* Sonus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Bothell, Wash., was granted U.S.Patent 5,409,688 covering ultrasound contrast media compositionsinvolving free gas microbubbles of any fluorine-containinghydrocarbon.

* Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corp., of Paramus, N.J., was granted U.S.Patent 5,403,847 for use of compounds that block human alpha 1-cadrenergic receptor. The compounds are being developed fortreatment of prostatic hyperplasia.

* Transcell Technologies Inc., of Princeton, N.J., received a notice ofallowance for a U.S. patent related to use of permeation enhancersfor drug delivery across biological membranes.

* Xoma Corp., of Berkeley, Calif., was granted U.S. Patent5,420,019 covering recombinant amino-terminal fragments andfragment analogs of bactericidal permeability-increasing protein, theDNA encoding the protein and its recombinant production.

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