ImmuPharma PLC (LON:IMM) began dosing its first patients in the phase-III trial of its flagship drug Lupuzor for the hard-to-treat autoimmune disease Lupus.
In all 200 people will take part in the study, which is being carried out over 10 centres in the States and 35 in Europe and which is funded from an £8.4mln share placing in February and March.
In other news, coloured gems specialist Gemfields PLC (LON:GEM) said its Kagem emerald and Montepuez mines are both on track to meet annual production targets.
First quarter production data demonstrated the inherent variability in the mining process, with production and grades at Kagem this year lower than last year, owing to the fluid nature of the mineralisation and a higher-grade zone having been encountered during the first quarter of last year, while at Montepuez production and grades were up year-on-year.
Over at Kibo Mining (LON:KIBO), it is moving towards financial close at its thermal coal project at Mbeya in Tanzania after receipt of the definitive feasibility study for the power station.
Louis Coetzee, Kibo’s chief executive, said the study (PDFS) confirmed the robust fundamentals of the project.
Elsewhere, ITM Power plc (LON:ITM) announced that London’s first hydrogen car refuelling station will be opened on Tuesday May 10.
The station, located at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, close to the A316 and A308 trunk roads, is being launched to raise market awareness of hydrogen fuel and the availability for lease and sale of fuel cell electric vehicles in the UK.
Meanwhile, Diamond producer DiamondCorp PLC (LON:DCP) said demand and prices for rough and polished stones have been improving with signs that the cycle has bottomed.
The company, which owns 74% of the Lace mine in South Africa, joined the ranks of diamond producers this year and sold its first consignment of diamonds in April, so the upturn in the diamond market is fortuitous.
Over at Forbidden Technologies plc (LON:FBT) it started a 12-month proof of concept study for its video-editing tool Forscene with a major UK broadcaster.
Described by its chief executive as potentially its most significant deal yet, Forbidden is collaborating with an unnamed US editing software specialist on the study.
Westminster Group PLC (LON:WSG) expects a 70-seater fast ferry, purchased by the company recently, to leave for Sierra Leone this week.
It will be the group’s second ferry - it will be named Sierra Princess - and it is expected to begin operations as soon as sea trials and in-country formalities have been completed.
And finally, blood flow specialist Deltex Medical Group plc (LON:DEMG) launched a new, more accurate disposable Oesophageal Doppler monitoring (ODM) probe.
The reconfigured probe tip design creates a wider ultrasound beam at the focal point in the aorta, helping it to focus substantially better, even when the patient's position is changed.