* BioChem Pharma Inc., of Laval, Quebec, boosted gross proceedsfrom its public offering Feb. 23, 1996, to $183.1 million afterunderwriters for the equity financing exercised options to purchase525,000 shares to cover overallotments. BioChem Pharma sold atotal of more than 4 million shares at $45.50 per share. Managing theoffering were Hambrecht & Quist LLC, of New York; RobertsonStephens & Co. LLC, of San Francisco; UBS Securities Inc., of NewYork; Midland Walwyn Capital Inc., of Toronto; and LevesqueBeaubien Geoffrion Inc., of Montreal. (See BioWorld Today, Feb.26, 1996, p.1.)

* Genome Therapeutics Corp., of Waltham, Mass., said it received a$1.5 million milestone payment from corporate partner, Astra AB, ofSodertalje, Sweden. The collaboration focuses on use of the geneticmake-up of Helicobacter pylori to develop drugs to fight the bacterialinfection.

* MedImmune Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., said it entered into a three-year contract worth about $40 million to buy source plasma forproduction of RespiGam, an immune globulin for treatment ofrespiratory syncytial virus. A significant portion of the plasma, thecompany said, may be provided by NABI, of Boca Raton, Fla. NABIsaid it will receive $25 million in the deal. RespiGam received FDAapproval in January 1996.

* OraVax Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., purchased a manufacturingfacility in Canton, Mass., from ImmunoGen Inc., of Cambridge,Mass. OraVax said it will use the plant to produce its monoclonalantibody, HNK20, for respiratory syncytial virus and pneumonia ininfants. The drug is in Phase II trials. A phase III study is expected tobegin later this year.

* Sparta Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C.,agreed to issue 2.6 million shares to takeover Lexin PharmaceuticalCorp., of Horsham, Pa. Sparta will pay Lexin stockholders 2 millionshares when the deal closes and another 600,000 shares uponachievement of development milestones of Lexin's drug candidates.The acquisition is expected to close by the end of March 1996.Lexin's research focuses on proteins and small molecules that inhibitserine proteases, which are enzymes implicated in cardiovasculardisorders, inflammatory diseases and cancer. The two companiesannounced their intent to merge in January 1996. (See BioWorldToday, Jan. 22, 1996, p. 1.)

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