Canada NewsWire
BIOCHEM PHARMA ANNOUNCES SOUTH KOREAN LAUNCH OF ZEFFIX - First oral therapy for treatment of chronic hepatitis B
LAVAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, May 26 /CNW/ - BioChem Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: BCHE;
Montreal Exchange and The Toronto Stock Exchange: BCH) announced today the
launch of Zeffix (lamivudine), the world's first oral antiviral treatment of
chronic hepatitis B, in South Korea.
The local approval for marketing permit was granted in South Korea
earlier this month and the product will be supplied to hospitals beginning
this June.
''We are very pleased to see the approval and launch roll-out of Zeffix
progressing as planned particularly in areas of the world, such as South
Korea, with a high disease prevalence. The launch of Zeffix in South Korea
marks yet another important step in making this breakthrough oral antiviral
therapy available to chronic hepatitis B sufferers worldwide,'' said Mr.
Jacques Lapointe, President and Chief Operating Officer, BioChem Pharma Inc.
Hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide and
is the ninth leading cause of death in the world. According to World Health
Organization data, approximately 350 million people around the world are long-
term (chronic) carriers of the hepatitis B virus (HBV).
Zeffix is also available in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Canada (as
Heptovir), the USA (as Epivir-HBV), and Switzerland, and is approved in China
(as Heptodin), Thailand, Pakistan, New Zealand, Argentina and most recently,
Australia. The European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products
(CPMP) recently rendered its positive opinion to the European Medicines
Evaluation Agency (EMEA) regarding marketing approval of Zeffix. Regulatory
applications to market Zeffix for chronic hepatitis B treatment have been
submitted worldwide, including in Taiwan and Japan.
Lamivudine was discovered by BioChem Pharma and is licensed for sale
under agreement to Glaxo Wellcome worldwide, except in Canada, where BioChem
Pharma and Glaxo Wellcome have formed a commercialization partnership.
BioChem Pharma is an international biopharmaceutical company dedicated to
the research, development and commercialization of innovative products for the
prevention and treatment of human diseases with a focus in the anticancer and
anti-infective areas.
Zeffix, Heptovir, Epivir-HBV and Heptodin are trademarks of the Glaxo
Wellcome group of companies.
BioChem Pharma news releases and other company information
can be found on the World Wide Web at www.biochempharma.com. |
