Cytos shares surge on PhII asthma data; Ligand buys milestone, royalty rights;

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> Shares of Switzerland's Cytos jumped 16 percent after the developer touted promising results from a mid-stage trial of its asthma drug. "Today's news is very good for Cytos and further supports the use of its CYT003-QbG10 franchise, which already delivered positive phase II results in the treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in July 2009," Vontobel analyst Silvia Schanz said. Report

> Ligand Pharmaceuticals has acquired the intellectual property and interests in future milestones and royalties for MEDI-528, an IL-9 antibody program under development by AstraZeneca's subsidiary, MedImmune. MEDI-528 is currently in a 320-patient Phase II study for moderate-to-severe asthma. Ligand paid the Genaera Liquidating Trust $2.75 million for the milestone and royalty stake. Release

> European regulators have given Allergan a green light to launch its injectable eye treatment Ozurdex. Report

> Fall River, MA, has proposed upward of 150 acres in Freetown as a possible alternative site for a UMass Dartmouth biomanufacturing facility and a planned BioPark, a Fall River official confirmed. Report

> Indian biotech companies are increasingly looking to make major investments in Malaysia, lured by the south-east Asian country's tax sops, easy market access and better infrastructure. Report

> Wallingford, Conn.-based startup CyVek Inc. has taken in $802,500 from Connecticut Innovations, the state's quasi-public authority for technology investing and innovation development. The funding represents a portion of the biotech's planned $4 million Series B round. Report

And Finally... Containment measures introduced in Vietnam to prevent the spread of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza did not succeed in halting the virus, but may have bought health services and clinical researchers valuable time, according to research carried out at the Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Report