Latest news

Bavarian Nordic Publishes Scientific Data Supporting the Post-Exposure Protection of IMVAMUNE®
Bavarian Nordic A/S announced today (15 March 2010) that the company has published additional data demonstrating that mice could be protected from a lethal infection with mousepox, a closely related virus to smallpox in man, by treating the animals with a single vaccination with IMVAMUNE® three days after the animals had received the lethal infection. Moreover, the immune mechanisms associated with this robust post-exposure protection afforded by IMVAMUNE® were shown to involve both non-specific and specific arms of the immune system in the early phase, while killer T cells were required in the later stages to finally recover from the infection.
This work provides additional efficacy data supporting the post-exposure protection provided by IMVAMUNE®, which is one of the requirements to potentially support the use of IMVAMUNE® following a declared emergency. Furthermore, the latest data also provides an insight into immunological parameters involved in the protection afforded by IMVAMUNE® and as such addresses one of the requirements under the Animal Rule to elucidate the mechanism of protection. The Animal Rule is the regulatory path that will be used to license IMVAMUNE® as a smallpox vaccine for the general population in the US.
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EPI-NEWS: national surveillance of communicable diseases - MMR vaccination coverage
Coverage was calculated as per 30 November 2009. Starting 1 April 2008, MMR 2 vaccination was advanced to the four-year examination, EPI-NEWS 9/08. Children who were four years or above by 1 April 2008 should still receive the MMR 2 vaccination at 12 years of age. During an eight-year transition period, the MMR 2 vaccination will therefore be administered to two birth cohorts: 4 and 12 years of age.
The national childhood vaccination database holds person-identifiable data based on the GPs’ settlements with the National Health Service. Thus, the reported coverage only comprises vaccinations administered in Denmark by GPs. For some birth cohorts, vaccination was expected not to have been concluded at the calculation date. In birth cohort 2008, this is the case for MMR 1, and in birth cohort 1997 for MMR 2.
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Novo Nordisk A/S – Share repurchase programme
On 2 February 2010 Novo Nordisk initiated its share repurchase programme in accordance with the provisions of the European Commission’s regulation no 2273/2003 of 22 December 2003, also referred to as the Safe Harbour rules.
Under the programme Novo Nordisk will repurchase B shares for an amount up to DKK 2.0 billion in the period from 2 February 2010 to 26 April 2010.
Since the announcement as of 8 March 2010, the following transactions have been made under the programme:

	Number of shares	Average purchase price	Transaction value, DKK
Accumulated, last announcement	2,241,000		865,095,793
08 March 2010	85,000	405.9600	34,506,600
09 March 2010	85,000	406.9920	34,594,320
10 March 2010	85,000	409.8510	34,837,335
11 March 2010	75,000	410.5497	30,791,228
12 March 2010	58,000	407.9298	23,659,928
Accumulated under the programme	2,629,000		1,023,485,204

With the transactions stated above, Novo Nordisk owns a total of 32,900,298 treasury shares, corresponding to 5.3% of the share capital. The total amount of shares in the company is 620,000,000 including treasury shares.
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Co-founder and former CEO of NeuroSearch join the Board of Swedish SPAGO Imaging
SPAGO Imaging has recruited Jørgen Buus Lassen to the Board of Directors. Jørgen Buus Lassen D.V.M. has over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical research. He is a co-founder and former CEO of NeuroSearch, a Danish pharmaceutical company with a stock market value of approximately SEK 5.5 billion.
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Copenhagen Plant Science Center - New centre puts Danish plant science among world's elite
The Faculty of Life Sciences is investing in a new research facility that will further enhance its reputation and attract the brightest minds. Already today, plant scientists at LIFE are finding plant biotech solutions that can help prevent cancer or help feed the world.
The University's Faculty of Life Sciences is one of Europe's leading environments in plant science. That reputation is now about to be further increased by the decision to invest DKK 200m (USD 36m) in a new research facility, Copenhagen Plant Science Center.
The building of 7,000 square metres at Frederiksberg Campus that will house the centre will be ready in 2015, and by then the Faculty of Life Sciences will undoubtedly be among the world's two or three leading plant science research centres.
- Already today, we are world-leading in the field of plant science but with the establishment of the new centre, University of Copenhagen will be able to attract even more leading international plant scientists and PhD students, says Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences Per Holten-Andersen.
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Dabigatran etexilate shows greater reductions than warfarin in stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation across all stroke risk groups
Data presented today (15 March 2010) at the 59 th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology have shown greater reductions in stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) for dabigatran etexilate * compared to the current standard of care, warfarin, irrespective of a patient’s risk profile for stroke.1 The new sub-group analysis from the landmark RE-LY® study ** assessed the rate of stroke and systemic embolism in patients defined as being at low (n=5,775), moderate (n=6,455) and high (n=5,882) risk of such events by the validated stroke risk stratification score, CHADS.
The RE-LY® sub-group analysis showed that dabigatran etexilate 150mg bid reduced the rate of stroke and systemic embolism compared with well-controlled warfarin, irrespective of a patient’s stroke risk. Dabigatran etexilate 110mg bid resulted in similar reductions as well-controlled warfarin. Both doses were associated with lower major bleeding rates in patients at low risk of stroke.
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Mipomersen Phase 3 Study in HoFH Patients Featured in The Lancet
Genzyme Corp. and Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. today (15 March 2010) announced that data from a phase 3 study of mipomersen in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (hoFH) were published in The Lancet. This study met its primary endpoint, resulting in an average LDL-C reduction of greater than 100 mg/dL in this very high-risk patient population.
“Currently available treatments do not provide adequate lipid lowering for hoFH patients, leaving them at extraordinarily high risk for cardiovascular events,” said Professor Frederick J. Raal, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and the study’s primary investigator. “Mipomersen has the potential to set a new standard of care for this difficult-to-treat disease.”
The trial, one of the largest conducted to date in this rare patient population, was designed to test the efficacy and safety of adding mipomersen to substantial lipid-lowering therapy. Patients treated with mipomersen had a 25 percent LDL-C reduction in an intent-to-treat analysis. In addition to meeting its primary endpoint, the trial also met each of its secondary and tertiary endpoints, which included statistically significant reductions in apolipoprotein-B, total cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, Lp(a), VLDL-C and triglycerides.
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MorphoSys Granted Further Patent on its Core Antibody Technology in Japan
MorphoSys AG announced today (15 March 2010) that the Japanese Patent Office has granted a new patent providing extended protection for the Company's core technology HuCAL. The new patent (JP 4436457) covers the production and design of an antibody library based on phage display. Currently, the Company is prosecuting more than 35 different proprietary patent families worldwide, in addition to about the same number of patent families the Company is pursuing in cooperation with its partners.
"Important progress was made with our patent portfolio during 2009 and in the first quarter of 2010, including the issuance of the first Japanese patents covering our core proprietary technologies HuCAL and CysDisplay," commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG. “Our growing patent estate in Asia complements our strong intellectual property portfolio around HuCAL in other key pharmaceutical markets.”
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Numerical Algorithms Group Marks 40th Anniversary by Expanding the NAG Student Awards Program
The Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG), a world leader in high quality computational software and high performance computing services to tens of thousands of users in major academies, Global 500 companies, and the world’s leading supercomputing sites among others, announces that it will mark its 40th anniversary in 2010 by expanding its student prize program, with a new awards intended to cultivate the next generation of numerical software talent worldwide.
Stuart Feldman, Google VP Engineering, commenting on NAG’s influence on his career and on that of others at the forefront of computing and scientific research through the decades, says, “I have fond memories of visiting NAG early in my career, having fascinating discussions about software, numerical and scientific programming."
The new NAG 40th Anniversary Awards are intended to help nurture the next generation of leaders in science and computing like Google’s Stu Feldman. In the spirit of NAG’s four decades of collaboration with leaders in computing, academia and industry, NAG will be inviting departments, from institutions across the world, to become involved with the student prizes. Awards will be offered for the best performances in a Masters of Science program, best projects and/or best numerical solutions.
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UK-Nordic Oncology Conference

Wednesday 24 March 2010, 09.00 - 18.00
Hilton Copenhagen Airport Hotel
Ellehammersvej 20 2770 Kastrup Copenhagen, Denmark

UK Trade & Investment is bringing together leading British and Nordic oncology diagnostics stakeholders within personalised medicine at the UK-Nordic Oncology Diagnostics Conference on 24 March 2010. Recognising the significant demand for strategic and effective business alliances and collaboration, to enhance transparency within the area of targeted cancer therapeutics and their associated companion diagnostics, the core aim of the conference is to:

• Showcase promising companion diagnostics companies involved in cancer diagnostics
• Highlight promising Nordic and UK pharmaceutical companies developing targeted anti-cancer drugs and therapies
• Facilitate collaborations between biotech, pharma and diagnostics companies within oncology through one to one pre-booked partnering meetings
• Showcase cutting-edge oncology companion diagnostics and targeted treatment
• Initiate targeted R&D collaboration
• Provide access to specialised oncology diagnostics outsourcing partners