Biotest AG: Biotest supports the 'Project Recovery' in turning unused blood products from Canadian blood donations into hemophilia medicine for developing countries
Biotest AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous
15.10.2013 / 09:00
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Biotest supports the 'Project Recovery' in turning unused blood products
from Canadian blood donations into hemophilia medicine for developing
countries
- This project will enable the WFH (World Federation of Hemophila) to
improve its Humanitarian Aid Program
- Biotest to manufacture Haemoctin(R) in Dreieich, Germany
Dreieich/ Montreal, October 15, 2013 - The World Federation of Hemophilia
(WFH), the Canadian Blood Services (CBS) and Biotest AG, have officially
announced the launch of Project Recovery during the WFH Global Forum on the
safety and supply of treatment products for bleeding disorders in Montreal,
Canada, on September 26. This humanitarian aid project, first conceived by
the Canadian Hemophilia Society (CHS), now becomes a reality after a dozen
years of effort.
As a lifelong inherited bleeding disorder, hemophilia affects about 1 in
10,000 people worldwide. Close to seventy-five percent of them receive
little or no treatment. Hemophilia is one of a number of such disorders
that prevent blood from clotting properly. People with hemophilia
experience prolonged internal bleeding that can result from a seemingly
minor injury. Bleeding into joints and muscles causes severe pain and
disability while bleeding into major organs, such as the brain, can cause
death. Hemophilia A (factor VIII deficiency) is treated with factor VIII, a
protein necessary for blood coagulation.
Project Recovery will transform previously discarded cryoprecipitate at
Grifols from Canadian blood donors into Biotest's factor VIII concentrate,
called Haemoctin(R), to treat people with hemophilia. It will be channeled
through the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program, which focuses on providing for
patients in developing countries who have little or no access to these
life-and limb-saving medicines and would otherwise be at risk of death or
severe disability. CBS donates cryoprecipitate as Haemoctin(R) to the WFH.
This is realized and accomplished by Biotest AG.
'Project Recovery has the potential to improve the lives of thousands of
people with hemophilia all over the world,' said Alain Weill, WFH
president. 'It also allows the WFH to carefully plan where and when these
essential medicines will be distributed thereby maximizing the benefits of
this wonderful humanitarian endeavor.'
It is estimated that in each year of the project at least five million
International Units of factor VIII will be donated. This will allow the
annual treatment of approximately 5,000 joint hemorrhages, the most common
symptom of hemophilia, in children and adults. Without such treatments, the
people experiencing these hemorrhages would endure weeks of excruciating
pain and, over time, serious joint damage leading to crippling. In
addition, early treatment or prevention of these hemorrhages will mean that
caregivers-parents, spouses, siblings-will not have to miss work or school
to care for the person immobilized at home or in hospital.
This is the first time anywhere in the world that such a partnership has
been created to transform surplus cryoprecipitate into factor VIII for
humanitarian use. Contracts for this international cooperation were signed
in July of 2013 and Biotest will receive the first cryoprecipitate for
further processing in December 2013. The WFH will receive the first
deliveries of this factor VIII in 2014.
Factor VIII, a protein essential to blood clotting, is contained in
cryoprecipitate, one of the components of plasma. Not all of the
cryoprecipitate contained in plasma from Canadian Blood Services donors is
needed to make factor VIII for Canadian patients and until now the excess
was discarded. With Project Recovery, the cryoprecipitate will be harvested
by Grifols at its plant in the U.S. plant in Clayton and transported by
Biotest to Germany for manufacturing. This finished pharmaceutical product
will be manufactured and released under the Biotest license and trademarked
Haemoctin(R), a high purity and double virus inactivated factor VIII
product for the treatment of hemophilia A. A portion will be marketed by
Biotest and the remainder allocated to CBS for donation to the WFH. BIOTEST
will also support the WFH in distributing the donated Haemoctin(R) to
recipient countries.
'We at Biotest are pleased to continue our commitment to people with
bleeding disorders by using our long experience and manufacturing
capabilities to help CBS and the WFH in this important humanitarian
project.' says Dr. Joachim Herborg, Excecutive Vice President Commercial
Operations of Biotest AG.
This Haemoctin(R) donation will be a milestone donation for the WFH. This
project will enable the WFH to improve its Humanitarian Aid Program as part
of its comprehensive activities to achieve treatment for all people with
bleeding disorders.
About hemophilia and other bleeding disorders
Hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, inherited platelet disorders, and other
factor deficiencies are lifelong bleeding disorders that prevent blood from
clotting properly. People with bleeding disorders do not have enough of a
particular clotting factor, a protein in blood that controls bleeding, or
else it does not work properly. The severity of a person's bleeding
disorder usually depends on the amount of clotting factor that is missing
or not functioning. People with hemophilia can experience uncontrolled
bleeding that can result from a seemingly minor injury. Bleeding into
joints and muscles causes severe pain and disability while bleeding into
major organs, such as the brain, can cause death.
About BIOTEST AG
BIOTEST is a specialist in innovative hematology and immunology with the
integrated approach of a pharmaceuticals and biotherapeutics group
operating worldwide and develops, produces and sells medicinal products for
the treatment of blood and immune disorders. The principal starting
material for BIOTEST pharmaceuticals is human plasma, which is processed
into medicinal products that are used in the treatment of life-threatening
conditions such as coagulation disorders (hemophilia), severe infections or
disorders of the immune system.
About Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable
organization that manages the supply of blood and blood products in all
provinces and territories outside of Quebec. Canadian Blood Services also
oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, and provides national
leadership for organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Canadian
Blood Services operates 42 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000
donor clinics annually. The provincial and territorial Ministries of Health
provide operational funding to Canadian Blood Services. The federal
government, through Health Canada, is responsible for regulating the blood
system.
About the Canadian Hemophilia Society
Founded in 1953, the Canadian Hemophilia Society (CHS) is a national
voluntary health charity. Its mission is to improve the health and quality
of life of all people with inherited bleeding disorders and ultimately to
find a cure. Its vision is a world free from the pain and suffering of
inherited bleeding disorders. The CHS is a founding member of the World
Federation of Hemophilia. Visit CHS online at www.hemophilia.
About the World Federation of Hemophilia
For 50 years, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), an international
not-for-profit organization, has worked to improve the lives of people with
hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. Established in 1963, it
is a global network of patient organizations in 122 countries and has
official recognition from the World Health Organization. Visit WFH online
at www.wfh.org.
For more information:
Canadian Hemophilia Society
Chantal Raymond
+1 514 848-0503 #226
craymond@hemophilia.ca
www.hemophilia.ca www.wfh.org
World Federation of Hemophilia
Sarah Ford
+1 514 266-7764
sford@wfh.org
Disclaimer
This document contains forward-looking statements on overall economic
development as well as on the business, earnings, financial and assets
position of Biotest AG and its subsidiaries. These statements are based on
current plans, estimates, forecasts and expectations of the company and are
thus subject to risks and elements of uncertainty that could result in
significant deviation of actual developments from expected developments.
The forward-looking statements are only valid at the time of publication.
Biotest does not intend to update the forward-looking statements and
assumes no obligation to do so.
About Biotest
Biotest is a provider of plasma proteins and biotherapeutic drugs. With a
value added chain that extends from pre-clinical and clinical development
to worldwide sales, Biotest has specialised primarily in the areas of
clinical immunology, haematology and intensive medicine. Biotest develops
and markets immunoglobulins, coagulation factors and albumins based on
human blood plasma. These are used for diseases of the immune and
haematopoietic systems. In addition Biotest develops monoclonal antibodies
in the indications of rheumatoid arthritis and cancer of plasma cells,
which are produced by recombinant technologies. Biotest has about 1.800
employees worldwide. The preference shares of Biotest AG are listed in the
SDAX on the Frankfurt stock exchange.
Biotest AG, Landsteinerstr. 5, 63303 Dreieich, www.biotest.de
Dr. Monika Buttkereit
tel.: +49 (0) 6103 801-4406,
e-mail: investor_relations@biotest.de
fax: +49 (0) 6103 801-347
Securities' ID No., ISIN ordinary shares: 522720, DE0005227201
Securities' ID No., ISIN preference shares: 522723, DE0005227235
Listing: Prime Standard
Open Market: Berlin-Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover,
München, Stuttgart
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Language: English
Company: Biotest AG
Landsteinerstraße 5
63303 Dreieich
Germany
Phone: 0 61 03 - 8 01-0
Fax: 0 61 03 - 8 01-150
E-mail: investor_relations@biotest.de
Internet: http://www.biotest.de
ISIN: DE0005227235, DE0005227201
WKN: 522723, 522720
Indices: SDAX
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard);
Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart
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