SciClone Receives U.S. Patent for Combination Therapy of
ZADAXIN(R) Plus Famciclovir for Treatment of Hepatitis B
SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SCLN - news) today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted another U.S. patent covering the use of the Company's lead drug, ZADAXIN, for treatment of hepatitis B. ZADAXIN, a drug that boosts the immune system without any serious side effects, has been approved for marketing in 16 countries worldwide, principally as a treatment for hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
''Accumulating clinical data indicate ZADAXIN's potential synergy with nucleoside analogues, suggesting that combination therapy may be a future approach to treat hepatitis B, as it is for AIDS and hepatitis C,'' said Alfred R. Rudolph, M.D., SciClone's Chief Operating Officer. ''The ideal combination therapy for hepatitis B will simultaneously suppress viral replication and boost the patient's immune system to attack and destroy virus-infected liver cells. Nucleoside analogues such as famciclovir and lamivudine suppress viral replication while ZADAXIN boosts the immune system.''
Hepatitis B is a highly infectious liver disease and one of the most common causes of death in the world. Worldwide, there are approximately 350 million long-term carriers of the hepatitis B virus,
including over one million in the U.S. These carriers of the hepatitis B virus have a 200-fold increased chance of developing serious liver disease, including liver cancer, the most common cancer in the world, and cirrhosis.
THIS IS CONTINUED GOOD NEWS...Stock could still use an infusion of excitement, but this will do for today
chris |
