ALSO NOTED: Adams Respiratory sets IPO price; Parexel buys QdotPharma; Amrad gains patent; BioAlliance prepares for Phase III;

> Adams Respiratory Therapeutics has priced its IPO at $17 per share. Release

> Parexel has acquired QdotPharma -- a Phase I and IIa proof of concept business in South Africa -- for $6 million. Release

> Drug discovery company Amrad has been granted a US patent for therapeutic antibodies that could potentially be used to treat asthma and other respiratory diseases. The Melbourne, Australia-based biotech has been working for two years with Merck to develop the antibodies; the patent approval is a key milestone in the deal, estimated to be worth $112 million excluding royalties. Story

> BioAlliance Pharma has applied with the FDA to conduct a Phase III trial of its anti-fungal agent, miconazole Lauriad, an extended-release tablet intended to treat oral candidiasis. Such infections are common among immunocompromised patients. Pending FDA clearance, the company plans to start the trial in the fourth quarter. Miconazole Lauriad is its lead drug. Release

> The FDA put on hold CytRx's planned Phase II trial of ALS treatment arimoclomol, pending review of additional information provided by the company. Release

> Indian drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories won tentative approval from the FDA to manufacture and market its anti-diabetes drug, Glimepiride, in the US. Full agency approval could come by October. The drug is designed to lower blood glucose in patients with Type II diabetes. Story

> The British health secretary put Herceptin on regulatory fast track for use in patients with early-stage breast cancer. The drug is already used in women with advanced disease. Report

> Danish partners invested €5 million in Avesta Nordic Research, which is developing treatments for osteoporosis and related bone disorders. Story

> Aphton is enrolling patients in a new Phase I/II trial of its pipeline compound IGN311, a monoclonal antibody intended for use against epithelial cancers. Release

> APT Pharmaceuticals raised $6 million in venture capital to fund a Phase II clinical trial of its lead compound, an inhaled version of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), for the treatment of asthma. Release

> Oncolytics Biotech wins a second European patent for its method of producing infectious mammalian reovirus, intended as a potential cancer therapeutic. Release

And Finally... The plaintiff's lawyer in the first Vioxx trial scored new points in the case, showing a training video for sales reps which tells them to tell doctors that the drug was not linked to higher rates of heart attacks and sidestepping a question on higher blood pressure. Story