DURHAM, N.C.–Synageva BioPharma Corp., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic products for rare disorders (“Synageva”), and Trimeris, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRMS) (“Trimeris”), announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Synageva will merge with Trimeris in an all-stock transaction. Upon closing, the combined company will be named Synageva BioPharma Corp., and will operate under the leadership of the Synageva management team with Sanj K. Patel serving as the President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition, the company’s board of directors will have representatives from both the existing Synageva and Trimeris boards. (more…)

Atlanta, GA - The Thirteenth Annual Southeast BIO Investor Forum, scheduled for November 2-3, 2011 at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham, NC, will feature keynote speakers, PPD Inc. Executive Chairman, Fred Eshelman and Patheon Inc. CEO, Jim Mullen.

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.–Quintiles Transnational Corp.,  today announced that it has completed new $2.2 billion credit facility arrangements. The new credit facilities include a $225 million first lien revolving credit facility due in 2016 and a $2.0 billion first lien term loan B due in 2018. (more…)

ATLANTA, GA - Opko Health said one of its subsidiaries received a $1 million grant from Mexico for its research. (more…)

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - Biogen Idec has won European regulatory approval for a new delivery method for its blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug, Avonex, called the Avonex Pen. (more…)

DURHAM, NC - Oxygen Biotherapeutics, a Durham-based drug developer, announced Tuesday it had received approval to test its traumatic brain injury treatment drug candidate in India. (more…)

ATLANTA, GA - LecTec Corporation (OTCBB: LECT) announced today that on May 31, 2011 it entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (“Merger Agreement”) with AxoGen Corporation, d/b/a AxoGen Inc., a privately held company focused on developing and commercializing medical products for the repair of peripheral nerve injuries. As provided in the Merger Agreement, a newly formed subsidiary of LecTec will merge with and into AxoGen. AxoGen will be the surviving corporation and will continue its business as a wholly-owned subsidiary of LecTec. AxoGen security holders will receive, or have reserved for issuance pursuant to stock options, 7,267,087 shares of LecTec common stock. In addition, current security holders of AxoGen have agreed to purchase, immediately following the merger, an additional 454,193 shares of LecTec common stock for $1 million, the effective price of the shares being received in the merger by the shareholders of AxoGen. Upon consummation of these transactions, the pre-merger shareholders of LecTec, on a fully diluted basis as of the closing date of the merger, will hold approximately 38% of LecTec common stock.
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ATLANTA, GA - Barcelona, Spain-based Grifols said Wednesday that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has accepted a consent agreement that outlines the conditions for merger of the blood therapeutics companies. Last month, the FTC and the companies reached a preliminary agreement that identified which assets the companies must sell in order to win the agency’s blessing. Within 10 days of the sale, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina-based Talecris must divest to Italian biopharmaceutical company Kedrion the Talecris fractionation facility in Melville, New York, as well as the Talecris hemophilia product Koate. The companies must also sell to Kedrion two Talecris plasma collection centers, one in Mobile, Alabama and the other in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (more…)

ATLANTA, GA -  Esperance Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the first closing of a $7.5 million Series B financing. Proceeds from the Series B will support further clinical development of EP-100, the lead cancer-targeting drug candidate from Esperance’s Cationic Lytic Peptide (CLYP™) platform technology and the continued expansion of the Company’s pipeline. Sanofi led the Series B funding with an investment of $4.5 million, which includes $1.5 million in clinical and regulatory services to support further development of EP-100. In addition, all existing institutional investors in Esperance — Louisiana Fund I, Themelios Ventures, Research Corporation Technologies and Advantage Capital Partners/Louisiana Technology Fund — as well as current and new private investors participated in the syndicate.
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ATLANTA, GA -  INC Research, LLC, a therapeutically focused contract research organization (CRO) with a trusted process for delivering reliable results, today announced the acquisition of Trident Clinical Research to expand its clinical trials outsourcing footprint and expertise in Australia, New Zealand and India. Under the terms of the agreement, Trident will become a wholly owned affiliate of INC Research and will operate as Trident Clinical Research, an INC Research company through its offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Auckland and Mumbai. Trident’s operation in Mumbai will increase the reach of INC Research’s already sizeable clinical and data operations located in Gurgaon, India. (more…)