U.S. District Court Judge Robert H. Schnacke has issued acontinuance in the Centocor-Xoma patent infringement trial,scheduling June 26 as the date for hearings on the terms ofCentocor Inc.'s compensation to Berkeley, Calif.-based XomaCorp.

"Everything comes to a halt until June," said Centocorspokesman Richard Koenig. The Malvern, Pa.-based companymust wait until the compensation is decided before filing anappeal at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit inWashington, D.C.

Last October, a San Francisco jury found that Centocor'sCentoxin infringes Xoma's U.S. patent No. 4,918,163, whichcovers the use of certain anti-endotoxin monoclonal antibodiesto treat humans with gram-negative sepsis.

In February, Schnacke denied a motion by Centocor Inc. to setaside the jury verdict favoring Xoma. He issued his continuancewithout comment on March 17. -- Roberta Friedman, Ph.D.

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