Innovative Nasal Mist Flu Vaccine to Be Co-Promoted With American Home
Products Upon FDA Approval
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and MADISON, N.J., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ --
Aviron (Nasdaq: AVIR) and American Home Products Corporation (NYSE: AHP) today
announced that a Biologics License Application (BLA) for FluMist(TM), an
investigational intranasal influenza vaccine, has been submitted to the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Aviron is seeking U.S. licensure of
FluMist(TM) to prevent influenza in children and adults.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001031/SFTU109 )
"Today's BLA submission marks an important milestone in our progress
toward bringing a new influenza vaccine to physicians and patients in the
U.S.," said C. Boyd Clarke, Aviron president and chief executive officer. "We
look forward to continuing to work closely with the FDA throughout the
regulatory process."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, influenza is
a highly infectious respiratory illness that can cause disease in all age
groups. Annual influenza epidemics in the United States typically affect
10-20 percent of the general population and cause 20,000 deaths. FluMist(TM),
which is delivered as a gentle nasal mist, could be an important new way to
protect people from the flu. FluMist(TM) may be particularly significant for
children, who suffer high influenza attack rates and are thought to be
important in the spread of influenza.
"The impact of influenza has been a long-standing problem in the
United States," said Kevin Reilly, president, Wyeth Lederle Vaccines, the
vaccine division of American Home Products Corporation. "We hope this new
approach can become an important tool in the fight against a common infectious
disease."
In 1999, Aviron and Wyeth Lederle Vaccines announced a global
collaboration agreement for FluMist(TM).
Aviron is a biopharmaceutical company based in Mountain View, California,
focused on the prevention of disease through innovative vaccine technology.
Wyeth Lederle Vaccines is the vaccine business of Wyeth-Ayerst
Laboratories. Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, a division of American Home Products
Corporation, is a major research-oriented pharmaceutical company with leading
products in the areas of women's health care, cardiovascular therapies,
central nervous system drugs, anti-inflammatory agents, infectious disease,
hemophilia, oncology, vaccines, and generic pharmaceuticals. American Home
Products Corporation is one of the world's largest research-based
pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the
discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription drugs and
over-the-counter medications. It is also a leader in vaccines, biotechnology,
and animal health care.
Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements
contained in this release. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
include, but are not limited to, the assessment by regulatory agencies that
the company's license applications for its nasal influenza vaccine are
incomplete or inadequate to approve the product for marketing to one or more
target populations. Additional information concerning factors that could
cause such a difference is contained in Aviron's SEC filings, including its
S-3 Registration Statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1999.
To receive an index and copies of recent press releases, call Aviron's
News-On-Call toll-free fax service, 800-758-5804, extension 114000.
Additional information about the company can be located at
http://www.aviron.com.
In conjunction with this news release, Aviron will host a conference call
that will be broadcast live over the Internet. The conference call will take
place on Wednesday, November 1, beginning at 8:30 a.m. EST. To access the
webcast, visit the Aviron Web site at http://www.aviron.com and log-on to the
audio feed as instructed. If you are unable to participate during the live
webcast, the call will be archived at http://www.aviron.com. The information
provided on the conference call and on the webcast is only accurate at the
time of the call, and Aviron will take no responsibility for providing updated
information.
SOURCE Aviron
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Related links:
http://www.aviron.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001031/SFTU109
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 201-369-3467
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/044235.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 044235
CONTACT:
Media, John Bluth, 650-919-3716, or Asha
Jennings, 650-919-1429, both of Aviron; or Douglas Petkus,
610-902-7336, or Lowell Weiner, 973-660-5013, both of American
Home Products Corporation; or Investors, Fred Kurland,
650-919-6666, or John Bluth, 650-919-3716, both of Aviron; or
Thomas Cavanagh of American Home Products Corporation,
973-660-5706
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