HEALTH

Agouron to Seek AIDS Drug Approval: The La Jolla-based company’s shares rose 9% after it said it expects to file for U.S. regulatory approval of its AIDS drug Viracept by the end of the first quarter. Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc. shares surged $4.50 to close at $54.25 in Nasdaq trading of 771,300 shares, about triple the three-month daily average of 246,900. Agouron said the decision to seek the Food and Drug Administration’s approval is based on early results of a pivotal clinical test of Viracept. Viracept is one of a new class of drugs called protease inhibitors, which work by blocking the protease enzyme that the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, needs to reproduce. Other protease inhibitors are made by Merck & Co. and Abbott Laboratories.