* Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., received twoSmall Business Innovation Research grants totaling $1.3 million overtwo years for development of small-molecule drugs for treatment ofinfections caused by Pneumocystis carinii and Mycobacteriumtuberculosis. The grants were awarded by the National Institutes ofHealth.

* Gilead Sciences Inc., of Foster City, Calif., said the topical form ofits nucleotide analogue, cidofovir, demonstrated antiviral activity in aPhase I/II trial for patients with recurrent genital herpes lesions.Safety data from the 96-patient study showed the drug was welltolerated with mild to moderate side effects based on dosage.Gilead's most advanced drug is an injectable form of cidofovir,called Vistide, which is under review by the FDA and EuropeanUnion for cytomegalovirus retinitis in AIDS patients.

* SangStat Medical Corp., of Menlo Park, Calif., reacquired rights topre-transplant monitoring products from Baxter Healthcare Corp., ofDeerfield, Ill. Financial details were not disclosed. Baxter willreceive payments and royalties from sales of the products, whichwere part of Baxter's Princeton, N.J.-based Nextran unit. SomeBaxter and Nextran staffers also will join SangStat. The products,Pra-Stat and Cross-Stat, were developed and manufactured bySangStat and are on the market. They assess donor organcompatibility with transplant recipients. Another product, Typ-Stat, isin development.

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