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The trends observed in product licensing in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, are discussed. With certain issues such as investments and traditional startups becoming a problem for these companies, most of them have preferred licensing, which helps in bypassing certain stages such as maturation, etc, gets the attention and trust of investors, and reduces the rate of attrition. For the pharmaceutical companies facing tough competition from biotechnology companies, licensing deals (in-licensing) with academic institutions, is a wonderful opportunity. As academic institutions have the freedom to develop novel compounds, this 'area of collaboration,' holds great promise in future.

The statistical data on the licensing deals between biotechnology companies, and product developments for various types of diseases are discussed. This has provided great deal of tough competition for pharmaceutical companies, which in order to be in race, prefer the in-licensing path.

The details on the trends in the licensing deals of biotech companies for drugs are examined.

Update on the mergers and acquisitions and licensing agreements of biopharmaceutical industry is presented.

The licensing of anticancer molecules to Cancer Research UK, by pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, is discussed.

The details on GPC Biotech AG, which adopted sustainable business strategies to post 20% rise in revenues during fourth quarter 2005, are presented. The company is conducting Phase III trials on Satraplatin chemotherapy drug through licensing agreement with Pharmion Corp.

The details of $500 million licensing and partnership agreement between Novartis AG and SGX Pharmaceuticals are presented. The deal is made to treat chronic myelogenous leukaemia.

Switzerland based bioventure Apoxis has given the global development and marketing rights to an anticancer compound FK666 originally developed by Fujisawa, acquiring its lead process.

GPC Biotech has licensed the oral platinum based drug satraplatin to Pharmion in a deal worth up to $270 million.

The licensing agreement signed between Cambridge Antibody Technology and Genecor, are discussed. Cambridge is to buy two cancer products from the United States company.

Serono has signed an agreement to get rights to develop and commercialize Rigel's Aurora Kinase inhibitors for licensing venture into oncology. The relevant details regarding the agreement are provided.

BioDiem, an Australian biotechnology company, has received milestone payments for its flu vaccine from Akzo Nobel vaccine venture, Nobilon International. The payment has given Nobilon an exclusive licence to market the flu vaccine technology in many countries of the world. BioDiem will use these funds to finance other research.

Vectura is currently holding talks with biggest generic firms as well as branded pharmaceutical companies, for licensing its multi-unit dose dry powder inhaler device, Gyrohaler.

Exelixis has granted license to Switzerland based Helsinn Healthcare to develop, manufacture and commercialize its Phase III anticancer drug XL119 (becatecarin). Exelixis has also entered into a contract with Symphony Capital Partners to finance the development of XL647, XL999 and XL784, its Phase I compounds.

The licensing agreements between Merck and Company and Bioxell are discussed. The agreement is for Bioxells' work on triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells, (TREM), a novel class of receptors, other product candidates directed at the TREM-1 target and other TREM receptors.

The licensing agreements of Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) regarding the product Albugon (albumin-glucagon-like peptide-1, GLP-1) which helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels are discussed.

Ardana, a research and development company is expecting to become number one with the exclusive rights to the commercialize research developed by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Reproductive Sciences Unit (HRSU).

German biopharmaceutical company, Paion, has entered into a licensing agreement with Forest Laboratories permitting the latter to develop and market its lead product, desmoteplase in U.S. and Canada. Desmoteplase is still under phase II studies for treatment of acute ischaemic stroke and has been granted a fast track designation by the US FDA.

Pharmion was approved by US for Vidaza (azacitidine) used in myelodisplastic syndrome, is the first product for MDS. The approval covers all the five types of MDS, and its label recommend patients to take it as long as he gets benefit.

Gene based cancer predisposition test done by Myriad Genetics revoked by the European patent office, it was claimed that the patent lacked novelty, and have no inventive. Myriad genetics refused to grant licenses for the technology so the European laboratories have to send samples to Myriad, and for cancer detection they have to pay $2400.

Licensing and business development are very important to biotech and pharmaceutical companies. The big pharmaceutical companies are ignorant about the value of such a business model and remain fixated on small molecule blockbusters.

Genzyme's Fabrazyme treatment has been approved by the US FDA for the treatment of Fabry disease.

Information on ReNeuron's purchase of rights to Amrad's c-Myc and related genes to develop brain stem cells to be used in treating various brain diseases is included. Additional information on ReNeuron's contract with VistaGen to co-develop brain stem cells is included.

Information on BioProtein Technologies' right to use INRA's rabbit cloning method to produce recombinant proteins in the milk of transgenic rabbits is offered. Additional information on Vivalis' license from INRA to use cloning technology in animal models is included.

Valentis Inc. will close a research facility in The Woodlands, Texas and end all oncology research in an effort to reduce costs. The firm is still examining its product pipeline and just made a technology licensing deal with Genzyme.

Celltech licensed marketing rights to its anti-arthritis compound CDP 870 to Pharmacia in the biggest contract of so far made by a European biotechnology firm. The firms will co-develop and promote the injectable anti-inflammatory. Celltech also gain rights to co-promote Pharmacia's Arthrotec in the UK and France.

The licensing of biopharmaceutical products of York Medical of Canada in Cuba and other countries is described in detail.