Procleix(R) West Nile Virus Assay Confirmed to Have Detected More Than 800 Infected Blood Donations
November 02 2003 - 11:01PM
PR Newswire (US)
Procleix(R) West Nile Virus Assay Confirmed to Have Detected More
Than 800 Infected Blood Donations Updated Results From 2003
Mosquito Season Announced During American Association of Blood
Banks Conference EMERYVILLE, Calif., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- Chiron Corporation today announced that the Procleix(R) West
Nile Virus Assay has identified 861 blood donations confirmed to be
infected with the West Nile virus (WNV) since the
investigational-use-only assay was implemented at the beginning of
the 2003 mosquito season. Since July 1, 2003, more than 80 percent
of the blood donations in the United States have been screened for
WNV using the Procleix(R) System, available in the United States
under an FDA-approved Investigational New Drug (IND) protocol.
Chiron made the announcement during the American Association of
Blood Banks annual meeting in San Diego. "Blood is needed by
someone in our country every two seconds. By identifying infected
donations, we have potentially saved over a thousand people from
receiving West Nile virus, since most whole blood donations are
separated into multiple components that can be transfused into as
many as three different recipients," said Jim MacPherson, chief
executive officer, America's Blood Centers. "This should give
Americans increased peace of mind about preventing transmission of
the virus through the blood supply." "Once the West Nile virus
emerged as a threat to the blood supply in 2002, the FDA,
manufacturers and the blood bank community worked in unprecedented
collaboration to reduce the risk the virus presented," said Jack
Goldstein, president, Chiron Blood Testing. "As a result, the
Procleix WNV Assay was available under IND in record time. Chiron
is committed, in cooperation with its partner Gen-Probe, to
continuing to bring new products to market that will increase the
safety of the blood supply, including the Procleix(R) Ultrio(TM)
Assay, which will add a hepatitis B assay to the existing Procleix
HIV-1 and hepatitis C test." In October 2002, after several cases
of WNV transmission were linked to blood transfusion, the FDA asked
manufacturers of blood screening technologies to create a nucleic
acid test (NAT) that could effectively screen donated blood for
WNV. Chiron, and its collaborator Gen-Probe Incorporated, developed
the Procleix WNV Assay in a record nine months, making it available
in time for the 2003 mosquito season. About Procleix(R) West Nile
Virus Assay The Procleix West Nile Virus (WNV) Assay, a highly
sophisticated and sensitive blood-screening tool developed by
Gen-Probe Incorporated and marketed by Chiron Corporation,
demonstrated in pre-clinical testing the ability to detect very low
levels of the virus in blood, even before the body develops
antibodies against the virus. The Procleix WNV Assay utilizes the
same NAT technology and instrumentation as the already FDA-approved
Procleix(R) HIV-1/HCV Assay. About West Nile Virus The West Nile
Virus causes flu-like symptoms in about 20 percent of those
infected and can cause life-threatening illness in about 1 in 150.
While the majority of West Nile infections are spread by insects --
primarily mosquitoes -- scientists confirmed last year that the
virus can also be spread through blood transfusion and organ
transplantation. An average 14 million blood donations are made
annually in the United States, and 4.5 million lives are saved each
year by blood transfusions. About Chiron Chiron Corporation,
headquartered in Emeryville, California, is a global pharmaceutical
company that leverages a diverse business model to develop and
commercialize high-value products that make a difference in
people's lives. The company has a strategic focus on cancer and
infectious disease. Chiron applies its advanced understanding of
the biology of cancer and infectious disease to develop products
from its platforms in proteins, small molecules and vaccines. The
company commercializes its products through three business units:
BioPharmaceuticals, Vaccines and Blood Testing. For more
information about Chiron, visit the company's website at
http://www.chiron.com/. This news release contains forward-looking
statements, including statements regarding sales growth, product
development initiatives, new product marketing, acquisitions and
in- and out-licensing activities that involve risks and
uncertainties and are subject to change. A full discussion of the
company's operations and financial condition, including factors
that may affect its business and future prospects, is contained in
documents the company has filed with the SEC, including the form
10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2003, and the form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2002, and will be contained in all
subsequent periodic filings made with the SEC. These documents
identify important factors that could cause the company's actual
performance to differ from current expectations, including the
outcome of clinical trials, regulatory review and approvals,
manufacturing capabilities, intellectual property protections and
defenses, stock-price and interest-rate volatility, and marketing
effectiveness. In particular, there can be no assurance that Chiron
will increase sales of existing products, successfully develop and
receive approval to market new products, or achieve market
acceptance for such new products. There can be no assurance that
Chiron's out-licensing activities will generate significant
revenue, nor that its in-licensing activities will fully protect it
from claims of infringement by third parties. In addition, the
company may engage in business opportunities, the successful
completion of which is subject to certain risks, including
shareholder and regulatory approvals and the integration of
operations. Consistent with SEC Regulation FD, we do not undertake
an obligation to update the forward-looking information we are
giving today. NOTE: Procleix is a trademark of Chiron Corporation.
DATASOURCE: Chiron Corporation CONTACT: Chiron Corporate
Communications& Investor Relations, media, +1-510-923-6500, or
investors, +1-510-923-2300 Web site: http://www.chiron.com/
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