French biotech firm claims grant bias

A French government initiative to promote "poles of competitiveness" by government-planned technology centers faces a law suit from a biotechnology firm. AB Science, specializing in inhibitor drugs for cancer and inflammatory diseases, claims that the Medicen pole, near Paris, improperly rejected an application to set up a base there.

Alain Moussy, the firm's chief executive, told the Financial Times that drug majors Sanofi-Aventis and GlaxoSmithKline participated in the decision, creating a conflict of interest. Medicen denies the claim. A court case could be an embarrassment for the newly-elected French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. As Finance Minister, he promoted the "poles" as a French version of the USA's Silicon Valley.