Sirna Posts Higher Revenues, Lower Losses in Third Quarter
Sirna Therapeutics reported this week a rise in third-quarter revenues, which helped drive down losses in the period.
For the third quarter of 2005, Sirna's revenues were $1.9 million, up from $84,000 in the year-ago period. Sirna attributed the increase to a $1.8-million milestone payment from Eli Lilly under the companies' oncology collaboration.
Sirna's net loss in the quarter fell to $4.2 million, or $0.08 per share, from $7.8 million, or $0.21 per share, a year earlier.
As of Sept. 30, 2005, Sirna had cash and marketable securities worth $44.7 million.
Invitrogen, Proctor & Gamble Pharma Extend RNAi Pact Through 2006
Invitrogen and Proctor & Gamble Pharmaceuticals have extended a research service agreement through 2006, the firms said this week.
The agreement extends a collaboration between the two companies that is several years old.
According to Invitrogen's CEO Greg Lucier, P&GP has been using Invitrogen's RNAi tools such as Stealth, RNAi Gateway, and lentiviral vectors in its target-identification and -validation programs.
Financial details were not provided.
Invitrogen Inks Drug-Discovery Collaboration with Chinese Drug-Screening Concern
Invitrogen will provide its drug-discovery technologies to the National Center for Drug Screening, a Shanghai-based public technology organization that specializes in screening new drugs in China, the company said last week.
The deal calls for Invitrogen to contribute drug-discovery technologies such as GeneBlazer and Polar Screen, and to help the National Center for Drug Screening develop new assays and techniques specific to the collaboration, the company said.
Specific terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.