* Applied Microbiology Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., said apreclinical study in 50 mice with Helicobacter felisshowed that the company's antimicrobial peptide, nisin,eliminated the bacterial infection from the animals'stomachs. The H. felis bacteria is related to Helicobacterpylori, which is believed to be responsible for most pepticulcers. When animal trials are completed, AppliedMicrobiology and its corporate partner, Astra Merck Inc.,of Wayne, Pa., expect to begin human trials with the drugfor peptic ulcers.

* Cellex Biosciences Inc., of Minneapolis, registered withthe Securities & Exchange Commission for a publicoffering. The company did not say how many shares itintends to sell, but added it plans to raise $8 million in theequity financing.

* Elan Corp. plc, of Athlone, Ireland, agreed to payEmisphere Technologies Inc., of Hawthorne, N.Y., $15million in a joint venture aimed at combining Elan's drugdelivery systems with Emisphere's membrane absorptiontechnologies in the development of oral heparin. Elan willcontribute $7.5 million to the collaboration and make a$7.5 million equity investment in Emisphere bypurchasing 600,000 shares at $12.50 per share. The dealalso gives Elan five-year warrants for another 250,000Emisphere shares.

* Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc., of Collegeville, Pa., said theNorwegian Medicines Control Authority approvedTaxotere for treatment of metastatic breast cancer forpatients who do not respond to anthracycline. Thecompany said the drug should be on the market by thefirst quarter of next year. The Norway approval is the firstfor Taxotere in Europe.

* Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, saidthe FDA accepted for review the company's NDA forCopaxone (copolymer-1), which is a treatment formultiple sclerosis.

* The Liposome Co. Inc., of Princeton, N.J., said theSpanish Health Ministry granted market approval forAbelcet, the company's amphotericin B lipid complex.The drug will be marketed in Spain for serious fungalinfections in patients who failed to respond toconventional treatments, such as amphotericin B alone.Abelcet also is approved in the U.K. and Luxembourg.

* Xenova Group plc, of Slough, U.K., received $4million in a private placement of 1 million ordinaryshares to an undisclosed investor. The $4 per share pricepaid by the investor was a 6 percent discount to Xenova's$4.25 trading price Oct. 31, 1995.

* Xoma Corp., of Berkeley, Calif., said its scientistsidentified potential fungicidal peptides derived from thebactericidal permeability-increasing protein (BPI), whichis a human protein found in neutrophils and linked to theimmune system. Xoma has been studying BPI for its drugactivity against gram-negative bacteria.

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