Isle company wins $1.6 million defense deal

Aiea-based PanThera Biopharma LLC has received a $1.6 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for further development of an antidote to treat botulism.

The one-year contract with the U.S. Army's Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center is aimed at making a countermeasure against botulism, a biodefense priority for protecting military and civilian populations against bioterrorism, the company said yesterday.

PanThera is a subsidiary of Honolulu-based Science and Technology International Inc.

Shidler College celebrating 60 years

The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa will mark its 60th anniversary with a fundraising awards dinner beginning 5 p.m. Thursday at the Coral Ballroom of the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Alumni to be honored include Howard H. Hamamoto, president of Quarters Inc.; Victor Lim, president of McDonald's franchisee LWD Inc.; Ross Murakami, founding partner of KMH LLP; and Dr. Virginia Pressler, executive vice president and chief strategic officer of Hawaii Pacific Health.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Shidler College of Business Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Onyx purchase of Proteolix in works

NEW YORK » Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. said yesterday it will buy cancer drug developer Proteolix Inc. in a deal that could be worth as much as $851 million.

Onyx shares advanced $1.36, or 5.1 percent, to close at $28.26.

Onyx will pay $276 million upfront for the privately held San Francisco company, and in the process it gains Proteolix's cancer drug candidate carfilzomib, which is being tested as a treatment for multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and solid tumors. Its drugs are designed to trigger cancer cell death with minimal damage to the rest of the patient's body.

Onyx will pay another $40 million next year if carfilzomib reaches a development milestone, and will pay an additional $535 million if carfilzomib is approved in the U.S. and Europe.

That includes a $170 million payment if the Food and Drug Administration decides to conduct a fast review of the drug.

Levinson resigns from Google board

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. » Google Inc. said yesterday that Arthur Levinson has resigned from the Internet search leader's board, averting a potential showdown with government regulators over his overlapping job as a director for computer and gadget maker Apple Inc.

ON THE MOVE

  Starwood Hotels and Resorts Waikiki has named Lauren Rawlins as an account director of leisure sales. She was previously an account director of group sales for the company as well as food and beverage and sales management trainee, electronic marketing coordinator and catering sales and convention services manager at the Royal Hawaiian and director of catering and convention services at Sheraton Kauai Resort.

Maryknoll School has named Cori Ching Weston as the new board chairwoman. She is senior vice president and manager of the Investment Services Group Compliance and Risk Management Department at Bank of Hawaii.

EDUCAUSE, an association for information technology in higher education, has elected David Lassner to the board of directors as of Jan. 1. He is vice president for information technology and chief information officer at the University of Hawaii.