Julie Nutting has stepped down as both CEO and director of Sydney-based Psiron (ASX:PSX), positions she has held since December 2003.

Donald Home has resigned as CEO and managing director of Brisbane-based Agenix (ASX:AGX, NASDAQ:OTC:AGXLY) after four and a half years with the company.

The Australian Stock Exchange has created a market that attracts not only local biotechnology companies, but also gives opportunities to foreign companies that would be unable to attract capital in their own markets. Helen Schuller reports.

It's hardly surprising that one of the Australian biotechnology industry's biggest bugbears is a communication gap between companies and their investors.

Biotech companies which have failed to raise enough capital to see them through to the next funding cycle might expire as a funding drought sets in, and blame "shocking" market conditions for forcing them to abandon or change their plans.

Prana Biotechnology (ASX:PBT) has dropped a bombshell on the market, announcing that it has halted a UK Phase II/III clinical trial for its lead compound clioquinol (PBT-1) after it discovered that manufacturing impurities could cause side-effects including mutagenicity and neurotoxicity.

Chemeq (ASX:CMQ) has clarified its current and future production capabilities after questions were raised in a research report about the ability of the company to produce the levels of product required by new investment partner Mizuho.

Some Australian biotechs are getting creative with company structure. But analysts prefer their companies to play it straight.

NZ biotech company Neuren listed on the ASX today (ASX:NEU) in a less than stellar debut -- the company's shares opened at the issue price of AUD$0.40 but quickly lost ground. At press time, the shares were trading at around $0.37 after dropping as low as $0.335.

Draft guidelines are already having an impact on the way biotechnology companies communicate, according to the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).

Metabolic (ASX:MBP) today did its best to salvage its reputation and share price, hitting back at analyst criticism of its Phase II clinical trial results of its obesity drug AOD9604.