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 Samaritan
Pharmaceuticals Inc. is pleased to announce it has signed
a marketing and distribution agreement, with Shire plc (LSE:SHP.L
- News), (NasdaqGS:SHPGY - News), (Toronto:SHQ.TO - News)
to sell ELAPRASE® (idursulfase) for Hunter's disease,
in Greece and Cyprus.
ELAPRASE® was granted marketing authorization, for the
long-term treatment of patients with Hunter's disease, by
the European Commission in January 2007. ELAPRASE® is
the first, and only, enzyme replacement therapy, for Hunter's
disease patients and was launched in the U.S. in July 2006.
ELAPRASE®
will be sold and distributed by Samaritan on a named patient
basis until the pricing and the reimbursement of ELAPRASE®
is established in Greece and Cyprus, with the relevant regulatory
authorities. Samaritan expects to launch ELAPRASE® in
Greece and Cyprus by the beginning of the second quarter 2007.
Dr. Greeson,
CEO of Samaritan Pharmaceuticals stated, ``We are extremely
pleased to acquire the rights to sell and distribute this
crucial drug. Since it mostly affects children, it strikes
at the core being of Samaritan, in that we want to be a part
of making this drug available to children in the normally
overlooked territories of Greece and Cyprus.''
Hunter's
disease is a rare hereditary disorder generally characterized
by dwarfism, mental retardation and deafness. The disease
affects almost exclusively males; cases in females are very
rare but not unknown. It makes its first appearance during
the first three years of life. An affected child may appear
normal up to about 1 year of life. Most patients die before
age 20.
About
Samaritan Pharmaceuticals: ``We LIV....to Save Lives.''
Samaritan
is a small-cap Biotech, driven to discover, develop and commercialize
innovative therapeutics' for AIDS, Alzheimer's, Cancer and
Heart disease patients. Look at http://www.samaritanpharma.com.
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About
Shire plc:
Shire's
strategic goal is to become the leading specialty pharmaceutical
company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist
physician. Shire focuses its business on central nervous system,
gastrointestinal, general products and human genetic therapies.
The structure is sufficiently flexible to allow Shire to target
new therapeutic areas to the extent opportunities arise through
acquisitions. Shire believes that a carefully selected portfolio
of products with a strategically aligned and relatively small-scale
sales force will deliver strong results.
Shire's
focused strategy is to develop and market products for specialty
physicians. Shire's in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts
are focused on products in niche markets with strong intellectual
property protection either in the U.S. or Europe.
For further
information on Shire, please visit the Company's website:
http://www.shire.com.
Disclaimer
The company
disclaims any information that is created by an outside party
and endorses only information that is communicated by its
press releases, filings and Website. This news release contains
forward-looking statements that reflect management's current
beliefs about the potential for its drug candidates, science
and technology. However, as with any biopharmaceutical under
development, there are significant risks and uncertainties
in the process of development and regulatory review. There
are no guarantees that products will prove to be commercially
successful. For additional information about the factors that
affect the company's business, please read the company's latest
Form 10-K/A filed November 2, 2006. The company undertakes
no duty to update forward-looking statements.
Contact:
The Investor Relations Group
Investor Relations:
Adam Holdsworth
Erica Ruderman
Rachel Colgate
212-825-3210
Samaritan
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Kristi Eads
702-735-7001
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