* Alpha-Beta Technology Inc., of Worcester, Mass., saidit was given permission by the FDA to use betafectinmanufactured at its new facility in its ongoing Phase IIItrial, which is testing the drug's ability to prevent post-operative infection in high-risk surgery patients.

* Biocircuits Corp. (NASDAQ:BIOC), of Sunnyvale,Calif., is doing a one-for-four reverse stock split,effective Dec. 31, 1995. That will reduce the sharesoutstanding to 3.57 million from 14.28 million.

* Cambridge NeuroScience Inc., of Cambridge, Mass.,closed on a public offering of 187,500 shares at $8 each.The shares were sold to an institutional investor.

* Carrington Laboratories Inc., of Irving, Texas, said it isbeginning Phase I cancer studies of a complexcarbohydrate polysaccharide compound, CARN 700.

* CollaGenex Inc., of Newtown, Pa., raised $10.5 millionin private equity financing from a group that includednew and existing venture capital investors. More than halfthe funds came from first-time investors. The company isdeveloping products for dental diseases.

* Lidak Pharmaceuticals, of San Diego, began a Phase I/IItrial of its Large Multivalent Immunogen as a treatmentfor malignant melanoma. The approach is designed tostimulate cytotoxic T lymphocytes to attack tumor cells.Also, Lidak said the treatment portion of three Phase IIIstudies of Lidakol for herpes was completed. Results areexpected in the first quarter of 1996.

* Medco Research Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C.,said data from a Phase II trial of adenosine triphosphatefor small cell lung cancer showed infusion of the agenthad biomodulatory effects resulting in weight gain,improved performance status and quality of life.

* MedImmune Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., entered aproposed settlement agreement with those in a classaction suit that has been pending since December 1993. Itrelates to statements made about the approval prospectsof RespiGam. MedImmune said it will record a charge of$637,500 in the fourth quarter related to the proposedsettlement.

* Novavax Inc., of Rockville, Md., submitted to the FDAresults of its Phase I tests of an oral antibacterialpreparation against Helicobacter pylori.

* RGene Therapeutics Inc., of The Woodlands, Texas,entered into an agreement with Pasteur Merieux-Connaught, of Lyon, France, to use RGene's cationiclipid DC-cholesterol as an adjuvant for vaccines.Financial terms were not disclosed. DC-cholesterol is agene delivery system for nucleic acid. Pasteur Merieux-Connaught is a subsidiary of Rhone-Poulenc Group, ofParis.

* Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corp., of Paramus, N.J.,completed an initial public offering of 2 million shares at$12.50 per share. (See BioWorld Today, Dec. 18, 1995,p. 1.)

* T Cell Sciences Inc., of Needham, Mass., completedpatient accrual in its second Phase I trial of TP10, thecompany's lead compound, for reperfusion injury inpatients with first-time acute myocardial infarction. APhase I trial in adult respiratory distress system alreadywas completed.

* Unimed Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Buffalo Grove, Ill.,said its licensee for nitazoxanine (NTZ) in Mexico beganPhase III studies there for cryptosporidium infections inAIDS patients. Also, the company said the FDA allowedexpanded access to NTZ through an open-labelcompassionate use protocol.

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