Brisbane cancer drug developer Progen Industries (ASX:PGL) managing director Lewis Lee has resigned, and the company has named his replacement -- one-time Monsanto executive Justus Homburg.

Most of Australia's leading healthcare firms are expected to post strong first-half profit growth and provide positive outlook statements as the benefits of takeovers and spin-offs start to filter through, according to analysts.

Sydney biomedical company Sirtex Medical (ASX:SRX) has posted a positive net cash flow for the second quarter of 2005/06 of AUD$1.46 million, an increase of 87 per cent on the previous quarter.

John Chiplin, the new CEO of Sydney biopharma Peptech (ASX:PTD), sees strong similarities between the state of Australia's biotechnology industry and California's nascent biotechnology industry in San Diego in the mid-1980s.

Newly listed Perth meditech BioPharmica (ASX:BPH) has taken the wraps off a new tumour-suppressor gene candidate that shows high promise as a therapeutic and diagnostic target for many cancers, as well as in AIDS and the brain disorder Huntington's disease.

Melbourne-based Epitan (ASX:EPT, ADR:EPTNY, XETRA:UR9) has entered into a funding agreement with international specialist fund Absolute Capital Management (ACM) to raise AUD$10 million over the next 18 months.

The pharmaceutical industry should fight a major battle to prolong patent protection and encourage real innovation and discovery, a leading pharmacologist told a Melbourne audience last week.

Ruth Beran finds that few people want to stick their necks out when it comes to touting the benefits of stem cell research.

Should Australia lift its ban on therapeutic cloning? Few topics in Australian science have generated such strong opinions. Ruth Beran reports.

Melbourne oncology drug developer Cytopia (ASX:CYT) has been offered a AUD$3 million federal government Commercial Ready grant to expand clinical development of its lead anti-cancer drug CYT997.