Repligen Corp. and Centocor Inc., former partners turnedadversaries over a 1987 agreement involving humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV), on Tuesday declared peace on alawsuit filed nine and one-half weeks ago.

Repligen of Cambridge, Mass., filed suit on April 3, contendingthat Centocor had overstepped an agreement not to competewith Repligen on HIV therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics forHIV, which causes AIDS.

As part of the settlement, Centocor of Malvern, Pa., reaffirmedthe non-compete agreement on HIV, except for F105, apotential therapeutic monoclonal antibody product for HIV.Centocor will continue its work on F105, but agreed to split theprofits from sales of resulting products.

No further comment from either company was available onTuesday.

The conflict stems from a collaborative agreement signedMarch 31, 1987, that was revised in 1988 and terminated inMarch 1990, according to financial notes in reports of bothcompanies.

Under the 1987 agreement, Centocor agreed to pay Repligen$2.9 million and cede commercial rights to certain AIDStechnologies and other technologies under development. Inexchange, Repligen agreed to issue Centocor nearly 1.3 millionshares of Repligen stock with a five-year option to purchase245,000 additional shares.

Centocor (NASDAQ:CNTO) recorded a $3.4 million gain in 1988from modifying the agreement with Repligen (NASDAQ:RGEN)and $9.7 million in 1990 from the sale of Repligen stock.

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