OTHER NEWS - May 20, 1994

SciClone Reports on Hepatitis Drug: SciClone Pharmaceuticals said ongoing clinical trials of its treatment for chronic hepatitis B in Taiwan have not shown indications of drug toxicity or adverse reactions. However, the company warned against concluding that thymosin alpha 1 has been proven effective in treating Asian patients, because the results were based on a small number of patients in the early stages of testing. The stock of the San Mateo, Calif.-based biotechnology firm has fallen 60% since April, when the company announced results of drug testing in the United States that showed thymosin alpha 1 was no more effective in treating hepatitis B than plain water.