* Lidak Pharmaceuticals, of La Jolla, Calif., presented data indicatingthat Lidakol (n-docosanol) prevented vaginal transmission of SIV,the primate equivalent of human HIV, in five of six rhesus monkeys.The five monkeys resisted infection and remained seronegative morethan four months after inoculation.

* Syntex Corp., of Palo Alto, Calif., will change the name of itsoperations here to Roche Bioscience effective July 5, reflecting itsresearch focus and acquisition last fall by Roche Holding Ltd., ofBasel, Switzerland.

* Viagene Inc., of San Diego, and Chiron Corp., of Emeryville,Calif., are the targets of a lawsuit filed by a Viagene shareholderrelated to the companies' merger April 24. The shareholder, BrilliantTrading Ltd., filed the suit in the Delaware Chancery Court and isseeking an injunction to stop Chiron's acquisition of Viagene. Theplaintiff alleges the terms of the agreement were inadequate.

* Amgen Inc., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Kirin PharmaceuticalDivision of Tokyo-based Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd. launched clinicaltrials in the U.S. and Australia with megakaryocyte growth anddevelopment factor (MGDF) for thrombocytopenia, a disorder thataffects cancer patients following chemotherapy.

IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corp., of San Diego, began Phase III trials ofIDEC-C2B8 for non-Hodgkin's lymphomas at 20 medical centers inthe U.S. and Canada. IDEC-C2B8, an anti-CD20 monoclonalantibody, is being developed in association with Genentech Inc., ofSouth San Francisco.

* Chemex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Fort Lee, has been removed fromNASDAQ because of failure to meet certain financial listingrequirements. The company, trading on the OTC Bulletin Board(CHMX), has appealed NASDAQ's decision.

* CytoTherapeutics Inc., of Providence, R.I., sold 434,500 units toraise $10.4 million. The public offering was announced April 18.Each $24-unit consists of four common shares and a warrant, whichis redeemable for one $8-share through April 2000. The offering willboost the company's cash balance to $30 million and its outstandingshares to 12.7 million.

* ImClone Systems Inc., of New York, raised $3 million from thesale of its remaining ownership interest in Cadus PharmaceuticalCorp., of Tarrytown, N.Y. ImClone has raised a total of $6 millionthrough the sale of Cadus shares. ImClone founded Cadus in 1992and has the option of repurchasing some of the shares during the next18 months.

* MGI Pharma Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn., received $3.5 millionfrom Japanese-based Dainippon Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., for a six-month option to purchase rights to MGI's acylfulvenes in Japan.Dainippon paid $250,000 and purchased 750,000 MGI shares at$3.87 per share for the option.

* MicroCarb Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., raised $3.5 million in aprivate offering of units consisting of shares and warrants. The unitswere priced at $50,000 each.

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