else OSIP would not have done the EyeTech deal.

In case anyone thinks this ace in the hole is a library of aptamers or the IP to enable the development of aptamer drugs, think again. OSIP owns the rights only to Macugen and any other aptamers for ophthalmic applications that EyeTech picked up from Archemix in a 2004 collaboration (#msg-2842395).

Archemix, a private company, owns virtually everything in the aptamer space, except Macugen, by virtue of acquiring GILD’s aptamer library and IP in 2001:

http://www.archemix.com/press/pr_oct01.html

Next case.