FDA BLASTS ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCHIn an unusual public rebuke, the Food and Drug Administrationin a letter in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicinecriticized a research finding that the experimental drug tacrine,or THA, showed benefits in the treatment of Alzheimer'sdisease.

The initial 1986 report by Dr. William Summers of Arcadia,Calif., "led many to believe that a major breakthrough had beenmade in the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia," the FDAwrote.

Responding in the same issue, Summers wrote that the FDA'sview was "more in the nature of a personal attack on our groupthan ... a scientific critique." Summers' report in the NewEngland Journal said that THA produced "encouraging initialresults" in 17 Alzheimer's patients.

SYNERGEN DISTRIBUTES 1.1 MILLION SHARES

Synergen Inc. of Boulder, Colo., said Wednesday that 1.1 millionshares of its stock (NASDAQ:SYGN) were distributed to partnersof a venture fund run by E.M. Warburg, Pincus & Co. Warburgitself still owns 1.3 million shares, or 12 percent of Synergenstock.

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