¿ Aeterna Laboratories Inc., of Quebec, said Phase I data on AE-941 for macular degeneration showed it was well tolerated and safe. The company plans to take the antiangiogenic product into Phase II trials.

¿ Aviron, of Mountain View, Calif., appointed C. Boyd Clarke as president and CEO, effective immediately. He has been CEO of U.S. Bioscience Inc. since March 1998. Clarke succeeds Aviron founder J. Leighton Read, who remains chairman.

¿ Genome Therapeutics Corp., of Waltham, Mass., and Schering-Plough Corp., of Madison, N.J., extended their genomics alliance to discover and develop products for fungal infections. The extension carries that alliance at least through 2001. It was started in September 1997 and is worth up to $33 million before royalties (see BioWorld Today, Sep. 25, 1997, p. 1). The companies also are collaborating in the areas of asthma and antibacterials.

¿ Genta Inc., of Lexington, Mass., said the National Cancer Institute started a Phase I/II study using Genta's G3139 and Pharmacia and Upjohn's irinotecan for treating relapsed colorectal cancer. Genta said it is the first in a series of NCI studies using G3139, an antisense inhibitor of the bcl-2 protein, to enhance the cancer-killing actions of chemotherapy drugs.

¿ Immunex Corp., of Seattle, said an FDA advisory committee will review data on Novantrone for treating progressive secondary multiple sclerosis at a meeting in late January. Immunex filed an NDA seeking expanded labeling for Novantrone in June.

¿ Incara Pharmaceuticals Corp., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., signed a letter of intent to sell its antibacterial drug discovery division for more than $10 million in cash payments and specified future milestones to an undisclosed buyer. Incara's antibacterial drug discovery program is conducted through Incara Research Laboratories of Cranbury, N.J. The company stated it intends to focus research on its later-stage programs.

¿ Invitrogen Corp., of San Diego, launched the Echo Cloning System, which allows for fast and reliable cloning of any gene into multiple expression vectors, the company said.

¿ Quorex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., completed a $1.1 million equity financing toward its target of $2 million. Investors included Tullis-Dickerson & Co. Inc., of Greenwich, Conn. The company focuses on a bacterial signaling pathway. It formerly was called Quorum Pharmaceuticals.

¿ Titan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of South San Francisco, received FDA permission to start patient enrollment in a Phase I/II study of Spheramine for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The study, being conducted at Emory University in Atlanta, will assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of Spheramine in six to eight patients with later-stage disease. Spheramine is a cell therapy product that uses normal human cells called retinal pigmented epithelial cells,which secrete dopamine.

¿ Vion Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New Haven, Conn., restructured its $50 million deal with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, for the development and marketing of Promycin, Vion's hypoxic cancer cell therapy now in Phase III trials. Boehringer Ingelheim will assume full managerial and financial responsibility for Promycin while Vion will receive reduced milestone and royalty payments on all future sales. Promycin is in Phase III trials to study the efficacy of combining radiation therapy with Promycin in the treatment of head and neck cancer. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 26, 1997, p. 1.)