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Helsinn and Pfizer Laboratories (PTY) LTD sign a License Agreement for the marketing of Aloxi® in South Africa

Lugano/Johannesburg (ots)

HELSINN HEALTHCARE SA, and PFIZER
LABORATORIES (PTY) LTD, announce the signing of an agreement granting
PFIZER in South Africa, the exclusive license and distribution rights
of Aloxi® (Palonosetron hydrochloride), a therapy for the prevention
of nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy. Aloxi® will be
launched in South Africa under the trade name Onicit®.
Aloxi®  is a potent and long-lasting antiemetic belonging to the
second generation of serotonin (5-HT3) antagonists, the leading class
for the prevention of nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy.
Aloxi(r) showed a great efficacy during the acute and delayed phase
after chemotherapy treatment as compared to other first generation
5-HT3 antagonists. The product is already commercialised in the US,
where over three million treatments have been completed successfully.
Aloxi® is currently on the market in some European countries, as well
as in several countries in Latin America where the tradename is
Onicit®.
In 2004, the US National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
guidelines indicated Aloxi(r) as the treatment of choice for the
prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting due to moderately
emetogenic chemotherapies.
"Helsinn is enthusiastic of entering this new collaboration with
PFIZER, said Dr. Riccardo Braglia, Managing Director of HELSINN
HEALTHCARE. "PFIZER is a leading company in the South African
pharmaceutical market, which we believe will successfully introduce
our product to the medical community in this region and allow the
patients suffering from Nausea and Vomiting induced by chemotherapy,
to benefit from an innovative antiemetic like Aloxi®".
Richard Paulson, Country manager and CEO of Pfizer South Africa
said, "We look forward to making Onicit® available to patients in
South Africa to improve the management of chemotherapy. As the first
true supportive care product in this range, Pfizer holds high
expectations for Onicit®, particularly given its' therapeutic
advantages over current treatment options."
About Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV)
CINV is estimated to affect 85% of cancer patients undergoing
chemotherapy and can result in a delay or discontinuation of
chemotherapy treatments. The supportive care area is becoming of
paramount importance to help patients deal with adverse events of
anticancer therapies. With good supportive care drugs, cancer
patients are able to tolerate the anti-cancer treatment to a greater
extent, improving their chances of completing their treatment course
successfully with a better quality of life.
About Aloxi®
Aloxi(r) is a selective 5-HT3-receptor antagonist, developed for
the prevention of CINV, with a long half-life of 40 hours and at
least 30 times higher receptor binding affinity than currently
available compounds. Since its availability in USA in September 2003,
there are over 3 million successful uses of Aloxi®. The product
showed to be effective in preventing both acute and delayed CINV in
patients receiving emetogenic chemotherapies. For more information
about this product please visit our website: www.palonosetron.net and
www.aloxi.com.
About HELSINN HEALTHCARE
HELSINN HEALTHCARE SA is a privately owned pharmaceutical group
with headquarters in Switzerland and is the worldwide licensor of
Aloxi®. HELSINN's core business is the licensing of pharmaceuticals
in niche therapeutic areas.
The company's business strategy is to in-license early-stage new
chemical entities and complete their development from the performance
of pre-clinical/clinical studies and CMC development to the
attainment of market approvals in strategic markets (U.S. and
Europe). HELSINN's products are eventually out-licensed to its
marketing partners for distribution. The active pharmaceutical
ingredients and the finished dosage forms are manufactured at
HELSINN's cGMP facilities and supplied worldwide to its customers.
For more information about HELSINN, please visit www.helsinn.com.
About PFIZER LABORATORIES PTY (LTD)
Pfizer Laboratories Pty (Ltd) is the South African subisidiary of
Pfizer Inc. Pfizer is committed to helping people improve their
health by discovering and developing medicines, as well as informing
consumers and health care providers about our medicines and the
medical conditions they treat. Through multiple initiatives, Pfizer
aims to ensure access to treatments and educate, empower and motivate
consumers to take the necessary steps to lead longer, healthier,
happier lives.
ots Orginaltext: Helsinn
Internet: wwww.presseportal.ch

Contact:

Contact person at HELSINN, Switzerland
Rachid BenHamza, Ph.D.
Head Business Unit Oncology & Supportive Care
Tel: +41/91/985'21'21
E-Mail: info-hhc@helsinn.com

Contacts at PFIZER, South Africa
Duncan Norman
Commercial director: Speciality, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Ltd
Tel: (+2711)320-6094
E-Mail: duncan.norman@pfizer.com

Dr Nirvana Raghubir
Medical director, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Ltd
Tel: (+2711) 320-6084
E-Mail: nirvana.raghubir@pfizer.com

Tanya-Lisa Elston
Communications, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Ltd
Tel: (+2711)320-6151
E-Mail: tanya.elston@pfizer.com

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