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Biotech / Medical : SARS and Avian Flu -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Biomaven who wrote (1)	4/1/2003 4:05:44 PM
From: Biomaven	Respond to of 4232

Here's a story about ribavirin: Dow Jones Business News ICN's Nebulized Ribavirin Shows Promise Against SARS Tuesday April 1, 2:24 pm ET By Steven Vames NEW YORK -- ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s shares got a little boost Tuesday following press reports that its nebulized version of Ribavirin showed progress in fighting severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which has affected nearly 2,000 people world-wide. In afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange (News - Websites), shares of ICN traded up 77 cents, or 8.6%, to $9.68. Earlier, the news pushed shares of ICN's 80%-owned Ribapharm Inc. (NYSE:RNA - News) up nearly 18%, which may have been the result of some confusion by investors. Later, Ribapharm's shares fell nine cents, or 1.7%, to $5.09. Some press reports and analysts are identifying the promising treatment as a nebulized, or altered, version of the drug, which is connected only with ICN, not Ribapharm. "It's actually a nebulized form of ribavirin that is reported to have stabilized SARS patients, and that is ICN's product. It's different from the Ribapharm's Ribavirin," said Larry Smith, analyst at Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co. in New York. Chris Kuechenmeister, a spokesman for Ribapharm and ICN, confirmed that there is confusion as to which company's product is reported to be effective against SARS. Ribapharm's version of Ribavirin is most typically used as a treatment for hepatitis C. Ian Sanderson, an analyst at SG Cowen Securities in Boston, estimates that Ribapharm sells the treatment to about 275,000 patients globally. With such a high existing customer base for Ribavirin, and only a few thousand reported cases of SARS, Mr. Sanderson surmises that any increased sale of Ribavirin would be comparable to "a rounding error." ICN's nebulized version of Ribavirin -- which is in spray form and is the focus of most connections being made to SARS -- is typically used to treat respiratory syncytial virus, an illness far more rare than hepatitis C that affects children and the elderly. SARS has been mostly confined to Asian countries, but reports of 100 suspected cases in Toronto have raised concerns of a North American outbreak. Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said it believes the infectious germ is a coronavirus, which is typically blamed for the common cold. Mr. Smith at Gerard Klauer Mattison doesn't own shares of Ribapharm or ICN, and his company isn't engaged in banking activity with the companies. Mr. Sanderson at SG Cowen doesn't own shares of the companies, but SG Cowen underwrote Ribapharm's initial public offering in 2002. -Steven Vames, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2206; steven.vames@dowjones.com Peter