* La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co., of San Diego, has initiated a PhaseII/III clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LJP 394, itsdrug candidate for lupus. LJP 394 is designed to reduce the levels ofdouble-stranded DNA antibodies, which are believed to beresponsible for lupus nephritis, a principal cause of morbidity andmortality in lupus patients. Phase II results indicated that in patientswho received weekly doses of LJP 394, levels of dsDNA antibodieswere reduced up to 48 percent and levels of two importantcomplement proteins involved in inflammation, C3 and C4, werenormalizing in parallel.

* OXiGENE Inc., of New York, said its ongoing 226-patient,European, randomized, controlled Phase II/III trial of Sensamide incombination with radiation in patients with inoperable non-small celllung cancer, is nearly completed with more than 200 patientsrecruited. OXiGENE said it has selected Bioniche, Inc. of Canada,for the commercial batch manufacturing of Neu-Sensamide.

* Pharmagenesis Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., formed a joint venturewith President Pharmaceutical Corp., of Taipei, China, and theSuzhou Bureau of Public Health, of the People's Republic of China,aimed at the manufacture and commercialization of Pharmagenesis'drug products in China. The joint venture, named SPP Ltd., will bebased in Suzhou, China.

* Pharmos Corp. of Alachua, Fla., has signed an internationalmarketing agreement with Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals Inc., ofTampa, Fla., which grants Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals therights to the Lotemax product line upon receipt of regulatoryclearances.

* ID Biomedical Corp., of Vancouver, Canada, said its proprietarygroup A streptococcus vaccine formulated for human use hasdemonstrated strong immune responses without toxicity during testsin an animal model.

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.