Chiron Corp. of Emeryville, Calif., which turned profitable in1990, predicted Tuesday at the Hambrecht & Quist Conferencein Life Sciences in San Francisco that it would reach $160million in revenues this year from diagnostic products. Chiron(NASDAQ:CHIR) makes tests for hepatitis C and hepatitis Bviruses, HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus) and HTLV-1.Chiron had $51 million in total revenues through threequarters in 1990.

Its Chiron Ophthalmics subsidiary could double revenues to$16 million if the Food and Drug Administration approves, asthe company expects, a soft, foldable intraocular lens for usefollowing cataract surgery.

U.S. Phase I clinical trials of Chiron's AIDS vaccine, based onHIV envelope protein gp120, have recently started, saidEdward E. Penhoet, Ph.D., Chiron's chief executive officer. Alsounder way are Phase II clinical trials of a vaccine to preventand treat herpes simplex virus infections.

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