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BioTechNews Denmark^®
- Breaking News from the Life Science and Biotech Industries -
#721 - 2 February 2012

Welcome to the 721st edition of BioTechNews Denmark^® - the electronic newsletter covering news, economics, jobs and people from the Life Science and the Biotech Industries.

This edition is sponsored by:

TFS - Europe's largest non-listed clinical CRO

News

Zealand Pharma announces 94% growth in revenue in preliminary financial results for the year ended 31 December 2011
Zealand Pharma A/S, a Danish biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative peptide drugs, today (1 February 2012) announces its preliminary revenue and end of year cash position (both unaudited) for the year ended 31 December 2011, which is in line with the financial guidance given for the revenue and other operational income in the company’s interim report for Q3 2011 and most recently confirmed in Company Announcement No. 31/2011 of 30 December, 2011.

DKK (million)	2011	2010
Revenue	142.3	87.4
Other operating income	28.4	0.8
Revenue plus other operating income	170.7	88.2
Cash and Securities (at end of year)	427.7	433.0

Zealand Pharma’s revenue plus other operating income increased in total by 93.5% in 2011 to DKK 170.7 (EUR 23.0) million from DKK 88.2 (EUR 11.9) million in 2010.
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Novo Nordisk - Share repurchase programme
On 2 November 2011 Novo Nordisk initiated a 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 has repurchased B shares for an amount up to DKK 2.8 billion in the period from 2 November 2011 to 31 January 2012.
The programme is now concluded.
Since the announcement as of 23 January 2012, the following transactions have been made under the programme:

	Number of shares	Average purchase price	Transaction value, DKK
Accumulated, last announcement	3,826,139		2,441,475,029
23 January 2012	70,000	674.99	47,249,300
24 January 2012	70,000	671.04	46,972,800
25 January 2012	75,000	666.40	49,979,625
26 January 2012	75,000	670.97	50,322,750
27 January 2012	75,000	672.73	50,454,750
30 January 2012	75,000	658.65	49,398,750
31 January 2012	80,978	667.42	54,046,337
Accumulated under the programme	4,347,117		2,789,899,341

With the transactions stated above, Novo Nordisk owns a total of 26,007,303 treasury shares, corresponding to 4.5% of the share capital. The total amount of shares in the company is 580,000,000 including treasury shares.
During 2011 and January 2012, Novo Nordisk has repurchased a total of 19,828,322 B shares equal to a transaction value of DKK 11,999,957,977.
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FDA approves Novartis drug Glivec® label recommending extending treatment to three years for certain GIST patients after surgery
Novartis announced today (1 February 2012) that following a priority review, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an update to the Glivec® (imatinib)* label to recommend 36 months of treatment after surgery for adult patients with KIT (CD117)-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) who met the risk of recurrence inclusion criteria of the pivotal trial.

Phase III results showed 54% reduction in risk of recurrence and 55% reduction in risk of death after three years' adjuvant Glivec in adults with KIT+ GIST
Approval builds on vast experience with Glivec, first approved 10 years ago for treatment of adults with metastatic and/or unresectable KIT+ GIST
NCCN guidelines updated to include new adjuvant treatment duration in patients with KIT+ GIST

This treatment regimen has been shown to improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) for KIT+ GIST patients compared to 12 months of treatment.
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Shire and Sangamo Collaborate to Develop Therapeutics for the Treatment of Hemophilia and Other Monogenic Diseases
Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, and Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. a leader in genome-editing technology, announced today (1 February 2012) that they have entered into a collaboration and license agreement to develop therapeutics for hemophilia and other monogenic diseases based on Sangamo's zinc finger DNA-binding protein (ZFP) technology.
Shire will receive exclusive world-wide rights to ZFP Therapeutics(R) designed to target four genes (for blood clotting Factors VII, VIII, IX and X) which will be used to investigate curative therapies for hemophilia A and B. Shire also receives the right to designate three additional gene targets. Sangamo is responsible for all activities through submission of Investigational New Drug (IND) Applications and European Clinical Trial Applications (CTA) for each product and Shire will reimburse Sangamo for its internal and external research program-related costs.
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A new Faculty of Science at University of Copenhagen
As from 1 January 2012, as a result of a merger process, University of Copenhagen now has two new super faculties. The new Faculty of Science (in Danish ‘Det Natur- og Biovidenskabelige Fakultet’) is a merger between two thirds of the Faculty of Life Sciences and the “old” Faculty of Science.
Also, as regards the development of new study programmes from BSc to PhD level, the merger provides new ways of strengthening collaboration with the private and public sectors and organisations.
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FDA approves Jentadueto™ (linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride) tablets for the treatment of adults with Type 2 Diabetes
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company have announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Jentadueto™ (linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride) tablets, a new tablet combining the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, linagliptin, and metformin.
Linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride (HCl) provides a new, single-tablet treatment option, taken twice-daily, for adults with Type 2 Diabetes who need to improve control of their blood glucose. Linagliptin (5 mg, once-daily) is marketed in the U.S. as Tradjenta™ (linagliptin) tablets, as Trajenta™ across Europe and Canada, and Trazenta™ in Japan, as well as in further markets.
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NHS Makes GBP200 Non-Drug Hypertension Treatment Device Available on Prescription
From today (1 February 2012), an innovative non-drug, non-invasive treatment for high blood pressure will be made available to all hypertensive patients on NHS prescription. RESPeRATE is an interactive respiratory modulation device clinically-proven to lower blood pressure. When used for just 15 minutes a day, at least four times a week, RESPeRATE has demonstrated a significant, all-day blood pressure reduction beyond that seen with concurrent medication and lifestyle modification such as diet and exercise.
The NHS decision to make the GBP200 medical device available to patients on prescription [at the standard prescription charge of GBP7.40] is a clear reflection of the Department of Health's belief in RESPeRATE's potential as a new treatment option.
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Life Technologies Names Alan Sachs as Head of Global Research and Development
Life Technologies Corporation today (31 January 2012) announced that Alan B. Sachs, M.D., Ph.D., former Vice President, Exploratory and Translational Sciences for Merck Research Laboratories, has joined the company as Head of Global Research and Development. Sachs brings more than 20 years of experience as a research scientist and a leader in developing innovative scientific platforms.
Sachs will play a key role in driving technology strategy and further shaping Life Technologies' culture of high-performance R&D and product innovation. He will also lead the company's Global Science and Innovation Office and serve as the principal liaison to the external scientific community.
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Global Osteoporosis Market is Expected to Attain a Market Size of USD 6.8 billion in 2015, China Osteoporosis Market Will be Worth USD 2.5 Billion in 2015
According to a new report published by Transparency Market Research Global Osteoporosis Market is estimated to be USD 7.3 billion in 2010 and expected to reach USD 11.4 billion in 2015 at a CAGR of 9.2% over the period 2010 to 2015. Bisphosphonate segment accounted for the largest share at 62.0% of weight management market in 2010.
China Osteoporosis market will be worth USD 2.5 billion in 2015.
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Improved post-operative recovery with fish oil
New research shows that dietary fish oil can improve post-operative recovery in pigs. This may lead to further research in humans.
Fish oil in the diet can improve appetite and reduce weight loss in connection with operations that are complicated by infection. This is the result of a PhD project carried out by veterinarian Sine Nygaard Langerhuus from Aarhus University.
Research in the past 30 years shows that an increased intake of fish oil containing large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids can modify the inflammatory response due to anti-inflammatory properties of the omega-3 fatty acids at the cellular level.
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From seaweed to biofuels
A new research collaboration between Novozymes and Sea6 Energy will explore enzymatic technology to produce fuel ethanol, fine chemicals, and protein from seaweed.
Today (31 January 2012) Novozymes, the world leader in bioinnovation, announced an exploratory research agreement with Sea6 Energy, an India-based company, to jointly develop a process for the production of biofuels from seaweed. The research alliance will use enzymes to convert seaweed-based carbohydrates to sugar, which can then be fermented to produce ethanol for fuel, fine chemicals, proteins for food, and fertilizers for plants.
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