MEDICIS TO GET EUROPEAN PATENTMedicis Pharmaceutical Corp. said the European Patent Officehas notified the company that it will grant Medicis a patentfor thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) analogs to treatcentral nervous system injury.

TRH may help prevent secondary damage such as paralysis bymaintaining the viability of undamaged neurons, said JohnHoladay, Medicis' vice president of research and development.

The company has native TRH in Phase III trials to treatinjuries to the spinal cord and head. The TRH analog is inpreclinical study, but Medicis hopes to fast-track studies ofthe analog, Holaday said.

New York-based Medicis (NASDAQ:MDRXA) has also filed foranalog patents in the United States and Japan.

NEUROGENETIC COMPLETES FINANCING ROUND

Neurogenetic Corp. on Tuesday said it has completed a $9.3million round of venture financing. New investors in theParamus, N.J.-based company are ABS Ventures, Eli Lilly & Co.,Eurolink International and New Enterprise Associates. InJanuary, Neurogenetic and Lilly signed a research agreement todevelop drugs for treating central and peripheral nervoussystem disorders.

Participants who had previously invested in Neurogenetic areAdler & Co., Aetna Life and Casualty Co., Alan PatricofAssociates Inc., Athena Venture Partners, Matuschka VenturePartners, Medical Venture Holdings Inc., Oxford Partners,Spears, Benzak, Salomon & Farrell, and UI USA Venture Capital.

ENZON SIGNS SUPPLY CONTRACT

Enzon Inc. (NASDAQ:ENZN) of South Plainfield, N.J., on Tuesdaysaid it had signed a long-term contract for supply of L-asparaginase for use in the company's anti-cancer drug PEG-L-asparaginase. The agreement is with Kyowa-Hakko Kogyo Co.Ltd. of Japan. Enzon, which has filed with the Food and DrugAdministration to market PEG-L-asparaginase for acutelymphoblastic leukemia, said it would begin clinical studies toestablish the bioequivalency of the Kyowa Hakko compound tothe material used in Enzon's initial clinicals for the drug.

IAF TO BUILD NEW LABS

IAF BioChem International Inc. (NASDAQ:BCHXF) of Laval,Quebec, said Monday it will spend about $35 million (C$40million) to build two laboratories for itself and its IAF BioVacInc. subsidiary. One facility will be used for vaccineproduction, the other will be a research and developmentcenter. IAF said federal/provincial support for the project willamount to about $7 million, plus about $11.2 million loanguarantee and about a $4.37 million interest exemption.

BARD TO MARKET BAINBRIDGE'S CANCER TEST

Bainbridge Laboratories Inc. of Bainbridge Island, Wash., said ithas signed an agreement under which C.R. Bard Inc. will haveexclusive rights to market TuMark-TBA, a urine test forbladder cancer, in all markets except Japan. Japanese rightsare held by Sanko Junyaku Co. Ltd. Privately held Bainbridge isin clinical trials for the diagnostic in both the United Statesand abroad. The test detects protein complexes that arereleased into urine as tumors grow in the bladder.

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