Amarillo Biosciences Executes Manufacturing Agreement with Patheon in Canada
AMARILLO, Texas, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Amarillo Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAR - news) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to produce human interferon lozenges with Patheon Inc. (Toronto: PTI - news), a contract manufacturer located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
''This agreement means that we will have a guaranteed supply of our finished product not only overseas, but also in the United States,''
said Dr. Joseph M. Cummins, president and CEO of Amarillo Biosciences. ''We've had a good working relationship with Custom Pharmaceutical, a Patheon subsidiary, for more than five years. We're excited to begin an association with the parent company and look forward to a long partnership with Patheon.
''We're equally enthusiastic to be working with Amarillo Biosciences,'' said Nick DiPietro, president and COO of Patheon. ''Human interferon is just the type of special compound that our Syntex Court facility was designed to handle.''
Under the agreement, bulk interferon will be shipped from Hayashibara Biochemical Laboratories in Japan to Patheon's Mississauga location. Patheon will then formulate the lozenges in its current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) facility acquired last year from
Hoffmann-LaRoche. From there, the human interferon lozenges can be shipped worldwide.
Amarillo Biosciences, founded in 1984, is a world leader in the development of oral interferon alpha as a treatment for a variety of diseases including Sjogren's syndrome, fibromyalgia, opportunistic infections in patients who are HIV positive, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Patheon Inc. is one of North America's leading independent providers of manufacturing and drug development services in the rapidly growing pharmaceutical outsourcing sector. Established in 1974, the company has more than 20 years of experience in the contract manufacturing business. Patheon and its 48 percent-owned Global Pharm affiliate operate five cGMP facilities in Canada employing more than 600 people. Patheon serves 15 of the world's 25 largest pharmaceutical companies and a growing number of biotech companies.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties related to product development, uncertainties related to the need for regulatory and other government approvals, dependence on proprietary technology, uncertainty of market acceptance of oral interferon alpha or the
company's other product candidates and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. In particular, see ''Item 1. The Description of Business'' of the company's Form 10-KSB for the year ended Dec. 31, 1997. |
