OXFORD BIOMEDICA (OXB): MODERATED CHART AND DISCUSSION THREAD

It is reasonable to assume that Hans Bishop, who is said to be leading Bayer's expansion, will be aware of OXB and its portfolio from his time in the UK at Chiron, as follows:

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East Bay Business Times
29th December 2006

Berkeley's giant, Bayer Healthcare AG, plans to aggressively expand its biotechnology portfolio in 2007, delving more deeply into the world of specialty pharmaceuticals.

Toward that end, Bayer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is looking to replicate its successful partnerships with Emeryville's Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Nuvelo Inc., bringing new drugs into its pipeline through partnerships focused on hematology, cardiology, and oncology.


For instance, Bayer has partnered with Johnson & Johnson to develop Rivaroxaban, an oral anticoagulant now in late-stage clinical trials. It is also hoping to bring the clot-buster drug Alfimeprase, co-developed with San Carlos-based Nuvelo, to market by 2009.

The company also hopes build on the promise of its existing lineup, with expanded research and development at its new $50 million manufacturing facility, one of Bayer's three global R&D headquarters.

Bayer thinks Nexavar, the kidney cancer treatment it developed with Onyx, has the potential to become a $1 billion product if it proves effective in treating other cancers.

The company also is developing an updated formulation of its hemophilia treatment Kogenate, which is manufactured in Berkeley. Bayer hopes the new formulation will allow patients to take the drug less often, thus expanding its market appeal.

These next chapters of Bayer's expansion will likely play out under the leadership of Hans Bishop, a former senior vice president of Chiron's U.K. operation.

Bishop is expected to succeed Joe Akers as president of the hematology and cardiology business and the head of the company's Berkeley campus. Akers is set to retire in January, after more than 30 years with Bayer.