PLANTATION, Fla., June 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Viragen, Inc.
(Amex: VRA) and its majority-owned subsidiary, Viragen International, Inc.
(OTC Bulletin Board: VGNI), today announced the approval of Multiferon(R),
natural human alpha interferon, for sale in Chile. The Chilean regulatory
authorities approved an application filed by Viragen's distribution partner,
Pentafarma S.A., which holds the exclusive rights to distribute the drug in
Chile. Pentafarma is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care.
"This is a compelling market opportunity for us, as a significant
percentage of patients fail or cannot tolerate existing interferon regimens,
and Multiferon(R) targets an unmet clinical need for those patients in Chile,"
stated Pentafarma's General Manager, Mr. Peter Endler. "We have placed an
initial order to commence our sales program and distribute Multiferon(R) for
all of its approved indications."
Multiferon(R) is now approved in Chile for the second-line treatment of
any and all diseases in which recombinant interferon therapy failed, possibly
due to the formation of neutralizing antibodies. As an alternative to single-
subtype, recombinant alpha interferons, Multiferon(R) is primarily marketed
for the treatment of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, chronic myelogenous leukemia,
hairy cell leukemia, renal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma.
Viragen's President and CEO, Mr. Charles A. Rice, stated, "We are pleased
to announce achievement of yet another key milestone this year as we continue
to meet our stated goals. As part of our South American strategy, Chile will
be the first in this region to contribute to our sales growth, and with new
approvals pending in other international markets, we are working towards
building a global franchise to make Multiferon(R) the most widely prescribed
natural human alpha interferon in the world."
Headquartered in Santiago, Pentafarma S.A. is a specialized leader for the
distribution of healthcare products related to dialysis, nephrology and other
critical care drugs and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fresenius Medical
Care, the world's largest, integrated provider of products and services for
chronic kidney failure.
About Viragen, Inc.:
Viragen researches, develops and commercializes pharmaceutical products
designed to treat a broad range of viral and malignant diseases. These
protein-based drugs include: Multiferon(R), a natural human alpha interferon,
approved for sale in various international markets; and humanized anti-cancer
monoclonal antibodies. Viragen is also pioneering the development of Avian
Transgenic Technology, with the renowned Roslin Institute, as a
biomanufacturing platform for the large-scale, efficient and economical
production of therapeutic proteins.
For more information, please visit: http://www.Viragen.com
Viragen, Inc. Corporate Contact:
Douglas Calder, Director of Communications
Phone: (954) 233-8746; Fax: (954) 233-1414
E-mail: dcalder@viragen.com
The foregoing press announcement contains forward-looking statements that
can be identified by such terminology such as "expect," "potential,"
"suggests," "may," "should," "could" or similar expressions. Such forward-
looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
statements. In particular, management's expectations regarding future
research, development and/or commercial results could be affected by, among
other things, uncertainties relating to clinical trials and product
development; availability of future financing; unexpected regulatory delays or
government regulation generally; the Company's ability to obtain or maintain
patent and other proprietary intellectual property protection; and competition
in general. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are
made. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to
reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking
statements are made.
SOURCE Viragen, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.viragen.com
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CONTACT:
Douglas Calder, Director of Communications,
Viragen, Inc., +1-954-233-8746, or fax, +1-954-233-1414, or
dcalder@viragen.com
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