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 : VITX - new IPO with room to grow -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dudley who wrote (21)	12/21/1998 10:59:00 AM
From: Ariella	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 37

Here's news ;-) Vitex Receives $50 Million Minimum Order from the American Red Cross MELVILLE, N.Y., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- V. I. Technologies, Inc. (VITEX) (Nasdaq: VITX) announced today that it has extended its exclusive agreement with the American National Red Cross (ANRC) through September 30, 2000. As part of this extension, ANRC has guaranteed to purchase in excess of $50 million of PLAS+(R)SD from VITEX during the two year period of the contract extension. In addition, both parties have agreed to double their previous commitments of sales and marketing resources to PLAS+(R)SD. Part of VITEX's commitment includes adding its own force of ten sales specialists to work with the ANRC sales representatives currently in the field. Concurrently, ANRC will initiate a campaign to highlight the benefits of PLAS+(R)SD to the general public. A number of these initiatives are already underway. The highlights of this agreement include: -- The marketing investment by the ANRC will more than double during the launch phase. As previously announced, VITEX will be adding a sales force of ten people to help convert the major teaching hospitals where the bulk of the transfusion plasma is purchased and transfused. That sales force will be largely in place by year-end 1998. -- The ANRC will initiate a campaign to increase the public's awareness of this important advance in blood safety. -- VITEX will cost effectively manufacture PLAS+(R)SD at the guaranteed minimum levels. John Barr, VITEX President and CEO stated, "VITEX is extremely pleased to reaffirm and expand our relationship with the ANRC. Our collaboration with ANRC strengthens our presence in the marketplace and demonstrates both parties' commitment to make PLAS+(R)SD broadly available to the American public as soon as possible." Christopher Lamb, Vice President Plasma Operations at ANRC also commented, "The ANRC is committed to making the blood supply even safer with the introduction of the first virally inactivated blood product for transfusion in the United States. Our collaboration with VITEX is very important in meeting this objective. The ANRC has already significantly increased our sales and marketing investment in distributing PLAS+(R)SD while also making the product more affordable to our hospital customers. We are excited about PLAS+(R)SD and convinced it will become the transfusion plasma of choice by hospitals, physicians and patients." PLAS+(R)SD is a transfusion plasma product that utilizes the company's solvent detergent process to remove lipid enveloped viruses including HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B, from the blood plasma. VITEX is a leading developer and manufacturer of a broad portfolio of blood products that utilize its patented virus inactivation technologies designed to ensure safe blood products. The technologies are tailored for all blood component applications and other blood-derived products, including plasma, plasma derivatives, red blood cells and platelets. The first of VITEX's virally-inactivated products, PLAS+(R)SD is the only FDA approved method for viral inactivation of plasma. Central to VITEX's strategy are collaborations to accelerate the commercialization of its products. These include agreements with Bayer Corporation to supply plasma fractions, the American National Red Cross to distribute PLAS+(R)SD, United States Surgical Corporation for the development and distribution of fibrin sealant and Pall Corporation for the development and distribution of systems for the viral inactivation of red blood cells and platelets. The American National Red Cross is a volunteer-led humanitarian service organization that annually provides almost half the nation's blood supply, certifies more than 8.5 million people in vital life saving skills, mobilizes relief to victims in more than 68,000 disasters nationwide, provides direct health services to 2.8 million people, assists international disaster and conflict victims in more than 40 countries, and transmits more than 14 million emergency messages to members of the Armed Forces and their families. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, such as quarterly fluctuations in operating results, the timely availability of new products, market acceptance of the company's products, the impacts of competitive products and pricing, government regulation of the company's products and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made herein. SOURCE V. I. Technologies (Vitex) CO: V. I. Technologies (Vitex); American National Red Cross ST: New York IN: MTC HEA FIN SU: 12/21/98 07:05 EST prnewswire.com

To: Dudley who wrote (21)	7/28/1999 11:00:00 PM
From: Ted Gregg	Respond to of 37

V.I. Technologies to Merge with Pentose Pharmaceuticals biz.yahoo.com What do you think of this news? Ted

To: Dudley who wrote (21)	10/1/1999 10:30:00 AM
From: Ted Gregg	Respond to of 37

American Red Cross Accelerates Conversion to Plas+(R)SD WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the next year, the American Red Cross will implement a plan to accelerate to a full conversion of fresh frozen plasma to its virus-inactivated alternative, PLAS+©SD (Pooled Plasma, Solvent Detergent Treated). Consistent with this conversion policy, the American Red Cross will offer more favorable pricing initiatives to make Plas+SD available to more patients nationwide and to reduce the burden to hospital budgets. Additionally, the American Red Cross has just signed an agreement with Novation, the nation's largest group purchasing organization, to facilitate the distribution of Plas+SD to approximately 2,000 hospitals. Under the Novation agreement, member hospitals will be able to obtain favorable prices for Plas+SD. ``The American Red Cross believes that virus inactivation is an appropriate mechanism to help safeguard the blood supply,' said Jacquelyn Fredrick, chief operating officer of the American Red Cross Blood Services. ``We are continually exploring new methods of virus inactivation; Plas+SD represents the first time a technology to inactivate viruses has been successfully applied to a blood component.' According to Dr. Richard Davey, chief medical officer of the American Red Cross, ``The American Red Cross believes that virus inactivation will become the standard of care for all blood components. Plas+SD has the advantage of destroying any lipid-enveloped viruses that may be present in collected blood by stripping away their lipid (fatty) coating. We look forward to new generations of virus inactivated blood products as they become available.' In the April 1999 issue of ``Transfusion Medicine Reviews,' Celso Bianco, MD, vice president of the New York Blood Center, identified Plas+SD as an excellent choice for the following conditions: treatment of TTP (a potentially life-threatening blood platelet disorder), coagulation factor deficiencies where a specific concentrate is not available, treatment of severe liver disease, and reversal of warfarin (anticoagulant) therapy. ``We concur with these recommendations,' added Dr. Davey. Plas+SD is a solvent detergent treated, pooled frozen plasma product for transfusion manufactured for the American Red Cross by V. I. Technologies, Inc. (VITEX) (Nasdaq: VITX - news). Introduced in May 1998, Plas+SD is an alternative to other forms of fresh frozen plasma available in the U.S. The proven solvent detergent (SD) process inactivates lipid-enveloped viruses, such as those that cause AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Plas+SD is also sterile filtered, resulting in a leukoreduced product free of the largest von Willebrand Factor multimers, bacteria and parasites. Non lipid-enveloped viruses such as hepatitis A and parvovirus B19 are not affected by the SD process. However, all lots of Plas+SD are PCR tested as negative for HAV nucleic acid prior to release.* Alternative products, including fresh frozen plasma and donor retested plasma, are neither virus inactivated nor routinely tested for hepatitis A virus. On July 23, 1999, VITEX submitted a validation protocol to the Food and Drug Administration for a similar PCR test for parvovirus B19. The blood supply today is safer than it has ever been, and the Red Cross is constantly working to make it even safer. Improved donor screening techniques, infectious disease testing, introduction of nucleic acid testing for HIV and hepatitis C virus, and virus inactivation procedures have greatly enhanced the safety of blood components and products in the United States. These enhancements are consistent with the Red Cross mission to provide the safest possible blood supply for the American people. The American Red Cross is the nation's largest supplier of blood, plasma and tissue products in the United States. The Red Cross supplies almost half of the nation's blood supply by working with more than 4.5 million donors and 3,000 hospitals through its national network of 37 blood regions. In addition, the Red Cross supplies one-quarter of the nation's tissue for transplantation through its network of 15 tissue centers nationwide. This is based on measuring the amount of HAV genomic material present in the product. A negative result means that the product has been tested and shown to have not more than an average of 9.4 GE (genome equivalents) of HAV genomic material per mL. SOURCE: American Red Cross