Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire, 810 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019 - Thursday, 15May 1997.
"We are pleased to include Switzerland in the growing list of countries that have approved ABELCET," said Charles A. Baker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Along with other approvals we have recently received, particularly those in France and Italy, we now have direct access to approximately 75 percent of the total European market opportunity for this class of drug. This is a significant increase over prior years in the market that has been available to us for ABELCET in Europe. It should bode well for international sales growth as we launch ABELCET in these countries during the latter part of 1997."
ABELCET is a proprietary drug developed by The Liposome Company to treat systemic fungal infections such as candidiasis, aspergillosis and cryptococcal meningitis. The fungi that cause these infections are normally controlled and disposed of by the body's healthy immune system .
However, patients with suppressed immune systems, most often resulting from the therapies for cancer, bone marrow transplants, and AIDS, can lose the ability to combat these fungi. Candida species are the most common type of invasive fugal infections, representing approximately 70% of all such infections. Fatality rates in candida infections are between 30 and 40 percent.
Until the advent of lipid-based products, amphotericin B (the active ingredient in ABELCET in its conventional form) was generally considered to be the treatment of choice to combat those infections. However, its propensity to cause kidney toxicity has often severely limited its dosage, a result that many believe limits its efficacy. The Company's innovative lipid-complex technology in ABELCET permits delivery of much greater amounts of amphotericin B while significantly reducing the kidney toxicity that is usually associated with the conventional drug.
ABELCET has been approved for marketing for a variety of first- and second-line indications in sixteen countries, including the United States, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Marketing applications have been filed and are being reviewed in a number of other countries.
The Liposome Company is a broad based biopharmaceutical company developing and marketing products based on its knowledge of lipid technology. In addition to ABELCET, two drugs, VENTUS(TM) (the trademark of TLC C-53) and TLC D-99, are in Phase III clinical studies for acute respiratory distress syndrome and metastatic breast cancer, respectively. Other products are in earlier stages of development.
Except for historical information, this press release contains forward- looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the Company's plans to launch ABELCET in certain European markets. While these statements reflect our best current judgment, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary, including the extent of the medical community's acceptance of ABELCET in these countries as well as other risk factors identified from time to time in the Company's SEC reports and registration statements.
This release is available at http://www.lipo.com
CONTACT: Brooks Boveroux, Vice President of The Liposome Company, 609-452-7060; Media, Ernie Knewitz, ext. 204, or investors, Barbra Lindheim, ext. 237, both of Noonan/Russo Communications, 212-696-4455, for The Liposome Company
Copyright (c) 1997/PR NewsWire. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, PR Newswire, 810 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019.
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