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                                                                    Exhibit 99.8

                                LICENSE AGREEMENT

                                     BETWEEN

                        ELAN PHARMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

                                       AND

                              ATRIX NEWCO, LIMITED


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                                TABLE OF CONTENTS


      
1        DEFINITIONS

2        ELAN LICENSE TO NEWCO

3        INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

4        AFTER ACQUIRED TECHNOLOGY

5        FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

6        RIGHT OF INSPECTION AND AUDIT

7        REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

8        TERM AND TERMINATION

9        CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

10       GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION

11       IMPOSSIBILITY OF PERFORMANCE - FORCE MAJEURE

12       ASSIGNMENT

13       NOTICES

14       MISCELLANEOUS



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THIS AGREEMENT made this 18 July, 2000

BETWEEN:

(1)      ELAN PHARMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED incorporated under the laws of
         Ireland, and having its registered office at WIL House, Shannon
         Business Park, Shannon, County Clare, Ireland ("EPIL");

(2)      ATRIX NEWCO, LTD., an exempted limited liability company incorporated
         under the laws of Bermuda and having its registered office at Clarendon
         House, 2 Church St., Hamilton, Bermuda ("NEWCO"); and

(3)      ATRIX LABORATORIES, INC., a corporation duly incorporated and validly
         existing under the laws of State of Delaware and having its principal
         place of business at 2579 Midpoint Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525-4417,
         United States of America.

RECITALS:

A.       Simultaneously herewith, Atrix, Elan, EIS, and Newco are entering into
         the JDOA for the purpose of recording the terms and conditions of the
         joint venture and of regulating their relationship with each other and
         certain aspects of the affairs of, and their dealings with Newco.

B.       Newco desires to enter into this Agreement with Elan so as to permit
         Newco to utilize the Elan Intellectual Property in making, having made,
         importing, using, offering for sale and selling the Products in the
         Field in the Territory.

C.       Simultaneously herewith Newco and Atrix are entering into the Atrix
         License Agreement relating to Newco's use of the Atrix Intellectual
         Property.

1        DEFINITIONS

1.1      In this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires:

         "AFFILIATE" shall mean any corporation or entity controlling,
         controlled or under the common control of Elan or Atrix, as the case
         may be, excluding an Elan JV. For the purpose of this definition,
         "control" shall mean direct or indirect ownership of fifty percent
         (50%) or more of the stock or shares entitled to vote for the election
         of directors. Newco is not an Affiliate of Elan or EIS.


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         "AGREEMENT" shall mean this license agreement (which expression shall
         be deemed to include the Recitals and Schedules hereto).

         "ATRIGEL(R) TECHNOLOGY" shall have the meaning as such term is defined
         in the Atrix License Agreement.

         "ATRIX" shall mean Atrix Laboratories, Inc. and its Affiliates.

         "ATRIX INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY" shall mean the Atrix Know-How, the Atrix
         Patents and the Atrix Improvements.

         "ATRIX KNOW-HOW" shall have the meaning as such term is defined in the
         Atrix License Agreement.

         "ATRIX LICENSE" shall mean have the meaning set forth in Clause 2.1 of
         the Atrix License Agreement.

         "ATRIX LICENSE AGREEMENT" shall mean that certain license agreement, of
         even date herewith, entered into between Atrix and Newco.

         "ATRIX PATENTS" shall have the meaning as such term is defined in the
         Atrix License Agreement.

         "ATRIX IMPROVEMENTS" shall have the meaning as such term is defined in
         the Atrix License Agreement.

         "BEMA(TM) TECHNOLOGY" shall have the meaning as such term is defined in
         the Atrix License Agreement.

         "BUSINESS PLAN" shall have the meaning, as such term is defined in the
         JDOA.

         "COMPOUNDS" shall mean the compounds, up to a maximum of three, which
         shall be nominated and approved by the Management Committee in
         accordance with Clause 2 of the JDOA.

         "CHANGE OF CONTROL OF ATRIX/NEWCO" shall mean circumstances where:

         (i)      a Technological Competitor of Elan shall, directly or
                  indirectly, acquire [**]% or more of the voting stock of Atrix
                  or Newco, or otherwise control or influence in any material
                  respect their management or business or otherwise have entered
                  into any joint venture, collaborative, license or other
                  arrangement with Atrix or Newco, as the case may be, to such
                  an extent that such a Technological


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                  Competitor of Elan is materially engaged or involved with the
                  business or development of Atrix or Newco, as the case may be;
                  or

         (ii)     after the date of this Agreement, any person shall, directly
                  or indirectly, acquire [**]% or more of the then voting stock
                  of Atrix or Newco, or otherwise merge, consolidate or enter
                  into any similar transaction (or binding agreement in respect
                  thereof) with Atrix or Newco.

         "CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION" shall have the meaning, as such term is
         defined in Clause 9.

         "DEFINITIVE DOCUMENTS" shall mean the definitive agreements relating to
         the transaction including finance, stock purchase, research and license
         agreements.

         "EFFECTIVE DATE" shall mean the date of this Agreement.

         "EIS" shall mean Elan International Services, Ltd., a Bermuda exempted
         limited liability company having its registered office at Clarendon
         House, 2 Church St., Hamilton, Bermuda.

         "ELAN" shall mean EPIL.

         "ELAN IMPROVEMENTS" shall mean improvements to the Elan Patents and/or
         the Elan Know-How, developed (i) by Elan whether or not pursuant to the
         Project, (ii) by Newco or Atrix or by a third party (under contract
         with Newco) pursuant to the Project, and/or (iii) jointly by any
         combination of Elan, Atrix or Newco pursuant to the Project, except as
         limited by agreements with third parties.

         Subject to third party agreements, Elan Improvements shall constitute
         part of Elan Intellectual Property and be included in the license of
         the Elan Intellectual Property pursuant to Clause 2.1 solely for the
         purposes set forth therein. If the inclusion of a Elan Improvement in
         the license of Elan Intellectual Property is restricted or limited by a
         third party agreement, Elan shall use reasonable commercial efforts to
         minimize any such restriction or limitation.

         "ELAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY" shall mean the Elan Know-How, the Elan
         Patents and the Elan Improvements.

         For the avoidance of doubt, Elan Intellectual Property shall exclude
         inventions, patents and know-how owned, licensed or controlled by The
         Liposome Company, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Axogen Limited and
         Neuralab Limited and by all Affiliates or subsidiaries (present or
         future) of Elan Corporation, plc. within the division of Elan
         Corporation, plc. carrying on business as Elan Pharmaceuticals which
         incorporates, inter alia, EPIL (only to the extent that it is the owner
         of patents, know-how or other intellectual property or technology
         invented and/or developed within the division of Elan Corporation, plc.


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         carrying on business as Elan Pharmaceuticals, Athena Neurosciences,
         Inc., Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Elan Europe Limited.

         "ELAN JV" shall mean an entity that Elan and a third party (i)
         establish or has established, (ii) take shareholdings in or have a
         right to take shareholdings in, and (iii) grant certain licenses in and
         to certain intellectual property rights for the purpose of implementing
         a strategic alliance.

         "ELAN KNOW-HOW" shall, subject to Clause 4.1, mean any and all rights
         owned, licensed or controlled by Elan to any discovery, invention
         (whether patentable or not), know-how, substances, data, techniques,
         processes, systems, formulations, designs, expertise and information
         owned by Elan relating to the NanoCrystal(TM) Technology.

         "ELAN LICENSE" shall have the meaning set forth in Clause 2.1.

         "ELAN PATENTS" shall, subject to Clause 4.1, mean any and all rights
         under any and all patent applications and/or patents, now existing,
         currently pending or hereafter filed or obtained or licensed by Elan
         relating to NanoCrystal(TM) Technology, examples of which are set forth
         in Schedule 1, and any foreign counterparts thereof and all
         divisionals, continuations, continuations-in-part, any foreign
         counterparts thereof and all patents issuing on, any of the foregoing,
         together with all registrations, reissues, re-examinations or
         extensions thereof.

         "EPIL PATENTS" shall mean the Elan Patents owned by EPIL.

         "FIELD" shall mean the administration of the Products for pain
         management or oncology indications.

         "FINANCIAL YEAR" shall mean each year commencing on 1 January (or in
         the case of the first Financial Year, the Effective Date) and expiring
         on 31 December of each year.

         "IN MARKET" shall mean the sale of the Product in the Territory by
         Newco or its Affiliates, or where applicable by a permitted
         sub-licensee, to an unaffiliated third party, such as (i) the end-user
         consumer of the Product (ii) a wholesaler, managed care organization,
         hospital or pharmacy or other third party who effects the final
         commercial sale to the end-user consumer of the Product, and shall
         exclude the transfer pricing of the Product(s) by Newco to an Affiliate
         or a sub-licensee.

         "JDOA" shall mean that certain subscription, joint development and
         operating agreement, of even date herewith, by and between Elan, Atrix,
         EIS and Newco.

         "LICENSED TECHNOLOGIES" shall mean the Elan Intellectual Property and
         the Atrix Intellectual Property.


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         "LICENSES" shall mean the Elan License and the Atrix License.

         "MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE" shall have the meaning, as such term is defined
         in the JDOA.

         "NANOCRYSTAL(TM) TECHNOLOGY" shall mean the EPIL proprietary [**].

         "NEWCO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY" shall mean all rights to patents,
         know-how and other intellectual property arising during and as a direct
         result of the conduct of the Project by any person, including any
         technology acquired by Newco from a third party, that does not
         constitute either Elan Intellectual Property or Atrix Intellectual
         Property. For the avoidance of doubt, patents, know-how and other
         intellectual property, including all pre-clinical and clinical trial,
         on the Products, and all correspondence with and submissions to
         government agencies for marketing or other regulatory approval of the
         Products shall be deemed Newco Intellectual Property.

         "NEWCO PATENTS" shall mean any and all patents now existing, currently
         pending or hereafter filed or obtained or licensed by Newco relating to
         the Newco Intellectual Property, and any foreign counterparts thereof
         and all divisionals, continuations, continuations-in-part, any foreign
         counterparts thereof and all patents issuing on, any of the foregoing,
         together with all registrations, reissues, re-examinations or
         extensions thereof.

         "PARTY" shall mean Elan or Newco, as the case may be, and "PARTIES"
         shall mean Elan and Newco.

         "PRODUCTS" shall mean formulations of the Compounds utilizing, in no
         particular order, (i) the Atrigel(R) Technology or BEMA(TM) Technology,
         (ii) the NanoCrystal(TM) Technology and the BEMA(TM) Technology, or
         (iii) the NanoCrystal(TM) Technology and the Atrigel(R) Technology, as
         developed by or on behalf of Newco pursuant to the Project.

         "PROJECT" shall mean all activities as undertaken by Elan, Atrix and
         Newco in order to develop the Products.

         "R&D COMMITTEE" shall have the meaning, as such term is defined in the
         JDOA.

         "R&D PLAN" shall have the meaning, as such term is defined in the JDOA.

         "TECHNOLOGICAL COMPETITOR OF ELAN" shall mean a company, corporation or
         person listed in Schedule 2 and successors thereof or [**] added to
         such Schedule from time to time upon mutual agreement of the Parties


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         "TERM" shall have the meaning set forth in Clause 8.

         "TERRITORY" shall mean all the countries of the world.

         "UNITED STATES DOLLAR" and "US$" shall mean the lawful currency for the
         time being of the United States of America.

1.2      In this Agreement:

         1.2.1    The singular includes the plural and vice versa, and the
                  masculine includes the feminine and vice versa and the neuter
                  includes the masculine and the feminine.

         1.2.2    Any reference to a Clause or Schedule shall, unless otherwise
                  specifically provided, be to a Clause or Schedule of this
                  Agreement.

         1.2.3    The headings of this Agreement are for ease of reference only
                  and shall not affect its construction or interpretation.

2        ELAN LICENSE TO NEWCO

2.1      Elan hereby grants to Newco for the Term [**] license (the "ELAN
         LICENSE") of the Elan Intellectual Property to make, have made, import,
         use, offer for sale and sell the Products in the Field in the
         Territory, subject to any contractual obligations that Elan has as of
         the date of nomination of the Compounds, including but not limited to
         the Development License and Supply Agreement dated 26 July 1999 between
         Elan Pharma International Limited and Merck Corporation.

2.2      Elan shall be responsible for payments related to the financial
         provisions and obligations of any third party agreement with respect to
         the Elan Intellectual Property to which it is a party on the Effective
         Date (including amendments thereto) (the "ELAN EFFECTIVE DATE
         AGREEMENTS"), including without limitation, any royalty or other
         compensation obligations triggered thereunder on the Effective Date, or
         triggered thereunder after the Effective Date.

         For the avoidance of doubt, royalties, milestones or other payments
         which arise from the process of the commercialization or exploitation
         of products under the Elan Effective Date Agreements (for example, a
         milestone payment payable upon successful completion of Phase II
         clinical trials, the filing of an NDA application, obtaining NDA
         approval, or first commercial sale) shall be payments for which Elan
         will be responsible under this Clause 2.2.

2.3      Atrix shall be a third party beneficiary under this Agreement and shall
         have the right to cause Newco to enforce Newco's rights under this
         Agreement against Elan.


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2.4      Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary,
         Elan shall have the right outside the Field to exploit and grant
         licenses and sublicenses of the Elan Intellectual Property.

         For the avoidance of doubt, Newco shall have no right to use the Elan
         Intellectual Property outside the Field.

2.5      Except as provided in Clause 11 of the JDOA, Newco shall not be
         permitted to assign, license or sublicense any of its rights under the
         Elan Intellectual Property without the prior consent in writing of
         Elan.

2.6      Any agreement between Newco and any permitted third party for the
         development or exploitation of the Elan Intellectual Property shall
         require such third party to maintain the confidentiality of all
         information concerning the Elan Intellectual Property.

         Insofar as the obligations owed by Newco to Elan are concerned, Newco
         shall remain responsible for all acts and omissions of any permitted
         sub-licensee, including Atrix, as if they were acts and omissions by
         Newco.

3        INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

3.1      OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY:

         3.1.1    Newco shall own the Newco Intellectual Property.

         3.1.2    Elan shall own the Elan Intellectual Property.

4        [**]

5        FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

5.1      LICENSE FEE:

         In consideration of the license by EPIL to Newco of the EPIL Patents
         under Clause 2, Newco shall pay to EPIL a [**] license fee of $15
         million in cash (the "LICENSE FEE"), the receipt of which is hereby
         acknowledged by EPIL.

         [**]


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         The terms of this Clause 5.1 relating to the License Fee are
         independent and distinct from the other terms of this Agreement.

5.2      ROYALTIES:

         Prior to the commercialization of the Products, the Management
         Committee shall consider and if appropriate, determine reasonable
         royalties with respect to the commercialization of the Products by
         Newco that shall be payable by Newco to Elan and Atrix, and [**].

         At such time, the Management Committee will agree an appropriate
         definition of "Net Sales" as such term is used in this Agreement.

         The provisions set forth in Clauses 5.3 to 5.8 and 6 relate to the
         payment of any royalties which the Management Committee may determine
         to be payable by Newco to Elan under this Agreement.

5.3      Payment of royalties pursuant to Clause 5.2 shall be made quarterly in
         arrears during each Financial Year within 30 days after the expiry of
         the calendar quarter. The method of payment shall be by wire transfer
         to an account specified by Elan. Each payment made to Elan shall be
         accompanied by a true accounting of all Products sold by Newco's
         permitted sublicensees, if any, during such quarter.

         Such accounting shall show, on a country-by-country and
         Product-by-Product basis, Net Sales (and the calculation thereof) and
         each calculation of royalties with respect thereto, including the
         calculation of all adjustments and currency conversions.

5.4      Newco shall maintain and keep clear, detailed, complete, accurate and
         separate records for a period of 3 years:

         5.4.1    to enable any royalties on Net Sales that shall have accrued
                  hereunder to be determined; and

         5.4.2    to enable any deductions made in the Net Sales calculation to
                  be determined.

5.5      All payments due hereunder shall be made in United States Dollars.
         Payments due on Net Sales of any Product for each calendar quarter made
         in a currency other than United States Dollars shall first be
         calculated in the foreign currency and then converted to United States
         Dollars on the basis of the exchange rate in effect on the last working
         day for such quarter for the purchase of United States Dollars with
         such foreign currency quoted in the Wall Street Journal (or comparable
         publication if not quoted in the Wall Street Journal) with respect to
         the currency of the country of origin of such payment, determined by
         averaging the rates so quoted on each business day of such quarter.


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5.6      If, at any time, legal restrictions in the Territory prevent the prompt
         payment when due of royalties or any portion thereof, the Parties shall
         meet to discuss suitable and reasonable alternative methods of paying
         Elan the amount of such royalties. In the event that Newco is prevented
         from making any payment under this Agreement by virtue of the statutes,
         laws, codes or government regulations of the country from which the
         payment is to be made, then such payments may be paid by depositing
         them in the currency in which they accrue to Elan's account in a bank
         acceptable to Elan in the country the currency of which is involved or
         as otherwise agreed by the Parties.

5.7      Elan and Newco agree to co-operate in all respects necessary to take
         advantage of any double taxation agreements or similar agreements as
         may, from time to time, be available.

5.8      Any taxes payable by Elan on any payment made to Elan pursuant to this
         Agreement shall be for the account of Elan. If so required by
         applicable law, any payment made pursuant to this Agreement shall be
         made by Newco after deduction of the appropriate withholding tax, in
         which event the Parties shall co-operate to obtain the appropriate tax
         clearance as soon as is practicable. On receipt of such clearance,
         Newco shall forthwith arrange payment to Elan of the amount so
         withheld.


6        RIGHT OF INSPECTION AND AUDIT

6.1      Once during each Financial Year, or more often not to exceed quarterly
         as reasonably requested by Elan, Newco shall permit Elan or its duly
         authorized representatives, upon reasonable notice and at any
         reasonable time during normal business hours, to have access to inspect
         and audit the accounts and records of Newco and any other book, record,
         voucher, receipt or invoice relating to the calculation of the royalty
         payments on Net Sales submitted to Elan.

         Any such inspection of Newco's records shall be at the expense of Elan,
         except that if any such inspection reveals a deficiency in the amount
         of the royalty actually paid to Elan hereunder in any Financial Year
         quarter of [**]% or more of the amount of any royalty actually due to
         Elan hereunder, then the expense of such inspection shall be borne
         solely by Newco. Any amount of deficiency shall be paid promptly to
         Elan by Newco.

         If such inspection reveals a surplus in the amount of royalties
         actually paid to Elan by Newco, Elan shall reimburse Newco the surplus
         within 15 days after determination.

6.2      In the event of any unresolved dispute regarding any alleged deficiency
         or overpayment of royalty payments hereunder, the matter will be
         referred to an independent firm of chartered accountants chosen by
         agreement of Atrix and Elan for a resolution of such dispute. Any
         decision by the said firm of chartered accountants shall be binding on
         the Parties.


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7        REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

7.1      Elan represents and warrants to Newco and Atrix, as of the Effective
         Date, as follows:

         7.1      Elan has the right to grant the Elan License.

         7.2      There are no agreements between Elan and any third party that
                  conflict with the Elan License.

         7.3      to the best of Elan's knowledge, there are no proceedings
                  pending or threatened against Elan in connection with the Elan
                  Intellectual Property in relation to the Field.

7.2      In addition to any other indemnities provided for herein, Elan shall
         indemnify and hold harmless Newco and its Affiliates and their
         respective employees, agents, officers and directors from and against
         any claims, losses, liabilities or damages (including reasonable
         attorney's fees and expenses) incurred or sustained by Newco arising
         out of or in connection with any:

         7.2.1    breach of any representation, covenant, warranty or obligation
                  by Elan hereunder; or

         7.2.2    negligent act or omission on the part of Elan or any of its
                  respective employees, agents, officers and directors in the
                  performance of this Agreement.

7.3      In addition to any other indemnities provided for herein, Newco shall
         indemnify and hold harmless Elan and its Affiliates and their
         respective employees, agents, officers and directors from and against
         any claims, losses, liabilities or damages (including reasonable
         attorney's fees and expenses) incurred or sustained by Elan arising out
         of or in connection with any:

         7.3.1    breach of any representation, covenant, warranty or obligation
                  by Newco hereunder; or

         7.3.2    negligent act or omission on the part of Newco or any of its
                  agents or employees in the performance of this Agreement.

7.4      The Party seeking an indemnity shall:

         7.4.1    fully and promptly notify the other Party of any claim or
                  proceeding, or threatened claim or proceeding;


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         7.4.2    permit the indemnifying Party to take full care and control of
                  such claim or proceeding;

         7.4.3    co-operate in the investigation and defense of such claim or
                  proceeding;

         7.4.4    not compromise or otherwise settle any such claim or
                  proceeding without the prior written consent of the other
                  Party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld
                  conditioned or delayed; and

         7.4.5    take all reasonable steps to mitigate any loss or liability in
                  respect of any such claim or proceeding.

7.5      EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN THIS CLAUSE 7, ELAN IS GRANTING THE LICENSE
         HEREUNDER ON AN "AS IS" BASIS WITHOUT REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY
         WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
         FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY
         RIGHTS, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED.

7.6      NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THIS AGREEMENT, ELAN AND
         NEWCO SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER BY REASON OF ANY REPRESENTATION
         OR WARRANTY, CONDITION OR OTHER TERM OR ANY DUTY OF COMMON LAW, OR
         UNDER THE EXPRESS TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL,
         SPECIAL OR INCIDENTAL OR PUNITIVE LOSS OR DAMAGE (WHETHER FOR LOSS OF
         PROFITS OR OTHERWISE) AND WHETHER OCCASIONED BY THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE
         RESPECTIVE PARTIES, THEIR EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS OR OTHERWISE.

8.       TERM AND TERMINATION

8.1      The term of this Agreement shall commence as of the Effective Date and
         shall, subject to the rights of termination outlined in this Clause 8,
         expire on a Product-by-Product basis and on a country-by-country basis
         on the last to occur of:

         8.1.1    [**] years starting from the date of the first commercial sale
                  of the Product in the country concerned; or

         8.1.2    the date of expiration of the last to expire of the patents
                  included in the Elan Patents and the Elan Improvements and/or
                  the Atrix Patents and the Atrix Improvements


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         ("THE TERM")

8.2      If either Party commits a Relevant Event, the other Party shall have,
         in addition to all other legal and equitable rights and remedies
         hereunder, the right to terminate this Agreement upon 30 days' prior
         written notice to the defaulting Party.

8.3      For the purpose of this Clause 8, a "RELEVANT EVENT" is committed or
         suffered by a Party if:

         8.3.1    it commits a material breach of its obligations under this
                  Agreement or the JDOA and fails to cure it within 60 days of
                  being specifically required in writing to do so by the other
                  Party; provided, that if the breaching Party has proposed a
                  course of action to cure the breach and is acting in good
                  faith to cure same but has not cured the breach by the 60th
                  day, such period shall be extended by such period as is
                  reasonably necessary to permit the breach to be cured,
                  provided that such period shall not be extended by more than
                  90 days, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Parties;

         8.3.2    a distress, execution, sequestration or other process is
                  levied or enforced upon or sued out against a material part of
                  its property which is not discharged or challenged within 30
                  days;

         8.3.3    it is unable to pay its debts in the normal course of
                  business;

         8.3.4    it ceases wholly or substantially to carry on its business,
                  otherwise than for the purpose of a reconstruction or
                  amalgamation, without the prior written consent of the other
                  Party (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld);

         8.3.5    the appointment of a liquidator, receiver, administrator,
                  examiner, trustee or similar officer of such Party or over all
                  or substantially all of its assets under the law of any
                  applicable jurisdiction, including without limitation, the
                  United States of America, Bermuda or Ireland;

         8.3.6    an application or petition for bankruptcy, corporate
                  re-organization, composition, administration, examination,
                  arrangement or any other procedure similar to any of the
                  foregoing under the law of any applicable jurisdiction,
                  including without limitation, the United States of America,
                  Bermuda or Ireland, is filed, and is not discharged within 60
                  days, or a Party applies for or consents to the appointment of
                  a receiver, administrator, examiner or similar officer of it
                  or of all or a material part of its assets, rights or revenues
                  or the assets and/or the business of a Party are for any
                  reason seized, confiscated or condemned.

8.4      Elan shall be entitled to forthwith terminate this Agreement by notice
         in writing to Atrix in the event of a Change of Control of Atrix/Newco.


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8.5      Upon expiration or termination of the Agreement:

         8.5.1    any sums that were due from Newco to Elan on Net Sales in the
                  Territory or in such particular country or countries in the
                  Territory (as the case may be) prior to the expiration or
                  termination of this Agreement as set forth herein shall be
                  paid in full within 60 days after the expiration or
                  termination of this Agreement for the Territory or for such
                  particular country or countries in the Territory (as the case
                  may be);

         8.5.2    any provisions that expressly survive termination or
                  expiration of this Agreement, including without limitation
                  this Clause 8, shall remain in full force and effect;

         8.5.3    all representations, warranties and indemnities shall insofar
                  as are appropriate remain in full force and effect;

         8.5.4    the rights of inspection and audit set out in Clause 6 shall
                  continue in force for a period of one year; and

         8.5.5    subject to Clause 8.5.7, all rights and licenses granted to
                  Newco pursuant to this Agreement and to the Elan Intellectual
                  Property pursuant to the JDOA (including the intellectual
                  property rights of Newco pursuant to Clause 10 of the JDOA)
                  shall cease for the Territory or for such particular country
                  or countries in the Territory (as the case may be) and shall
                  revert to or be transferred to Elan, and Newco shall not
                  thereafter use in the Territory or in such particular country
                  or countries in the Territory (as the case may be) any rights
                  covered by this Agreement;

         8.5.6    Elan shall have the right to exploit and commercialize,
                  including the right to grant sub-licenses, the Newco
                  Intellectual Property [**]. Atrix shall have the right to
                  exploit and commercialize, including the right to grant
                  sub-licenses, the Newco Intellectual Property [**].

                  All rights to Newco Intellectual Property and any other
                  technology, patents and know-how belonging to Newco [**] shall
                  be transferred to and be jointly owned by Elan and Atrix and
                  may be exploited by a Party with the written consent of the
                  other Party such consent not to be unreasonably withheld
                  provided that nothing hereunder shall grant, or be construed
                  to grant, a license to the other party under the Elan
                  Intellectual Property or the Atrix Intellectual Property.

                  In the event of a dispute arising pursuant to this Clause
                  8.5.6, Elan and Atrix agree to negotiate in good faith on the
                  course of action to be taken with respect to determining their
                  respective entitlements pursuant to this Clause 8.5.6.


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         8.5.7    the rights of permitted third party sub-licensees in and to
                  the Elan Intellectual Property shall survive the termination
                  of the license and sublicense agreements granting said
                  intellectual property rights to Newco; and Newco, Elan and
                  Atrix shall in good faith agree upon the form most
                  advantageous to Elan and Atrix in which the rights of Newco
                  under any such licenses and sublicenses are to be held (which
                  form may include continuation of Newco solely as the holder of
                  such licenses or assignment of such rights to a third party or
                  parties, including an assignment to both Elan and Atrix).

                  Any sublicense agreement between Newco and such permitted
                  sublicensee shall permit an assignment of rights by Newco and
                  shall contain appropriate confidentiality provisions.


9        CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

9.1      The Parties agree that it will be necessary, from time to time, to
         disclose to each other confidential and proprietary information,
         including without limitation, inventions, works of authorship, trade
         secrets, specifications, designs, data, know-how and other proprietary
         information relating to the Field, the Products, processes, services
         and business of the disclosing Party.

         The foregoing shall be referred to collectively as "CONFIDENTIAL
         INFORMATION".

9.2      Any Confidential Information disclosed by one Party to another Party
         shall be used by the receiving Party exclusively for the purposes of
         fulfilling the receiving Party's obligations under this Agreement and
         the JDOA and for no other purpose.

9.3      Save as otherwise specifically provided herein, each Party shall
         disclose Confidential Information of the other Party only to those
         employees, representatives and agents requiring knowledge thereof in
         connection with fulfilling the Party's obligations under this
         Agreement. Each Party further agrees to inform all such employees,
         representatives and agents of the terms and provisions of this
         Agreement and their duties hereunder and to obtain their agreement
         hereto as a condition of receiving Confidential Information. Each Party
         shall exercise the same standard of care as it would itself exercise in
         relation to its own confidential information (but in no event less than
         a reasonable standard of care) to protect and preserve the proprietary
         and confidential nature of the Confidential Information disclosed to it
         by the other Party. Each Party shall, upon request of the other Party,
         return all documents and any copies thereof containing Confidential
         Information belonging to, or disclosed by, such other Party provided
         that receiving Party may retain one complete set of Confidential
         Information provided by the disclosing Party in its legal files to show
         compliance with the Agreement.


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9.4      Any breach of this Clause 9 by any person informed by one of the
         Parties is considered a breach by the Party itself.

9.5      Confidential Information shall not be deemed to include:

         9.5.1    information that is in the public domain;

         9.5.2    information which is made public through no breach of this
                  Agreement;

         9.5.3    information which is independently developed by a Party as
                  evidenced by such Party's records; or

         9.5.4    information that becomes available to a Party on a
                  non-confidential basis, whether directly or indirectly, from a
                  source other than a Party, which source did not acquire this
                  information on a confidential basis.

9.6      The receiving Party will be entitled to disclose Confidential
         Information which the receiving Party is required to disclose pursuant
         to:

         9.6.1    a valid order of a court or other governmental body; or

         9.6.2    any other requirement of law;

         provided that if the receiving Party becomes legally required to
         disclose any Confidential Information, the receiving Party shall give
         the disclosing Party prompt notice of such fact so that the disclosing
         Party may obtain a protective order or other appropriate remedy
         concerning any such disclosure. The receiving Party shall fully
         co-operate with the disclosing Party in connection with the disclosing
         Party's efforts to obtain any such order or other remedy. If any such
         order or other remedy does not fully preclude disclosure, the receiving
         Party shall make such disclosure only to the extent that such
         disclosure is legally required.

9.7      The provisions relating to confidentiality in this Clause 9 shall
         remain in effect during the term of this Agreement, and for a period of
         [**] following the expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement.

9.8      The Parties agree that the obligations of this Clause 9 are necessary
         and reasonable in order to protect the Parties' respective businesses,
         and each Party agrees that monetary damages would be inadequate to
         compensate a Party for any breach by the other Party of its covenants
         and agreements set forth herein.

         Accordingly, the Parties agree that any such violation or threatened
         violation may cause irreparable injury to a Party and that, in addition
         to any other remedies that may be available, in law and equity or
         otherwise, each Party shall be entitled to seek injunctive


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         relief against the threatened breach of the provisions of this Clause
         9, or a continuation of any such breach by the other Party, specific
         performance and other equitable relief to redress such breach together
         with its damages and reasonable counsel fees and expenses to enforce
         its rights hereunder, without the necessity of proving actual or
         express damages.


10       GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION

10.1     This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
         the laws of the State of New York.

10.2     The Parties will attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute arising
         out of or relating to this Agreement promptly by negotiation between
         executives of the Parties. In the event that such negotiations do not
         result in a mutually acceptable resolution, the Parties agree to
         consider other dispute resolution mechanisms including mediation.

         In the event that the Parties fail to agree on a mutually acceptable
         dispute resolution mechanism, any such dispute shall be finally settled
         by the courts of competent jurisdiction. For the purposes of this
         Agreement the parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the
         courts of the State of New York.

11       IMPOSSIBILITY OF PERFORMANCE - FORCE MAJEURE

         Neither Elan nor Newco shall be liable for delay in the performance of
         any of its obligations hereunder if such delay results from causes
         beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of
         God, fires, strikes, acts of war, intervention of a government
         authority, provided that the Party whose performance is delayed or
         prevented shall continue to use good faith diligent efforts to
         mitigate, avoid or end such delay or failure in performance as soon as
         practicable.

12       ASSIGNMENT

         This Agreement may not be assigned by either Party without the prior
         written consent of the other, save that either Party may assign this
         Agreement to its Affiliates or subsidiaries without such prior written
         consent; provided that such assignment does not have any adverse tax
         consequences on the other Party.


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13       NOTICES

13.1     Any notice to be given under this Agreement shall be sent in writing in
         English by registered airmail, or reputable overnight courier such as
         Federal Express or telefaxed to the following addresses:

         If to Newco at:

         Clarendon House,
         2 Church St.,
         Hamilton,
         Bermuda
         Attention:        Secretary
         Telephone:        441 292 9169
         Fax:              441 292 2224

         with a copy to Elan at:

         Elan Corporation, plc
         102 St. James Court
         Flatts, Smiths FL04
         Bermuda
         Attention:        President
         Telephone:        441-292-9169
         Fax:              441-292-2224

         If to Atrix at:

         Atrix Laboratories, Inc.
         2579 Midpoint Drive
         Fort Collins
         CO 80525-4417
         USA
         Attn:             Chief Executive Officer
         Telephone         970-482-5868
         Fax:              970-482-9735

         with a copy to:

         Morrison & Foerster LLP
         5200 Republic Plaza
         370 17th Street
         Denver, Colorado 80202-5638
         Attention:        Warren L. Troupe, Esq.
         Telephone:        303-592-2255
         Fax:              303-592-1510


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         If to Elan at:

         Elan Pharma International Limited
         102 St. James Court
         Flatts, Smiths FL04
         Bermuda
         Attention:        President
         Telephone:        441-292-9169
         Fax:              441-292-2224

         or to such other address(es) and telefax numbers as may from time to
         time be notified by either Party to the other hereunder.

13.2     Any notice sent by mail shall be deemed to have been delivered within 7
         working days after dispatch; any notice sent by courier shall be deemed
         to have been delivered on the fourth (4th) business day following the
         date of deposit with such courier service, or such earlier delivery
         date as may be confirmed to the sender by such courier service and any
         notice sent by telex or telefax shall be deemed to have been delivered
         within 24 hours of the time of the dispatch. Notice of change of
         address shall be effective upon receipt.



14       MISCELLANEOUS

14.1     WAIVER:

         No waiver of any right under this Agreement shall be deemed effective
         unless contained in a written document signed by the Party charged with
         such waiver, and no waiver of any breach or failure to perform shall be
         deemed to be a waiver of any other breach or failure to perform or of
         any other right arising under this Agreement.

14.2     SEVERABILITY:

         If any provision in this Agreement is agreed by the Parties to be, or
         is deemed to be, or becomes invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable
         under any law that is applicable hereto:

         14.2.1   such provision will be deemed amended to conform to applicable
                  laws so as to be valid and enforceable; or


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         14.2.2   if it cannot be so amended without materially altering the
                  intention of the Parties, it will be deleted, with effect from
                  the date of such agreement or such earlier date as the Parties
                  may agree, and the validity, legality and enforceability of
                  the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be
                  impaired or affected in any way.

14.3     FURTHER ASSURANCES:

         At the request of any of the Parties, the other Party or Parties shall
         (and shall use reasonable efforts to procure that any other necessary
         parties shall) execute and perform all such documents, acts and things
         as may reasonably be required subsequent to the signing of this
         Agreement for assuring to or vesting in the requesting Party the full
         benefit of the terms hereof.

14.4     SUCCESSORS:

         This Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the
         Parties hereto, their successors and permitted assigns.

14.5     NO EFFECT ON OTHER AGREEMENTS/CONFLICT:

         No provision of this Agreement shall be construed so as to negate,
         modify or affect in any way the provisions of any other agreement
         between the Parties unless specifically referred to, and solely to the
         extent provided herein.

         In the event of a conflict between the provisions of this Agreement and
         the provisions of the JDOA, the terms of the JDOA shall prevail unless
         this Agreement specifically provides otherwise.

14.6     AMENDMENTS:

         No amendment, modification or addition hereto shall be effective or
         binding on any Party unless set forth in writing and executed by a duly
         authorized representative of each Party.

14.7     COUNTERPARTS:

         This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of
         which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of
         which when taken together shall constitute this Agreement.

14.8     GOOD FAITH:

         Each Party undertakes to do all things reasonably within its power
         which are necessary or desirable to give effect to the spirit and
         intent of this Agreement.


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14.9     NO RELIANCE:

         Each Party hereby acknowledges that in entering into this Agreement it
         has not relied on any representation or warranty save as expressly set
         out herein or in any document referred to herein.

14.10    RELATIONSHIP OF THE PARTIES:

         Nothing contained in this Agreement is intended or is to be construed
         to constitute Elan and Newco as partners, or Elan as an employee of
         Newco, or Newco as an employee of Elan.

         Neither Party hereto shall have any express or implied right or
         authority to assume or create any obligations on behalf of or in the
         name of the other Party or to bind the other Party to any contract,
         agreement or undertaking with any third party.


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                                   SCHEDULE 1

                           REPRESENTATIVE ELAN PATENTS

[**]


                                       23
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                                   SCHEDULE 2

                        TECHNOLOGICAL COMPETITORS OF ELAN

[**]


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IN WITNESS WHEREOF the Parties hereto have executed this Agreement.

SIGNED


BY: /s/ KEVIN INSLEY
    --------------------
Kevin Insley
Authorized Signatory on behalf of
ELAN PHARMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED



SIGNED


BY: /s/ DAVID R. BETHUNE
    --------------------
David R. Bethune
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
ATRIX NEWCO, LIMITED



AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED BY
ATRIX LABORATORIES, INC.


BY: /s/ DAVID R. BETHUNE
    --------------------
David R. Bethune
For and on behalf of
ATRIX LABORATORIES, INC.


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