PR Newswire/Les Echos/
Sanofi Pasteur Press Release
Sanofi Pasteur Obtains License from Syntiron to Develop & Commercialize Vaccine
to Prevent Staphylococcus infections
- Those infections are a major health concern no longer confined to the
intensive care unit -
Lyon, France - December 16, 2009 - Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the
sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive,
world-wide licensing agreement with Syntiron to develop and commercialize its
prophylactic vaccine against Staphylococcus, including Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA. MRSA are responsible for several
difficult-to-treat infections in humans, sometimes referred to as
multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus because these bacteria are resistant
to a large group of antibiotics, including penicillins.
Syntiron is a private biotech company located in St. Paul, Minnesota; its
mission is the prevention and treatment of human disease resulting from
bacterial infection. Under the terms of the agreement, Sanofi Pasteur will
support the joint, pre-clinical development of the product, working
cooperatively with Syntiron, and be responsible for all future developments,
regulatory approval, and commercialization of the vaccine. The agreement
includes an undisclosed initial licensing fee, milestone payments, and royalty
payments on future sales of the product.
"This agreement with Syntiron is just another example of Sanofi Pasteur's
interest in partnering with biotechs to produce innovative vaccines to address
public health needs," said Wayne Pisano, President and Chief Executive Office of
Sanofi Pasteur. "Along with our development of a vaccine to prevent Clostridium
difficile infection, the successful development of a vaccine to prevent MRSA
would be a major achievement in combating hospital-associated infections."
About Staphylococcus aureus
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacterium that
is resistant to certain antibiotics. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)'s website, these antibiotics include methicillin
and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.
Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons in
hospitals and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes and dialysis centers)
who have weakened immune systems.
MRSA infections that occur in otherwise healthy people who have not been
recently (within the past year) hospitalized or had a medical procedure (such as
dialysis, surgery, catheters) are known as community-associated (CA)-MRSA
infections. These infections are usually skin infections, such as abscesses,
boils, and other pus-filled lesions.
According to the Internet Journal of Infectious Diseases, MRSA has become one of
the most important pathogens that cause post-operative infections, and, in the
U.S., it accounts for up to 40 percent of nosocomial (hospital-associated)
Staphylococcus aureus infections in large hospitals and 25-30 percent in smaller
hospitals. In Europe, MRSA prevalence ranges from over 50 percent in Portugal
and Italy to below 2 percent in Switzerland and the Netherlands. In Asia, the
prevalence lies around 50 percent, with extremely high rates in Hong Kong (75
percent) and Japan (72 percent). In many African hospitals the prevalence of
MRSA is estimated at 15 percent, with Kenya and Nigeria having the highest
prevalence of 21-30 percent. And according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, MRSA is
now endemic in many hospitals, being one of the leading causes of nosocomial
pneumonia and surgical site infection and the second leading cause of nosocomial
blood stream infections.
About sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company, discovers, develops and
distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of everyone.
Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).
For more information, visit:
www.sanofi-aventis.com
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, provided more
than 1.6 billion doses of vaccine in 2008, making it possible to immunize more
than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine
industry, Sanofi Pasteur offers the broadest range of vaccines protecting
against 20 infectious diseases. The company's heritage, to create vaccines that
protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest
company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company invests more than
EUR 1 million in research and development. For more information, please visit:
www.sanofipasteur.com or www.sanofipasteur.us
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements
are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include financial
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Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects,"
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expressions. Although sanofi-aventis' management believes that the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are
cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various
risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally
beyond the control of sanofi-aventis, that could cause actual results and
developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or
projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and
uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the public filings with
the SEC and the AMF made by sanofi-aventis, including those listed under "Risk
Factors" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in
sanofi-aventis' annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2008.
Other than as required by applicable law, sanofi-aventis does not undertake any
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements.
Contacts
Global Media Relations US Media Relations
Pascal Barollier Susan Watkins
T.: +33-(0)4-37-37-50-38 T.: +1-570-957-2563
media@sanofipasteur.com susan.watkins@sanofipasteur.com
www.sanofipasteur.com www.sanofipasteur.us
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