Monday November 15, 9:44 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Drug Discovered by ICN Featured in More Than 100
Studies Presented at Liver Conference
DALLAS, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Clinical studies involving ribavirin, an antiviral agent discovered and developed by ICN
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: ICN - news) and used with Schering-Plough's (NYSE: SGP - news) interferon alfa-2b as
combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C, were the subject of four oral presentations by Schering-Plough investigators as
well as eight poster presentations and 98 study abstracts at the just-completed 50th annual meeting of the American
Association of the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in Dallas. In all, 59 poster presentations involving ribavirin were made.
Milan Panic, chairman and chief executive officer of ICN, stated, ''The vast array of clinical research involving ribavirin
continues to demonstrate the importance of this drug, particularly in the treatment of hepatitis C, a potentially fatal disease that
affects some four million Americans and as many as five million Europeans.''
The oral form of ribavirin is licensed worldwide exclusively to Schering-Plough Corporation, which markets the product as
REBETOL® for use in combination with its interferon alfa-2b (INTRON® A) for chronic hepatitis C. Schering-Plough
markets REBETOL and INTRON A in the United States and other markets as REBETRON(TM) Combination Therapy for
chronic hepatitis C. ICN has retained rights to all other formulations of ribavirin, including injections and liquid formulations. It is
marketed in aerosol form by ICN for RSV infection in the U.S. and Europe, and for a variety of indications in some 40
countries.
At AALSD, two phase I studies involving Schering-Plough's PEG-INTRON®, a longer-acting pegylated version of INTRON
A, were presented for the first time by study investigators. In an oral presentation of results of a dose-ranging study of
PEG-INTRON in combination with REBETOL, investigators assessed the tolerance, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of the
combination therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C and evaluated its antiviral activity. In this study, the tolerance profile of
PEG-INTRON/REBETOL was comparable to the known tolerance profile of REBETRON Combination Therapy.
Schering-Plough is currently conducting Phase III studies of PEG-INTRON in combination with REBETOL for hepatitis C.
ICN is a research-based global pharmaceutical company that manufacturers, markets and distributes a broad range of
prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals under the ICN brand name. Its therapeutic focus includes anti-infectives,
including anti-virals, dermatology products and oncology. Additional information is also available on the Company's website at
icnpharm.com .
THE 'SAFE HARBOR' STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995.
This press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to,
projections of future sales, operating income, subsidiary reorganization, regulatory approval processes, operations in countries
with unstable economies, the progress of FDA reviews, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's Securities
and Exchange Commission filings.
SOURCE: ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
