AMENDMENT
                               TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


               THIS AMENDMENT is made as  of this 6TH day of November  1997
          by INTERNATIONAL  MUREX  TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION  organized  and
          existing  under the laws of the Province of British Columbia (the
          "Company") and STEVEN C. RAMSEY (the "Executive"). 

               WHEREAS, the  Company and  the Executive  previously entered
          into   an  Employment   Agreement   dated  July   1,  1995   (the
          "Agreement"); and 

               WHEREAS,   the  Company  and   the  Executive  restated  the
          Agreement as of August 1, 1997;

               WHEREAS, the Company  and the Executive desire  to amend the
          terms of the Agreement; 

               NOW  THEREFORE, in  consideration of  the foregoing  and the
          mutual agreements contained herein, the Company and the Executive
          agree to  amend Section 4(g)  of Exhibit  A of  the Agreement  by
          deleting the entire section and replacing it with the following: 

                   "(g)  If,  by reason  of Section 28OG  of the Code,  any
          payment  or benefit received or to be received in connection with
          a  Change in  Control  of  the  Company  of  the  termination  of
          Executive's employment (whether payable  pursuant to the terms of
          these  Provisions  ("Contract  Payments")  or  any   other  plan,
          arrangement or  agreement with  the Company, its  successors, any
          person  whose  actions  result in  a  Change  in  Control or  any
          corporation  affiliated, or which, as a  result of the completion
          of the  transactions  causing a  change  in control  will  become
          affiliated,  with the Company within  the meaning of Section 1504
          of the  Code ("Affiliate") (which payments collectively  with the
          Contract Payments are called the "Total Payments")) would not  be
          deductible, in whole or in part,  by the Company, an Affiliate or
          other person making such payment or providing such benefit and is
          or becomes  subject to the tax imposed  under Section 4999 of the
          Code or any similar tax that may hereafter be imposed ("the Excise
          Tax"),  the Executive  may  choose to  have the  Contract Payment
          reduced in accordance with Paragraph (A) hereof or to receive the
          Tax Reimbursement Payment described in Paragraph (B) hereof. 

                    (A)   Executive will receive the  Total Payments unless
          (a)  the after-tax amount that would be retained by the Executive
          (after taking  into account all  federal, state and  local income
          taxes payable by the Executive and the amount of any Excise Taxes
          payable  by the  Executive  if  he  were  to  receive  the  Total
          Payments) has  a lesser after-tax  value than  (b) the  after-tax
          amount that would be retained by the Executive (after taking into
          account  all federal, state and local income taxes payable by the
          Executive)  if he were to  receive the Total  Payments reduced by
          the minimum amount necessary to result in no portion of the Total
          Payments  being  subject  to   any  Excise  Taxes  (the  "Reduced
          Payments"),  in which  case the  Executive may choose  to receive
          only  to the Reduced Payment. If the  Executive is to receive the
          Reduced  Payment, the  Executive shall  be entitled  to determine
          which  of the  Contract  Payments, and  the relative  portions of
          each, are to be reduced. For the purposes of this limitation: 

                    (i)    no portion of the Total Payments, the receipt or
          enjoyment of which the Executive shall have effectively waived in
          writing  prior to the date  of payment of  the Contract Payments,
          shall be taken into account; 

                    (ii)    no portion of the Total Payments shall be taken
          into account which, in the opinion of tax counsel selected by the
          Company's independent  auditors and acceptable to  the Executive,
          does not constitute a "parachute payment"  within the meaning  of
          Section  280G(b)(2) of  the  Code (without  regard to  subsection
          (A)(ii) thereof); 

                    (iii)  the Contract  Payments shall be reduced only  to
          the extent necessary so that the Total Paymcnts, other than those
          referred to in clauses (i) and (ii), in their entirety constitute
          reasonable compensation  for services actually  rendered with the
          meaning of  Section 280G(b)(4) of the Code, in the opinion of the
          tax counsel referred to in clause (ii); 

                    (iv)  the value of any non-cash benefit or any deferred
          payment  or benefit  included  in  the  Total Payments  shall  be
          determined   by   the   Company's   independent   auditors   (the
          "Accountants") in accordance  with  the  principles   of  Section
          280G(d)(3) and (4) of the Code; and 

                    (v)   in the event that the Excise  Tax is subsequently
          determined  by the Accountants to  be less than  the amount taken
          into account hereunder in calculating the Contract Payments made,
          the Company shall repay  to the Executive, at  the time that  the
          amount of such reduction in the Excise Tax is finally determined,
          the portion of  such prior  Contract Payments that  has not  been
          paid to  the Executive  and  that would  have been  paid if  such
          Excise  Tax  had  been  applied  in  initially  calculating  such
          Contract Payments, plus interest on the amount of  such repayment
          at the rate provided in Section 1274(b)(2)(B) of the Code. 
           
                    (B)   The Executive wi11 receive, at the time the Total
          Payments are paid by the Company, a Tax Reimbursement payment (as
          defined herein).  The Tax Reimbursement Payment is  defined as an
          amount, which when added to tbe Tota1 Payments and reduced by any
          Excise  Tax on  the  Total Payments  and Excise  Tax  on the  Tax
          Reimbursement  Payment provided  for by  this Agreement  shall be
          equa1  to  the sum  of  the amount  of  the  Total Payments.  For
          purposes of this paragraph: 

                    (i)    no portion of the Total Payments, the receipt or
          enjoyment of which the Executive shal1 have effectively waived in
          writing  prior to the date  of payment of  the Contract Payments,
          shal1 be taken into account; 
                                
                    (ii)   no portion of the Total  Payments shall be taken
          into account which, in the opinion of tax counsel selected by the
          Company's  independent auditors and  acceptable to the Executive,
          does not constitute  a "parachute payment" within  the meaning of
          Section  280G(b)(2) of  the  Code (without  regard to  subsection
          (A)(ii) thereof); and 

                    (iii)    the  value  of any  non-cash  benefit  or  any
          deferred payment or benefit included in  the Total Payments shall
          be determined by the Company's independent auditors in accordance
          with the principles of Sections 280G(d)(3) and (4) of the Code. 

                    (iv)   In the event that the Excise Tax is subsequently
          determined  by the Accountants to  be less than  the amount taken
          into account hereunder in calculating the Contract Payments made,
          the Company  shall repay to the  Executive, at the time  that the
          amount of such reduction in the Excise Tax is finally determined,
          the portion of such prior Contract Payments that has been paid to
          the  Company or to federally,  state or local  tax authorities on
          the Executive's  behalf and that would not have been paid if such
          Excise  tax  had  been  applied  in  initially  calculating  such
          Contract Payments, plus interest on  the amount of such repayment
          at  the  rate  provided  in Section  1274(b)(2)(B)  of  the Code.
          Notwithstanding the foregoing,  in the event  any portion of  the
          Contract Payment to be refunded to the Executive has been paid to
          any  federal, state  or  local tax  authority, repayment  thereof
          shall  not  be required  until actua1  refund  or credit  of such
          portion has been made to the Company; and interest payable to the
          Executive shall not  exceed interest received or credited  to the
          Company  by  such  tax authority  for  the  period  it held  such
          portion. The Executive and the  Company shall mutually agree upon
          the course of action  to be pursued (and the method of allocating
          the  expenses  thereof) if  the  Company's good  faith  claim for
          refund or credit is denied. 

                    (v)     The  portion of  the Tax  Reimbursement Payment
          attributable  to a Total Payment  shall be paid  to the Executive
          within  ten (10) business days following the payment of the Total
          Payment.  If the  amount of  such Tax  Reimbursement  Payment (or
          portion thereof)  cannot be finally  determined on or  before the
          date on which payment is due, the Company shall either pay to the
          Executive  or  withhold and  deposit  with  the Internal  Revenue
          Service on behalf of  the Executive, an amount estimated  in good
          faith by  the Accountants to  be the  minimum amount of  such Tax
          Reimbursement Payment and  shall pay  the remainder  of such  Tax
          Reimbursement  Payment  (which  Tax Reimbursement  Payment  shall
          include interest at the rate provided in Section 1274(b)(2)(B) of
          the Code) as soon as the amount thereof can be determined, but in
          no event later  than forty-five (45) calendar  days after payment
          of  the  Total Payment.  In  the  event that  the  amount  of the
          estimated   Tax  Reimbursement   Payment   exceeds   the   amount
          subsequently determined  to have been due, such excess sums shal1
          be  repaid or  refunded  pursuant to  the  provisions of  Section
          (g)(B)(iv) above." 

               Except as specifically amended  hereby, the Agreement  shall
          remain in full force and effect as prior to this Amendment. 


               IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF, the  Company  and  the Executive  have
          caused this  Amendment to be  executed on the day  and year first
          above written. 

                                        INTERNATIONAL MUREX TECHNOLOGIES,
                                        INC. 


                                        By: ____________________

                                        Title: ___________________


          ATTEST:


          By: ____________________

          Title: ____________________


                                        STEVEN C. RAMSEY 


                                        By:   /s/ Steven C. Ramsey
                                           ---------------------------