* BioChem Pharma Inc., of Laval, Quebec, entered a collaborationwith XTL Biopharmaceuticals, of Rehovot, Israel, for drug discoveryaimed a developing treatments for hepatitis C. Financial terms werenot disclosed. The agreement gives BioChem Pharma an exclusivetwo-year license to XTL's Trimera technology for creating models ofthe infection.

* Cel-Sci Corp., of Alexandria, Va., raised $5 million through thesale of convertible stock to institutional investors. The company saidthe conversion price is dependent on the future performance of Cel-Sci's common shares.

* DNX Corp., of Raritan, N.J., merged with privately held BioClinInternational, which has offices in Cham, Switzerland, andRichmond, Va., to form a contract research organization coveringdrug development from pre-clinical studies through Phase IV trials.The two companies generated 1995 revenues of $40 million. DNXwill issue 2.6 million shares to acquire BioClin. The merger isexpected to be complete in the fourth quarter of 1996 or first quarterof 1997. DNX's chairman, president and CEO, Paul Schmitt, willretain those posts with the combined firm.

* Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., said the European Union hasapproved Sepracoat, which is designed to prevent post-surgicaladhesions in abdominal, pelvic and thoracic operations. Sepracoat isa bioresorbable solution similar to Seprafilm, which is a membraneapproved in Europe and the U.S. as an anti-adhesion product.

* North American Vaccine Inc., of Beltsville, Md., signed anagreement in principal worth up to $42 million with AbbottLaboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., for marketing of the former'sdiphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis vaccine, which is underreview by the FDA. The deal gives Abbott rights to market thevaccine to physicians and managed health care companies in the U.S.North American Vaccine will market the product to governmentpurchasers.

* PerSeptive Biosystems Inc., of Framingham, Mass., generated $18million in a private placement of 2.58 million shares at $7 per share.Net proceeds to the company totaled $17 million.

* SangStat Medical Corp., of Menlo Park, Calif., said it plans to filea product license application with the FDA before the end of 1996 tomarket Thymoglobulin, a rabbit anti-thymocyte polyclonal antibody,for treatment of acute graft rejection in transplant patients. The drug,licensed to SangStat from Lyon, France-based Pasteur MerieuxConnaught for marketing in the U.S. and Canada, is sold by Pasteurin 39 countries. SangStat also said it filed with the FDA a supplementto its establishment license application for approval of the productionthat makes Thymoglobulin. Pasteur Merieux Connaught is acollaboration between Connaught Laboratories Ltd., of Toronto, andPasteur Meriuex Serums and Vaccins, of Lyon, France, a subsidiaryof the Rhone-Poulenc Group, of Paris.

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