* Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, completed its acquisition of Glycomed Inc., of Alameda, Calif. Glycomed stockholder can get .5301 shares of Ligand for every Glycomed share they own. About 6.9 million Ligand shares will be issued in the merger, giving Glycomed shareholders about 25 percent ownership on a fully diluted basis. (See BioWorld Today, Feb. 8, 1995, p 1.) * CytRx Corp., of Atlanta, completed the formation of Proceutics Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary that will offer preclinical development and analysis services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. * Ciba Seeds, a Greensboro, N.C.-based division of Ciba-Geigy Corp., was granted deregulation by the USDA for corn hybrids genetically engineered to protect against the corn-damaging insect, European corn borer. * Interneuron Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lexington, Mass., said a Phase I trial of dihydrexidine in Parkinson's disease patients was begun. The company also completed a Phase I study of pagoclone to treat anxiety. * Biomune Systems Inc., of Salt Lake City, said in vivo studies of its drug may retard the growth of prostate cancer tumors. * Cytogen Corp., of Princeton, N.J., started trials using OncoScint CR/OV, a monoclonal-based imaging agent, for preoperative staging of breast cancer. * Telios Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the company's proposed disclosure statement for dissemination to shareholders. * Digene Diagnostics Inc., of Silver Spring, Md., received FDA approval for the Hybrid Capture System HPV DNA assay to help identify women at risk for developing high-grade cervical disease and cancer. * DNA Plant Technology Corp., of Oakland, Calif., and Du Pont, of Wilmington, Del., finalized an agreement in which they will exchange rights to various technologies. Also, Du Pont agreed not to sell any DNAP stock it holds before March 1996. DNAP also unveiled its second-generation version of a genetically modified tomato produced by selectable marker gene and promoter technology. * Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc., of Collegeville, Pa., got regulatory approval in France for Campto, a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor, for treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. * Genetic Therapy Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., started a Phase I/II trial of a gene therapy treatment for Gaucher disease, in which a normal glucocerebrosidase gene will be incorporated into precursor blood cells removed from the patient. * Aprogenex Inc., of Houston, said its first genetic testing product, the AproProbe research-use assay, is available for sale in Europe. * Procept Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., completed a Phase I trial of in the U.K. of its HIV drug candidate, PRO 2000. Initial data shows the drug was well tolerated.

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