Having announced a revenue increase of 79 per cent to S$6.5 million and a loss of S$4.31 million for the year ended June 30, Singapore-based generics company Scigen (ASX:SIE) will be topping up its coffers with a private placement to Indian-Russian marketing partner Shreya, and a rights issue to existing shareholders. [ + ]

Melbourne-based Equitx (ASX:EQX) has appointed former Agenix vice president Sue Parry-Jones as chief executive officer. [ + ]

Multinational pharma Bristol-Myers Squibb has engaged Sydney-based cryogenic-storage company Cryosite (ASX:CTE) to manage its clinical trial supply logistics in Australia and New Zealand. [ + ]

If Australia rides on the sheep’s back, new Perth biotech CollTech (ASX:CAU) is capitalising on what lies just beneath the golden fleece: collagen-rich sheepskin. [ + ]

Australian Cancer Technology (ASX: ACU) has announced it will raise AUD$3.7 million, placing 9.5 million fully paid ordinary shares with UK-base Mercury investments at AUD$0.40 per share. The company has also placed 1.7 million three-year options, exercisable at 60 cents per share. [ + ]

Maryland-based MedImmune has halted the clinical trials of its Vitaxin drug for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, blaming a lack of benefits seen with the experimental treatment. [ + ]

Brisbane’s Agenix (ASX: AGX, NASDAQ OTC: AGXLY) announced today it had filed a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) with Health Canada in preparation for the Phase II clinical trials of its ThromboView blood clot imaging technology. [ + ]

Perth tissue-engineering biomedical company Clinical Cell Culture(ASX:CCE) will transplant most of its corporate activities from Perth to Cambridge after gaining approval from the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to market its Cellspray and Cellspray XP products in the UK. [ + ]

Deakin University molecular geneticist Professor Greg Collier was right on the mark when he chose the chubby Israeli sand rat as a model species for his quest for susceptibility genes for non insulin-dependent diabetes. [ + ]

The CSIRO ICT Centre has completed the successful spin-off of its unique compound semiconductor technologies to EpiTactix.

The share price of Perth veterinary drug-developer Chemeq Ltd (ASX:CMQ) lost over 25 per cent of its value when the company resumed trading today after a two-week voluntary suspension. [ + ]

Melbourne-based Biota (ASX:BTA) has reported a loss of $7.8 million, down 25 per cent from its 2003 loss of $10.3 million. This is despite a hefty legal bill of just under $1 million for Biota’s lawsuit against marketing partner GlaxoSmithKline for failure to promote its influenza drug, Relenza. [ + ]

Brisbane’s Agenix [ASX: AGX, NASDAQ OTC: AGXLY] has filed an Investigational New Drug application with the US Food and Drug Administration for its blood clot imaging technology, Thromboview. [ + ]

Brisbane cancer-drug developer Progen Industries (ASX:PGL, NASDAQ:PGLAF) has reported a reduced net loss of AUD$4.8 million for the year to June 30, down from $7.6 million in 2003, after increasing revenues by 8.6 per cent. [ + ]

The Royal Adelaide Hospital’s human ethics committee has approved an application by Perth biotech Solbec Pharmaceuticals (ASX:SBP) to conduct a Phase I clinical trial of the company’s lead anti-cancer compound, SBP002, as a potential treatment for the painful skin disorder psoriasis. [ + ]