TREND WATCH

A roundup of business developments spotted by other publications.

Promising New Drugs: Glaxo Holdings PLC, a British pharmaceutical company, plans to work with IAF Bio-Chem International Inc. to bring IAF’s promising new anti-AIDS drug to market. Glaxo is licensed by IAF to produce and sell the drug, whose trade name is BCH-198, everywhere but in Canada and the United States, where the two companies have formed a joint venture to distribute it. The drug stops the AIDS virus from replicating and should be on the market by 1994, although positive test results may bring the date closer by as much as two years. Financial Post

Aiming Up: Ignoring the downturn, Target is expanding at full speed. The Minneapolis-based retailer is going on the offensive by opening four new stores near its home base, where Wal-Mart already has seven stores. Target’s strategy is to become more efficient by carrying less inventory in the new, smaller stores. Many of the new stores will be built in the small towns the firm previously left to Wal-Mart. City Business

Adding Spice: Americans are consuming a greater variety of herbs and spices. In 10 years, U.S. sales of spices and herbs have increased almost 50%, according to the American Spice Trade Assn., a trade group. The increase is attributed to consumers’ hunger for ethnic foods and salt alternatives. Biggest sellers are peppers of all kinds, followed by oregano and basil. Milwaukee Journal