¿ Alizyme plc, of Cambridge, has renegotiated its license with SmithKline Beecham plc for ATL-1251 (Renzapride). SB has agreed to forgo royalty payments in return for a one-time #3 million payment to be made after the first market approval is received. SB has been forced by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to divest ATL-1251 as a condition of getting approval for the merger with Glaxo Wellcome plc. Last month, Alizyme announced positive results in a Phase IIa trial in irritable bowel syndrome.

¿ German Research Minister Edelgard Bulmahn wants to restrict insurance companies' access to clients' or would-be clients' genetic data. A person must not be forced to undergo genetic testing nor must the person be obliged to tell an insurance company results of genetic testing, she said. Bulmahn added that the law should require that clients only have to inform their insurance companies about known diseases, but not genetic testing concerning risks. Some days before her statement, the German Bundesrat had required the German government to produce draft legislation concerning these issues. The Bundesrat is the second chamber of the German parliament.

¿ Lion Biosciences AG, of Heidelberg, Germany, and Paradigm Genetics Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., will extend their cooperative agreement for another five years to co-develop and co-market a new plant and fungal metabolic profiling database, the companies said. "By extending our collaboration with Paradigm, we will intensify our offerings in the field of agricultural biology," said Lion CEO Friedrich von Bohlen.

¿ Botanicals specialist Phytopharm plc has commenced a Phase II study of P45 in alopecia areata, a condition characterized by the sudden appearance of circular areas of total hair loss. The p45 cream will be applied twice daily for 26 weeks to 30 subjects with at least 50 percent scalp hair loss. P45 is already in a Phase II trial in alopecia androgenica (male pattern baldness), the results of which are expected at the beginning of 2001.