Dynamic duo

A new pairing of old drugs showed promising results in reducing a key marker of inflammation, a Boston biotechnology company has reported. CombinatoRx said that in a phase II trial, the steroid prednisolone combined with dipyridamole, an anti-clotting drug, significantly reduced levels of C-reactive protein in patients with chronic gum disease — although it did not reduce the size of gum lesions. The company is developing the drug combination, dubbed CRx-102, against a range of inflammatory diseases triggered by the immune system (see Nature 439, 390–391; 2006).

Pirates' slow retreat

The prevalence of pirated personal-computer software in China is slowly receding as the government there takes more steps to enforce intellectual property laws, says a global survey. The Business Software Alliance, an industry group representing software developers worldwide, reported that the percentage of computer software in China from pirated sources fell from 92% in 2003 to 90% in 2004 to 86% last year. It estimated that the value of the software pirated in China, if it had been paid for, would have been US$3.9 billion. Estimated losses in the United States were $6.9 billion, but only one fifth of software there was pirated.

Out of cotton

Syngenta, one of the world's main suppliers of genetically modified crop seed, is getting out of the cotton-seed business. On 23 May, the Swiss group announced that it will sell its interests in cotton to Delta and Pine Land, a seed company based in Scott, Mississippi, for an undisclosed sum. In April, Syngenta announced a collaborative agreement with DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred (see Nature 441, 149; 200610.1038/441149a) and is expected to concentrate on corn and other food crops.