Approval to commence Phase III trials of testosterone treatment

Regulatory approval for Chemeq's (ASX:CMQ) polymeric antimicrobial CHEMEQ has been delayed in some jurisdictions, pushing expected registrations out in some cases to 2007.

Zenyth Therapeutics (ASX:ZTL), formerly Amrad, and unlisted Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) spinout MuriGen Therapeutics are to co-develop a new class of drugs that target arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.

The US FDA has given the all-clear for Auckland biopharma Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX:NEU) to move straight into a phase III major efficacy trial for lead molecule Glypromate.

Brisbane medical diagnostics developer Panbio (ASX:PBO) has successfully completed a seven-month search for a new CEO in what executive chairman Jim Kalokerinos has described as a "longer process than hoped."

"I have frequently said that RNA interference, as far as I'm concerned, is the most important discovery of the past decade," says MIT's Phillip Sharp. As co-founder of Biogen Idec and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and Nobel laureate for his discovery of gene splicing, Sharp knows of what he speaks.

Brisbane RNAi gene therapy company Benitec (ASX:BLT) has granted a global, non-exclusive licence for its gene-silencing technology to a German company that develops genetically modified mice for research.

Since last year's BIO, the Australian biotechnology sector has been all about growth, writes Melissa Trudinger.

AGT Biosciences (ASX: AGT) has expanded its stable of programs in diabetes and obesity research, signing a collaborative research agreement with Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research to identify molecules as potential therapeutics for type II diabetes.

Spearheading clinical trials in Victoria is Cancer Trials Australia, a consortium involving four hospitals -- including Austin Health, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Western Hospital -- as well as the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Amrad (ASX: AML) has received its first milestone payment from its exclusive licensing and research collaboration agreement with Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD).