Exhibit (99)

                                       For further details, call
                                       Jeffrey W. Church, Executive VP, CFO
                                       Biospherics Incorporated
December 17, 1997                      at (301) 419-3900



                     BIOSPHERICS PLANS HEALTHCARE SUBSIDIARY,
                            RECEIVES PRIVATE FINANCING
                                           
                                           
    Biospherics Incorporated (NASDAQ/BINC), Beltsville, Maryland, today 
announced plans to enter the fast-growing healthcare information and 
management industry.  A newly formed subsidiary approved by the Company's 
shareholders in its May 1997 meeting will provide health information and 
guidance to HMOs, other group health organizations, and self-insured 
employers.  The venture will feature nurse triage, disease management, and 
health risk assessment services.

    The new organization will combine Biospherics' healthcare oriented call 
center operations utilizing technology obtained from Clinical Solutions, 
Incorporated (CSI) of Menlo Park, California.  Biospherics and CSI have 
signed a letter of agreement that provides CSI an equity interest in the 
subsidiary.  The subsidiary will have the benefit of CSI's outstanding staff 
of medical and marketing personnel, and its proprietary algorithm software, 
which will be used by call center nurses to give accurate and fast 
information to callers with health problems.  The CSI algorithm system has 
been evaluated by medical experts as superior to the older and slower 
protocol software.  The two organizations are working out details of the new 
venture pending a final agreement. Commencement of operations is also 
dependent upon the new organization's obtaining permanent financing.  Such 
financing is currently anticipated near the end of the first quarter of 1998.

    To help fund the subsidiary's start-up as well as support Biospherics' 
general working capital and capital expenditure needs including software 
development for future contracts, the Company completed a $3 million private 
offering of units to a single institutional investor.  The Company sold 
375,000 units, each unit consisting of two shares of common stock and two 
warrants with exercise prices of $4.00 and $4.50 per share, respectively.  
The transaction was effected in reliance upon the exemption from securities 
registration afforded by the provisions of Regulation D, as established by 
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Securities Act of 
1933. The warrants are exercisable for a three-year period after the date of 
closing. Should all the warrants be exercised, the Company will receive an 
additional $3.2 million.  The initial net proceeds from the sale of $3 
million of units will come to approximately $2.7 million.  The Company has 
agreed to file a Registration Statement on Form S-3 with the SEC for the 
resale of all registrable securities covered by this transaction.

    Dr. Gilbert V. Levin, President of Biospherics, said "The capabilities of 
CSI combined with our Company's extensive medical call center experience 
places the new enterprise in the forefront of this dramatically growing 
industry.  The Nation's medical bills now top $1 trillion, and the market is 
wide open for firms who can control costs while improving healthcare."

    Those from CSI joining the new organization will be:  Dennis McShane, 
M.D., Stanford University, principal inventor of the algorithm system, and 
Clinical Professor of Medicine in Immunology at Stanford; Glenn Laffel, M.D., 
University of Miami, Ph.D. from MIT, formerly Senior Attending Physician 
Cardiac Transplantation Program, Director of Quality Care Management at 
Brigham's and Women's Hospital, editor of QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN HEALTH CARE; 
David Hodges, M.D., NYU, M.P.H., Harvard School of Public Health; and Harry 
Harrington, B.A., University of California, Berkeley, and an M.Ed., San Jose 
State University, formerly vice president for business development at 
Healthtrac, Incorporated, and director of strategic marketing for Blue Shield 
of California.  Mr. Harrington is Associate Editor for the AMERICAN JOURNAL 
OF HEALTH PROMOTION.




    Under its motto, "Technologies for Information and Health," Biospherics' 
mission is to provide guidance and products to improve the quality of life.  
The Firm offers telecommunications and database management information 
systems and proprietary food and medical innovations.

                    Our Internet address is:  http://www.biospherics.com

                                  #  #  #  #  #  #