Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Biotech / Medical : GZTC -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (696)	9/5/2000 6:30:57 PM
From: scaram(o)uche	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 752

the EPIcyte version of a Dow agreement, this is slightly different than the Dow version posted earlier today by Nigel...... Message 14328650 Tuesday September 5, 12:46 pm Eastern Time Press Release EPIcyte and The Dow Chemical Company Sign Agreement to Collaborate on Antibody Research SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 5, 2000--EPIcyte Pharmaceutical Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company have announced a multi-million dollar joint research and product development program for manufacturing large quantities of monoclonal antibodies in plants. The two companies are collaborating to develop antibody-based products using EPIcyte's proprietary Plantibodies(TM) technology to support EPIcyte's focus on OTC and prescription markets and Dow AgroSciences' focus on Animal Health. Additionally, Dow will receive exclusive licenses to Plantibodies(TM) products in the field of animal health. The agreement includes a research program for optimizing antibody stability in plants and a manufacturing program to develop optimal processing for recovery and purification of commercial products for both companies. Dow will manufacture at least five of EPIcyte's Plantibodies(TM) products for human health. ``We are very pleased to about this alliance with Dow to further our product development efforts and to exploit our Plantibodies(TM) technology,'' said Mich Hein, Ph.D., president of EPIcyte. ``Dow is already one of the most efficient manufacturers of intermediates and drug actives for the pharmaceutical industry. This agreement will allow us to efficiently produce and purify antibodies for our first products and will allow us to accelerate development of our product pipeline.'' As part of the agreement, EPIcyte will initially transfer the genes for its anti-herpes antibody to prevent the transmission of herpes simplex virus and one additional antibody to Dow for expression in plants, with Dow having the right to manufacture these antibodies for at least seven years. Additional antibodies will be transferred to Dow over the next year to initiate production of EPIcyte's product candidates for respiratory syncytial virus, Clostridium difficile and other infectious agents. ``Dow has more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing pharmaceutical products. This agreement represents Dow's expansion of that expertise into biopharmaceutical manufacturing,'' said Carolyn Fritz, global business director of Biotechnology for Dow. ``Currently, manufacturing antibodies is an expensive process,'' said Neil Cowen, Dow AgroSciences global products leader for Plant-Derived Therapeutics and Food Safety. ``We believe EPIcyte's technology will enable us to provide cost-effective products for Animal Health and for protecting the human food supply,'' Cowen said. EPIcyte's Plantibodies(TM) technology can be used to produce unlimited quantities of pharmaceutical-grade antibodies and related molecules in plants. Plant-based antibody production systems are inherently more efficient than animal cell culture-based systems and can result in manufacturing costs that are 25 to 100 times less expensive. Dow is a leading science and technology company that provides innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $19 billion, Dow serves customers in 162 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 39,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. Dow AgroSciences LLC, is a global leader in providing pest management and biotechnology products that improve the quality and quantity of the earth's food supply and contribute to the safety, health and quality of life of the world's growing population. Dow AgroSciences has approximately 6,000 people in over 50 countries dedicated to its business, and has worldwide sales of more than $2 billion. Dow AgroSciences is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. EPIcyte is a four-year-old company developing antibody-based products for the prevention and treatment of infections. The company currently has five antibody products in development. EPIcyte has extensive intellectual property for production of antibodies in plants licensed from The Scripps Research Institute and has a strategic alliance with Dow/Dow AgroSciences for product development and manufacturing of its Plantibodies(TM) products. It plans to license or partner its technology in areas outside its product focus. Plantibodies(TM) is a trademark of EPIcyte Pharmaceutical Inc. Contact: EPIcyte Pharmaceutical Inc. Mich Hein, Ph.D., 858/554-0281 mbhein@epicyte.com or Mentus Inc. Media Contact: Kathy Witz, 858/455-5500, ext. 140 kwitz@mentusonline.com