* InSite Vision, of Alameda, Calif., has initiated clinical trials of ISV-208, a novel DuraSite-based formulation of an ophthalmic beta-blocker for the once-daily treatment -- rather than twice-daily treatment -- of elevated intraocular pressure associated with glaucoma and ocular hypertension. The trial will use the reduced dosing approach in the research to determine if the DuraSite-based formulations will have fewer side effects and improved patient compliance. InSite Vision is jointly developing ISV-208 with Bausch & Lomb, an agreement developed last year. Bausch & Lomb will market the product through its worldwide pharmaceuticals business.

* SangStat, of Menlo Park, Calif., has signed an exclusive agreement with Amgen, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., for the marketing and distribution of SangStat's Cyclosporine product candidate in Australia, New Zealand, China and Taiwan. Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressive drug used in transplantation to prevent graft rejection.

* Genome Therapeutics Corp., of Waltham, Mass., has released version 2.0 of its microbial sequence database, PathoGenome, which uses a more powerful bioinformatics platform and features genomic sequence information for more than a dozen microbial pathogens.

* ImClone Systems Inc., of New York, has initiated a multicenter Phase II clinical trial of its C225 cancer therapeutic, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits activity of epidermal growth factor receptor associated with cancer cell growth in renal cell carcinoma, epidermoid carcinoma and other cancers. The Phase II trial will evaluate the effect of C225 on time to progression of disease in 53 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, which ImClone sees as a key disease target for the therapeutic.

* Matritech Inc., of Newton, Mass., has completed its preclinical evaluation of an antibody that it said may lead to the development of more accurate and cost-effective Pap smear products. The company's researchers demonstrated that the antibody strongly reacts with a nuclear matrix protein (NM 179) found in cervical carcinoma, staining both malignant and premalignant cancer cells. Bayer Corp. is Matritech's partner in advancing the nuclear matrix technology toward commercialization of an automated cervical cancer test.

* NetGenics Inc., of Cleveland, said Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., has selected NetGenics' Synergy software and services to manage the data generated by Abbott's genomics research program.

* PharmaPrint Inc., of Irvine, Calif., has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell 2,250,000 shares of its common stock through a public offering. Comanagers of the offering are CIBC Oppenheimer Corp., of New York, and Cruttenden Roth Inc., of Irvine, Calif. The underwriters have an option to purchase up to 337,500 additional shares to cover overallotments, if any. The public offering price will be based upon the trading price per share of the company's common stock at the time of the proposed offering. PharmaPrint uses its PharmaPrint Process technology to develop pharmaceutical-grade dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals from botanical sources.

* SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Mateo, Calif., has withdrawn its proposed offering of 1.5 million common shares, saying that the current market does not give it "an opportunity to complete an offering at an appropriate price." Donald Sellers, president and CEO, said, "it is not in the best interests of the company . . . to proceed with an offering at this time."

* SunPharm Corp., of Jacksonville, Fla., and the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research division of Warner-Lambert Co., of Morris Plains, N.J., have completed a multicenter Phase I study of SunPharm's CI-1006 anticancer analogue in refractive cancer patients. Parke-Davis will begin multicenter Phase II clinical trials in the first quarter of 1998 in several types of cancer, including ovarian, melanoma, pancreatic, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma and colon cancer.

* Genta Inc., of San Diego, has initiated a Phase I/IIa clinical trial at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York, to evaluate G3139, a lead compound of Genta's Anticode technology treating prostate cancer. The target of G3139 -- the bcl2 gene -- has been implicated in prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, breast and other cancers. The first part of the Phase I/IIa study is designed to define the maximum tolerated dose or optimal biological dose with continuous intravenous infusion. The second part will determine the efficacy of the drug in advanced, androgen-independent prostate cancer. Patient recruitment is now under way. A European Phase I/IIa trail using G3139 against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is nearing completion, the company said.

* Gilead Sciences Inc., of Foster City, Calif., has expanded its access program for Preveon (adefovir dipivoxil) for people with advanced HIV infection in the U.S. who have limited treatment options. Preveon, formerly referred to as GS 840, is an investigational, reverse transcriptase inhibitor. The expanded program will make Preveon available free of charge to HIV-positive patients at least 13 years of age who have failed treatment with at least two nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors and one protease inhibitor, and who have certain CD4 counts and HIV RNA levels.

* Hyseq Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., said it has reached the 1 million-per-month milestone in DNA analysis of partial human gene sequences. Hyseq said its HyGenomics database now contains more than 4 million human partial gene sequences, exclusive of the database Hyseq has created for Chiron Corp., its partner in solid-tumor research. The HyGenomics database has been generated since March 1997, using Hyseq's sequencing by hybridization technology.