The mission of ConjuChem is to improve the delivery profiles of existing drugs by conjugating them {in vivo} to natural protein carriers. One of its lead candidates is a peripherally-acting opioid agonist that avoids central side effects.

M&A was the universal prescription for the medical industry in 1998 as acquisition dollar volumes hit record levels. For some, the dealmaking further separates the haves and have-nots. For others, it's an addictive drug for coping with chronic insufficiency syndrome. But for nearly everyone who's using it, M&A is the easiest, if not always an effective, answer to the increasingly intractable problem of growth.

A venture-backed Canadian biotechnology industry is in its infancy, but faced with hostile capital markets, start-ups need clear exit plans. Consolidation's already started.

BioVentures Investors, a new fund sponsored by the Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives Inc. is spun from a combination PR and consulting background. BioVentures managing partner Peter Feinstein is well known in the Boston area as founder and shairman of Feinstein Kean partners, a communications firm with a consulting affiliate, Kendall Strategies.