A Phase 1 trial of a transdermal delivery system of pain reliever oxycodone has positive results.

LCT is set to start a pig islet transplantation trial for type 1 diabetes that may have a profound effect on the debate over Australia's xenotransplantation moratorium in 2009.

700 Rottweilers will assist American researchers to discover whether antioxidant supplementation has a preventative effect in bone cancer.

Western Australia's agriculture minister, Kim Chance, is taking what many are now seeing as an overly cautious stance on biotechnology. Graeme O'Neill reports.

Perth-based bio-nanotech company pSivida (ASX:PSD, NASDAQ:PSDV, Xetra:PSI) has commenced its phase IIb clinical trials with its BrachySil technology as a potential treatment for inoperable primary liver cancer.

Peplin (ASX:PEP) has produced positive results from an initial efficacy study of its drug candidate PEP005 IV in a mouse model of acute myeloid leukemia.

Bone disease biopharmaceutical company Bone Medical (ASX:BNE) has issued a prospectus with the aim of raising approximately AUD$3.1 million.

Melbourne and California-based ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CXS) has expanded phase II clinical trials of its investigational anti-cancer drug Quinamed to include patients with breast and ovarian cancer.

Pharmaxis' (ASX:PXS) drug Bronchitol has produced positive results from a phase II trial in cystic fibrosis patients, described by CEO Alan Robertson as "a landmark study and transforming day for Pharmaxis and the cystic fibrosis community".

The FDA, as expected, has followed the recommendation of an advisory panel last week and approved the heart drug BiDil, which clinical data have shown works well in African-Americans but poorly in other populations.

Key pre-clinical data on GroPep's (ASX:GRO) infertility drug, PV903, showing a halving of the miscarriage rate in a strain of female mice susceptible to the immune rejection of the foetus, will be presented at a reproductive immunology meeting this week in the US.