¿ Cell Pathways Inc., of Horsham, Pa., said it has completed enrollment in the Phase III study of its lead investigational drug, exusilind, for precancerous colon polyps in sporadic polyp formers. The drug also is being investigated in prostate cancer patients who have undergone prostatectomies. (See BioWorld Today, May 7, 1999, p. 1.)

¿ Discovery Laboratories Inc., of Doylestown, Pa., said its bronchopulmonary surfactant, Surfaxin, yielded positive results in a Phase Ib trial in acute respiratory distress syndrome when used by way of the lavage technique.

¿ Epimmune Inc., of San Diego, was awarded a five-year, $2.25 million contract from the National Institutes of Health to further the company¿s work in developing epitope-based vaccines.

¿ The Immune Response Corp. (IRC), of Carlsbad, Calif., agreed to a collaboration with the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) under which IRC will exclusively license rights from UMBI for chemokine and hCG-associated factor technology, expected to have applications in cancer and HIV treatments.

¿ Immunex Corp., of Seattle, said Enbrel (etanercept) slowed the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients with early, active disease in a Phase III clinical trial. The study evaluated 633 patients. Enbrel was approved in November 1998 for moderately to severely active RA.

¿ Irori, of La Jolla, Calif., and Afferent Systems Inc., of San Francisco, entered into an agreement under which Irori will distribute Afferent¿s software products. Afferent has developed an interface that links its software to Irori solid-phase synthesis products. Terms were not disclosed.

¿ Quark Biotech Inc., of San Ramon, Calif., and Invitrogen Corp., of Carlsbad, Calif., launched pcDNA4/HisMax, a mammalian expression system capable of producing protein yields at a rate five times higher than current industry standards.