¿ Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., purchased a license to the Southern DNA array patents owned by Oxford Gene Technology, of Oxford, U.K. Terms were not disclosed.

¿ Aquila Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of Framingham, Mass., filed two registration statements with the SEC. The first involves registration of about 750,000 shares of common stock that will be sold in a direct limited placement. The second is to register, on behalf of selling shareholders, some 250,000 shares of common stock to be issued in exchange for the company's debentures held by selling shareholders.

¿ Centocor Inc., of Malvern, Pa., presented data on a Phase III trial at 54 weeks that showed Remicade (infliximab) produced significant reductions of signs and symptoms in patients with advanced rheumatoid arthritis. Results of the trial, known as ATTRACT (Anti-TNT Trial in Rheumatoid Arthritis with Concomitant Therapy), were presented at the European League Against Rheumatism in Glasgow, Scotland. The results at 54 weeks showed similar benefit to 30-week data released in November. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 10, 1998, p. 1.)

¿ Centeon L.L.C., of King of Prussia, Pa., reported that the FDA approved Humate-P (Antihemophilic Factor/von Willebrand Factor Complex (Human), Dried, Pasteurized) for the treatment of bleeding due to von Willebrand disease. Humate-P will continue to be marketed for the treatment of hemophilia A.

¿ Cephalon Inc., of West Chester, Pa. agreed to pay $17 million to settle securities litigation filed in 1996 following the reporting of clinical trial results of Myothrophin (mecasermin) for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). About $7.5 million will be paid by the insurance company of directors and officers, with the remaining $9.5 million by the company. In order to help pay for the settlement, Cephalon may issue up to 500,000 shares of common stock. The company has incurred charges to its earnings in previous reporting periods that will be sufficient to cover the settlement cost.

¿ ChemRx, a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Partners International, of La Jolla, Calif., signed an agreement to develop exclusive chemical libraries for DuPont Pharmaceuticals Co., of Wilmington, Del. ChemRx will develop multiple classes of compounds for DuPont's drug discovery and lead-optimization programs. ChemRx will develop and produce the compounds on a fee-for-service basis, with no milestone or royalty obligations. Financial terms were not disclosed.

¿ CoCensys Inc., of Irvine, Calif., was awarded a Phase II small business innovation research grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the Bethesda, Md.-based National Institutes of Health. The grant will be used to discover compounds that are "caspase inhibitors," which may prove useful to stroke victims.

¿ Creative BioMolecules Inc., of Hopkinton, Mass., said partner Stryker Corp., of Kalamazoo, Mich., submitted the final module of it premarket approval application with the FDA seeking approval of the OP-1 bone graft device for treating long bone nonunions. Stryker also filed for approval in Europe.

¿ FeRx Inc., of San Diego, established a biomaterials research group to support development of its Magnetic Targeted Carrier (MTC) technology for site-specific targeting, retention and sustained released of pharmaceuticals. The company also started dose-escalating Phase I/II trials of MTC-DOX for treatment of patients with primary liver cancer.

¿ Genta Inc., of San Diego moved its worldwide corporate headquarters to Lexington, Mass.

¿ Inex Pharmaceuticals Corp., of Vancouver, British Columbia, reported additional Phase IIa results of its anti-cancer drug candidate, Onco TCS, showing it was effective against relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The company reported results from 34 available NHL patients indicating an overall response rate of 41 percent. A subset analysis of 24 patients with either aggressive or transformed NHL showed a response rate of 54 percent.

¿ LifeCell Corp., of The Woodlands, Texas, will relocate its corporate offices and production facilities to Branchburg, N.J. Because of the move, the company expects to incur a one-time restructuring charge of about $1 million.

¿ Ophidian Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Francisco, will begin Phase II testing of its lead drug, OPHD001, for Clostridium difficile-associated disease. The company said it will submit an investigational new drug (IND) application by the end of the first quarter of 2000 for its second gastrointestinal product, OPHD002. In addition, the company secured $2 million in a new senior note financing that will be used to outfit a pilot manufacturing facility.