MEDICIS LICENSE FOR SPINAL INJURY TREATMENTMedicis Pharmaceutical Corp. of New York has obtained aworldwide exclusive license from the U.S. Army to developthyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) to treat spinal cord andhead injuries. Dr. John Holaday, Medicis vice president ofresearch and development declined to reveal details of theagreement. Holaday patented the use of TRH to treat spinal andhead injuries while at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

More than 500,000 cases of traumatic brain injury and 15,000cases of spinal cord injury are reported in the United Stateseach year. In many cases, secondary neurological damage is farworse than the original injury, said Holaday. Medicis'(NASDAQ:MDRXA, MDRXU) pre-clinical studies show that TRHprevents or reduces secondary damage such as paralysis, headded.

JAPAN TO APPROVE MAb IMMUNOSUPPRESSANT

The first Japanese approval for an immunosuppressantconsisting of a monoclonal antibody is scheduled for nextmonth by the Pharmaceuticals and Chemical Safety Division ofthe Ministry of Health and Welfare. The drug, Orthoclone OKT3,prevents kidney transplant rejection by suppressing the body'sproduction of T cells, the white blood cells responsible fortransplant rejection. Orthoclone received Food and DrugAdministration approval for marketing in the United States inJune 1986.

Orthoclone was developed by Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp. ofRaritan, N.J., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson of NewBrunswick, N.J. It will be marketed in Japan by Janssen-KyowaCo. Ltd. of Tokyo, a joint venture between Janssen, which is asubsidiary of J&J, and Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd. of Tokyo.

ABS ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO ALZHEIMER'S TEST

American Biogenetic Sciences Inc. (ABS) of Notre Dame, Ind.,announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to anAlzheimer's disease diagnostic test from Trinity College inDublin, Ireland.

ABS (NASDAQ: MABXA/U/W) agreed to pay Trinity an up-frontlicensing fee and product royalties. ABS will also supportTrinity's costs to research and develop the Alzheimer's test.The test uses a monoclonal antibody to detect a substance thatincreases as Alzheimer's develops in a patient. ABS will notreveal the nature of the substance until patent applicationscovering it have been filed, said Al Roach, ABS chairman.

Alzheimer's affects about 4 million Americans and is thefourth-leading cause of death in the United States.

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