MedImmune Inc., which is developing therapeutics andvaccines, on Tuesday said it has filed with the Securities andExchange Commission for an initial public offering of 2.5 millionshares of common stock.

The company, based in Gaithersburg, Md., was founded in 1988and has received marketing approval from the Food and DrugAdministration for its CMVIg therapeutic for cytomegalovirus(CMV) infections. CMV occurs in patients with weakenedimmune systems resulting from organ transplants or AIDS.

MedImmune also is engaged in clinical trials of its Hypermune-RSV product for the prevention and treatment of respiratorysyncytial virus in infants and young children.

Both drugs have orphan drug status.

The company also is developing humanized monoclonalantibodies and vaccines intended to stimulate cell-mediatedimmunity for diseases such as AIDS, where antibody-mediatedresponses may not be effective.

The company said the public offering price is expected to be$8.50 to $10 a share. Morgan Stanley & Co. and Smith Barney,Harris Upham & Co. are co-managing the offering.

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