BioPartners Submits an Application for Approval of the First Biosimilar Recombinant Interferon alpha for Hepatitis C in Europe

Zug, Switzerland 25th October 2004: BioPartners, a global biopharmaceuticals company and one of the leaders in the emerging field of competitively priced biosimilar products has submitted a marketing authorisation application (MAA) to the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) for its interferon alpha product.

The application is currently being evaluated and if approved, BioPartners’ interferon alpha may be available for the treatment of Hepatitis C in Europe as early as 2005.

Commenting on the submission, Professor Christian Trepo, Chief of the Hepatogastroenterology Unit at Hotel-Dieu Hospital in Lyon, France said “The incidence of Hepatitis C is growing on a worldwide basis and is increasingly becoming a burden on healthcare systems. The introduction of a cost-effective interferon alpha in the Western world may enable us to treat more patients and thereby reduce the potential deleterious outcomes of this disease”

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne infectious disease of the liver and is transmitted through body fluids, primarily blood or blood products, and by sharing needles. In many patients, the mode of transmission is unknown. Unfortunately, most people infected with hepatitis C are unaware of it because it may take years for symptoms to develop and it is therefore sometimes referred to as the “hidden epidemic”. Hepatitis C chronically infects an estimated 170 million people worldwide (three percent of the world’s population), with as many as 180,000 new cases occurring each year. It is the leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer and one of the most common reasons for liver transplants in Europe and the U.S.  The standard treatment for Hepatitis C is recombinant interferon alpha in combination with ribavirin.  If left untreated, hepatitis C can be fatal for some patients.

Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, BioPartners (www.biopartners.com) is a global biopharmaceuticals company and a leader in the emerging field of multi-source biopharmaceuticals. BioPartners’ mission is to develop patentable and innovative formulations of “first generation” biopharmaceuticals as well as advanced delivery systems that may improve patient compliance to its product portfolio.  BioPartners is developing a comprehensive range of biopharmaceutical products that may offer life-saving therapeutic benefits across many therapeutic areas, including oncology, virology, haematology, endocrinology and neurology.

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Notes to Editors:

BioPartners was founded by Global Healthcare Partners and Credit Suisse First Boston. Global Health Care Partners currently consists of some of the most respected and recognised figures in the international pharmaceutical industry. These include Henry Wendt, former Chairman of SmithKline Beecham and current Non-Executive Director of BioPartners and Ted Roberts, former Head of Pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA and current Chairman of BioPartners.

BioPartners has partnered with LG Life Sciences, the leading South Korean manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals and German manufacturer Rentschler Biotechnologie, for the development and manufacture of its portfolio of drugs.

 
For further information on BioPartners please contact:

Shairose Ebrahim at Zæbra Consulting:
Tel: + 44 207 536 9833

Mobile: + 44 7930 336720
Email: shairose@zaebraconsulting.com