December 11, 2008 02:00 ET
Crucell Announces Excellent Results for Influenza Antibody
LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS--(Marketwire - December 11, 2008) - Dutch biopharmaceutical
company Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL) (SWISS: CRX)
today announced that its monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against a
broad range of influenza virus strains has strongly outperformed the
most current anti-influenza drug in preclinical tests.
The latest results were presented yesterday, by Dr Jaap Goudsmit, at
IBC's 19th Annual International Conference on Antibody Engineering in
San Diego, USA. The preclinical study compared Crucell's mAb CR6261
with the anti-influenza drug oseltamivir in terms of their value for
flu prevention and treatment.
The flu strains tested included the 'bird flu' strain H5N1, which,
experts fear, has the potential to cause a pandemic, and H1N1, which
is similar to the strain responsible for the devastating pandemic in
1918. Dr Goudsmit presented data showing that the mAb CR6261 was 100%
successful in preventing infection with H5N1. When given after H5N1
infection, Crucell's mAb demonstrated the ability to prevent death
and cure disease in all cases. The mAb also performed significantly
better for the prevention and treatment of H1N1 infection,
illustrating the potential use for seasonal applications as well.
This makes it a potentially powerful antibody against a broad range
of influenza strains. Fears of a flu pandemic are fuelled by the
rising number of flu strains that have mutated in ways that make them
resistant to oseltamivir.
Importantly, the study showed that CR6261 provides immediate
protection against the influenza virus, suggesting that it will be
able to prevent disease spread. In contrast, oseltamivir was less
efficacious and in some cases not effective at all.
The advantages of the mAb over oseltamivir may also be important for
protecting or treating people at risk of severe illness or death due
to seasonal flu. These include the elderly and immune-suppressed
individuals.
The characterization of the antibody will be described in the online
journal PLoS ONE (www.plos.org) on December 16, 2008.
"An effective treatment of influenza is urgently needed. The limited
efficacy of oseltamivir and the rising resistance to this
anti-influenza drug are cause for concern. I am very encouraged by
these preclinical results indicating that our monoclonal antibody may
provide an effective means for disease prevention and cure," said
Jaap Goudsmit, Crucell's Chief Scientific Officer.
"Although this antibody is still at any early stage of development,
these results are very promising and demonstrate the strength of our
in-house research and development aimed at bringing innovation to
global health," said Ronald Brus, Crucell's Chief Executive Officer.
About Crucell
Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL) (SWISS: CRX) is a
global biopharmaceutical company focused on research, development,
production and marketing of vaccines, proteins and antibodies that
prevent and treat infectious diseases. Its vaccines are sold in
public and private markets worldwide. Crucell's core portfolio
includes a vaccine against hepatitis B, a fully-liquid vaccine
against five important childhood diseases and a virosome-adjuvanted
vaccine against influenza. Crucell also markets travel vaccines, such
as the only oral anti-typhoid vaccine, an oral cholera vaccine and
the only aluminum-free hepatitis A vaccine on the market. The Company
has a broad development pipeline, with several product candidates
based on its unique PER.C6® production technology. The Company
licenses its PER.C6® technology and other technologies to the
biopharmaceutical industry. Important partners and licensees include
DSM Biologics, sanofi-aventis, Novartis, Wyeth and Merck & Co.
Crucell is headquartered in Leiden, the Netherlands, with
subsidiaries in Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Korea
and the US. The Company employs over a 1000 people. For more
information, please visit www.crucell.com.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve
inherent risks and uncertainties. We have identified certain
important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially
from those contained in such forward-looking statements. For
information relating to these factors please refer to our Form 20-F,
as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on May 7,
2008, and the section entitled "Risk Factors". The Company prepares
its financial statements under International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS).
For further information please contact:
Crucell N.V.
Oya Yavuz
Director Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
Tel. +31-(0)71-519 7064
ir@crucell.com
www.crucell.com
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