Cambridge Biotech Corporation was involved in vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutic products for human and veterinary uses. The company's therapeutics business includes the Stimulon(TM) family of adjuvants, the most advanced of which, QS-21, is in clinical development through corporate and academic partners, and proprietary vaccines. The proprietary vaccines included a feline leukemia vaccine currently on the market and vaccines in development in the areas of tick-borne diseases, streptococcal infections, malaria, bovine mastitis and canine Lyme disease. Cambridge Biotech's diagnostic business was primarily focused on retroviral, Lyme and enteric diseases.The firm had serious legal problems and in October 1996, Cambridge Biotech Corporation (NASD-OTC-Bulletin-Board: CBCXQ) consummated its plan of reorganization under Chapter 11 and was sold to bioMerieux Vitek, Inc. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of bioMerieux, CBC continued to operate its retroviral diagnostic business which principally focused on the development, manufacture and sale of diagnostic kits for use in the diagnosis of diseases caused by retroviruses. In December 1998, Calypte Biomedical Corporation (Nasdaq:CALY) acquired the assets relating to the Western blot product line for certain infectious diseases. The acquisition included the urine-based and serum-based HIV-1 Western blot products, as well as a confirmatory test for Lyme Disease and Human T-Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV). Under the terms of the agreement, Calypte will acquire the assets from Cambridge Biotech Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of bioMerieux, Inc.
