ALPHA ENVIRONMENTAL FORMS NEW COMPANYAlpha Environmental Inc., based in Austin, Texas, announcedFriday the formation of Alpha Environmental Biosystems Inc.The new company will be based in LeeLs Summit, Mo. It willestablish a national network of remediation contract andengineering companies, train them in the use of bioremediationtechnology, and allow them to use Alpha microbiological andcatalyst products for decontaminating soil and water, saidWilliam Worley, Alpha vice president and secretary.

GENZYME FILES FOR SECOND PUBLIC OFFERING

Genzyme Corp. (NASDAQ:GENZ) of Cambridge, Mass., on Fridayfiled a registration statement with the Securities and ExchangeCommission to issue 3 million shares of common stock in asecond public offering. A majority 2.25 million shares will beoffered in the United States and Canada, and the remainder willbe offered internationally. The underwriters are PaineWebberInc., Kidder, Peabody and Co. Inc., and Cowen and Co.GenzymeLs initial public offering of 2.6 million shares was inDecember 1989.

ROCHE PREPARES NDA FOR ddC

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. of Nutley, N.J., on Thursday said it ispreparing a new drug application for dideoxycytidine (ddC) forsubmission to the Food and Drug Administration. Rocheproposes to use ddC for AIDS and ARC (AIDS-related complex)patients who are unable to use AZT, the only FDA-approvedAIDS therapeutic. The company will also seek FDA approval touse ddC in combination with AZT. Roche hopes to have thesubmission completed by mid-year.

AZT and ddC belong to a family of compounds called nucleosideanalogs that inhibit replication of the AIDS virus by blocking akey enzyme, reverse transcriptase.

THERAPEUTIC TO BUILD PLANT IN WALES

Therapeutic Antibodies Inc. of Nashville, Tenn., last weekannounced plans to build a biological manufacturing facility inDyfed, Wales. The company will scale up production of its firstantibody-based products at the new plant, which will bepartially funded by the Welsh government. TherapeuticAntibodies is developing antibodies to serve as anti-depressantantidotes, anti-venom products and septic shock treatments.

WRF GETS TITLE TO PATENT

The Washington Research Foundation said it had obtained titleto an issued patent for an assay to measure metabolic boneresorption developed by a University of Washington scientist.The WRF, a non-profit foundation engaged in technologytransfer for research developed in the state, said thetechnology had been licensed to OSTEX International, a biotechstart-up in Seattle.

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