CURAGEN (CRGN) has made the right decision, closing its pilot manufacturing plant, effective July 27, 2007. The firm needed to reduce its expenses and focus on its promising investigational drugs in mid-clinical trials, which hold the hope for success. Curagen has promising products (See past Letters and web postings). The firm decided to reduce the workforce by approximately 40 employees.

PDL BIOPHARMA (PDLI): There is talk about meetings between this firm and Third Point LLC with regard to management changes. Could PDLI’S CEO be forced out? Anything can happen. The most important is that large equity investors’ influence, caprice or not, ends up in favor of the firms’ values. PDLI is an excellent biotech and will remain excellent.

Good news has also come from the firm Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (LXRX)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Anticoagulants: Many firms are developing advanced anticoagulants, which aim at lessening the possibility of hemorrhages. Stroke caused by current anticoagulants is causing big problem to physicians and patients susceptible to clot formation. Numerous diseases, cardiac, vascular, hereditary and some surgeries subject patients to clot formation, which could cause heart attacks or strokes. Giving the currently available anticoagulants protects these patients from clots, but subjects them to hemorrhage, which could have worst consequences. So, successful new blood thinners could be of great value to those patients and the physicians. Prohost will tackle this subject in the upcoming N-Letter.

We have news, yes, good news and many breakthroughs to reveal, together with the best investigational cancer treatments. The results of our study conducted during and following the ASCO conference will be handed to you in the Prohost E-Letter that will be posted on Prohostbiotech website on Wednesday, i.e., tomorrow. In this upcoming issue we will also present the culture created by the biotech industry, which makes the member firms unique in many aspects of drug discovery, development and manufacturing. Contrary to what many believe, manufacturing is key to success of biotechnology companies and to protection from imitation and, probably, generic versions. The introduction will explain the reason why it is not easy for drug manufacturers to live the biotech culture, which was built inch by inch through long trials and errors in attempts to solve problems that have, eventually, been solved.

For now, we give you the IMPORTANT news of the day.

VICAL (VICL): Successive news coming out of this firm’s labs, and P.R department makes us confirm that the firm is a leader in DNA vaccine technology. The news announced that Vical has been awarded a three-year, $6.0 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for further development of a DNA vaccine manufacturing process with the potential to produce several million doses of vaccines in a matter of days.
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