* Altarex Corp., of Edmonton, Alberta, filed with Canadianregulatory authorities an application to begin a Phase II/III trial ofOvarex vaccine for ovarian cancer. The vaccine uses anti-idiotypeinduction therapy to stimulate an immune response against cancercells.

* Boehringer Ingelheim Corp., of Ingelheim, Germany, said its U.S.subsidiary, Roxane Laboratories Inc., of Columbus, Ohio, beganmarket distribution of Viramune, the companies' AIDS drug, whichwas approved by the FDA in June 1996. Viramune is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Its wholesale price is $6.88per day per 200 mg tablet. Patients typically take two tablets daily.

* CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Newtown, Pa., signed amarketing and manufacturing agreement for Periostat in Italy withBoehringer Mannheim GmbH's subsidiary, Boehringer MannheimItalia SpA. Boehringer Mannheim, of Mannheim, Germany, is asubsidiary of Corange Ltd., of Bermuda. Periostat is an orallyadministered treatment for periodontal disease.

* Medarex Inc., of Annandale, N.J., began a Phase II trial of itsbispecific antibody, MDX-210, for prostate cancer. The drug is underdevelopment in collaboration with Basel, Switzerland-based Ciba-Geigy Ltd., which is merging with fellow Basel drug maker SandozLtd. Bispecific antibodies combine fragments of monoclonalantibodies to bind to diseased cells and immune system cells toinduce an assault on tumors.

* Neurex Corp., of Menlo Park, Calif., extended for three years itsdrug discovery collaboration with Warner-Lambert Co., of MorrisPlains, N.J., for inhibitors of neuron-specific calcium channels.Financial terms were not disclosed. The partnership, begun in 1993,has a compound, SNX-111, in Phase II trials for prevention of braindamage following head trauma.

* OncorMed Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., said it signed an agreementwith Zeneca Diagnostics, a division of London-based Zeneca, forcancer reagents, which OncorMed will use for genetic testing ofcancer. Financial terms were not disclosed.

* Oxford Molecular Group plc and Glaxo Wellcome plc, both ofLondon, entered a collaboration to form an on-line bioinformaticslibrary to provide software, data bases and other products for storageand analysis of genetic information. Financial terms were notdisclosed.

* Sequus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Menlo Park, Calif., signed anagreement with Torrex Pharma, of Vienna, Austria, for distribution ofthe former's Amphotec, an amphotericin B colloidal dispersion, inAustria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. Thedrug is approved in 14 countries and is under review by the FDA.

* Sparta Pharmaceuticals Inc. raised $6.3 million in gross proceedsfrom an ongoing private placement of $100,000 units, each of whichconsists of 10,000 convertible shares and warrants to purchase66,667. The price for converting stock and exercising the warrants is$1.50 per share. Sparta also said it has an option on an anticancerdrug, an oral formulation of asulacrine, which began a Phase I trial inthe U.K.

* VIMRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Stamford, Conn., said it plans tobegin Phase I trials in September 1996 for VIMRxyn to treatrecurrent malignant glioma in brain cancer patients. The drug isdescribed as a chemically synthesized hypericin.

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