Immune Response Cuts Costs, Shifts Work

A biotech company founded by the late Jonas Salk to find a cure for AIDS trimmed its work force by nearly a third, cut salaries and shifted some of its pharmaceutical work to a larger partner company. Carlsbad-based Immune Response announced the cost-cutting moves just a month after calling off a study of its Remune AIDS drug involving 2,500 patients. Company executives then said that it was difficult to find investors for new clinical trials. The company cut 43 employees, including a vice president, and remaining executives will take pay cuts, a spokesman said. The company will continue work on the Remune AIDS drug with San Diego-based Agouron Pharmaceuticals, which was recently acquired by health-care giant Warner-Lambert. Immune Response shares fell 19 cents to close at $5.44 on Nasdaq. Warner-Lambert fell $1.56 to close at $64.44 on the NYSE. The cuts were announced Monday.