- Agreement Emphasizes Nabi's Expertise in Manufacturing, Leverages Core
Assets and Provides Revenue Stream -
BOCA RATON, Fla., April 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nabi
Biopharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: NABI) today announced that it has signed an
agreement with Sanofi Pasteur, part of the Sanofi-Aventis Group (NYSE:
SNY), to fractionate human plasma used for the production of Imogam(R)
Rabies-HT (Rabies Immune Globulin [Human] USP Heat Treated). Imogam
Rabies-HT provides passive protection when given immediately to individuals
exposed to the rabies virus. The agreement affirms and leverages Nabi
Biopharmaceuticals' core competency as a leading provider of source and
specialty antibody plasma products and reflects the company's proven
experience in the fractionation of immune globulins in its state-of-the-art
biologicals manufacturing facility.
Under the terms of the agreement, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals will
fractionate human plasma containing antibodies to the rabies virus at its
Boca Raton, Florida, manufacturing facility and ship the partially
manufactured product to Sanofi Pasteur for completion of production at its
manufacturing facility in Lyon, France. The majority of human plasma used
for the production of Imogam Rabies-HT is collected by Nabi
Biopharmaceuticals at its antibody collection centers in the United States.
The manufacturing agreement will allow Sanofi Pasteur to streamline the
production process for Imogam Rabies-HT and allows Nabi Biopharmaceuticals
to use capacity in its Boca Raton manufacturing facility, providing a
seamless process from plasma collection to processing, resulting in
improved production and shipping efficiency. Financial terms were not
disclosed. Nabi Biopharmaceuticals expects to begin manufacturing under
this agreement in the second half of 2006.
Imogam Rabies-HT is used in combination with a rabies vaccine to
prevent infection caused by exposure to the rabies virus in people who have
never been vaccinated against rabies. Although rabies among humans is rare
in the United States, an estimated 40,000 individuals receive a
post-exposure prevention treatment each year.
Raafat Fahim, Ph.D., sr. vice president, research, technical and
production operations, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, stated, "This agreement not
only validates our expertise as a top provider of high-quality antibody
plasma products and our deep experience in manufacturing, but it also
advances our important goal to increase the cash return from our
specialized operating assets. This new relationship expands our contract
manufacturing business and further improves the efficiency of our strategic
plasma-based products business. We are delighted to be collaborating with
such an esteemed biologicals company as Sanofi Pasteur and are pleased that
they have entrusted the manufacturing of this product to our company."
About Rabies
Rabies is an acute viral disease that attacks the body's central
nervous system. Rabies is carried in the saliva of animals and is most
commonly transmitted through bites by an infected animal. Unless treated,
rabies is almost always fatal.
About Nabi Biopharmaceuticals
Nabi Biopharmaceuticals leverages its experience and knowledge in
powering the immune system to develop and market products that fight
serious medical conditions. The company has three products on the market
today: PhosLo(R) (calcium acetate), Nabi-HB(R) [Hepatitis B Immune Globulin
(Human)], and Aloprim(TM) (allopurinol sodium) for Injection. Nabi
Biopharmaceuticals is focused on developing products that address unmet
medical needs and offer commercial opportunities in our core business
areas: Gram-positive bacterial infections, hepatitis and transplant, kidney
disease (nephrology) and nicotine addiction. For a complete list of
pipeline products, please go to: http://www.nabi.com/pipeline/index.php .
The company is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. For additional
information about Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, please visit our website:
http://www.nabi.com .
Statements in this press release about the company that are not
strictly historical are forward-looking statements and include statements
about our products in development, the market for such products, clinical
trials and studies, intellectual property position, and alliances and
partnerships. You can identify these forward-looking statements because
they involve our expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, or other
characterizations of future events or circumstances. These forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to
risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially
from those in the forward- looking statements as a result of any number of
factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, risks relating to
the company's ability to advance the development of products currently in
the pipeline or in clinical trials; maintain the human and financial
resources to commercialize current products and bring to market products in
development; obtain regulatory approval for its products in the U.S.,
Europe or other markets; successfully develop, manufacture and market its
products; realize future sales growth for its biopharmaceutical products;
secure patent positions and prevail in patent litigation; raise additional
capital on acceptable terms; and re-pay its outstanding convertible senior
notes when due. Many of these factors are more fully discussed, as are
other factors, in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2005 filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
SOURCE Nabi Biopharmaceuticals
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.nabi.com
http://www.nabi.com/pipeline/index.php
CONTACT:
Thomas E. Rathjen, Vice President, Investor
Relations, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, +1-561-989-5800
|
