OCLASSEN TAPS JOHNSON AS PRESIDENT, CEOOclassen Pharmaceuticals Inc. of San Rafael, Calif., is expectedto announce today the appointment of Terry Johnson aspresident and chief executive officer. He takes over fromfounder Glenn Oclassen, who is expected to be named chairman.

Johnson planned and executed Johnson & Johnson's entry intothe ophthalmic pharmaceuticals and also served for 18 years invarious capacities with Allergan Inc. of Irvine, Calif.

Oclassen plans to launch its first two products in this spring.The company's "flagship" product, Condylox, last monthreceived Food and Drug Administration approval as the firstpatient-applied prescription therapy for the treatment ofgenital warts.

The company also expects to introduce Monodox, a member ofthe tetracycline antibiotic family, which is used to treat acneand a wide variety of respiratory and genitourinary infections.

"With the FDA approval of Oclassen's main product and thecompletion of a significant co-marketing agreement, Oclassen isnow an operating company, and the senior managementexperience of Terry Johnson brings to the company is exactlywhat we need," said outgoing Oclassen Chairman Ned Olivier ofFairfield Venture Partners. "After four long years ofdevelopment and the FDA approval process, which took longerthan we had anticipated, we are now ready to go."

BIOCIRCUITS BOARD FORMS AMGEN CONNECTION

Biocircuits Corp. of Burlingame, Calif., named Harry Hixson,Amgen Inc.'s president and chief operating officer, and DavidRubenfien, former SyStemix chairman, to its board of directors.

Hixson was previously Amgen's senior vice president forbusiness operations and president of Quidel of San Diego. Healso held various management positions with Abbott Labs ofAbbott Park, Ill.

Rubenfien was formerly president and chief executive officerof SyStemix of Palo Alto, Calif., and Microgenics Corp. ofConcord, Calif.

Biocircuits develops in vitro diagnostics using direct detectionsystems based on ultrathin film technology.

GENENTECH APPOINTS VP OF SALES

Genentech Inc. of South San Francisco appointed EdmonJennings vice president of sales. Jennings, who was previouslyGenentech's western area sales manager, is responsible formanaging the company's national sales force.

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