




Healthcare Industry News: Cervarix
News Release - March 29, 2007
GlaxoSmithKline Submits Biologics License Application to U.S. Food and Drug Administration for CERVARIX(R)
New Vaccine Candidate Developed to Protect Against Cervical Cancer - Filing Includes Data from Almost 30,000 FemalesPHILADELPHIA, March 29 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK ) announced today that the company has submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) for Cervarix® (human papillomavirus vaccine, AS04 adjuvant-adsorbed), its cervical cancer candidate vaccine, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If licensed, the vaccine will be indicated for the prevention of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions associated with the most common cancer-causing human papillomavirus types. For this candidate vaccine, GSK selected a novel proprietary adjuvant system called AS04, intended to enhance immune response and increase duration of protection.
The BLA for the GSK cervical cancer candidate vaccine includes data from clinical trials in almost 30,000 females 10 to 55 years of age and reflects an ethnically diverse population. The submission also contains data from the largest Phase III cervical cancer vaccine efficacy trial to date, which was conducted around the world in more than 18,000 females 15 to 25 years of age.
"We are pleased to submit this file to the FDA," said Barbara Howe, MD, Vice President and Director, North American Vaccine Development Organization, at GlaxoSmithKline. "It includes a considerable amount of data for virus types 16 and 18 that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases worldwide, as well as data for other virus types that can lead to cervical cancer. We look forward to presenting study results in the coming months."
The GSK cervical cancer candidate vaccine is formulated with a proprietary adjuvant system called AS04, containing aluminum hydroxide and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL®). Published data have shown that the GSK cervical cancer candidate vaccine formulated with AS04 provides a stronger and longer lasting immune response compared to the same GSK vaccine composition formulated with a traditional aluminum hydroxide adjuvant.
About Cervical Cancer
After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the second most frequently occurring cancer in women between the ages of 20 to 39 in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2007 more than 11,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and nearly 4,000 will die from this disease in the United States. Furthermore, approximately 2 million precancerous lesions are diagnosed each year in the United States.
The GSK Cervical Cancer Candidate Vaccine Around the World
In addition to the Biologics License Application submitted for Cervarix® with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, GSK has submitted a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency, Australia, Canada, and major countries in Asia and Latin America.
About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline-one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies-is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information, please visit http://www.gsk.com/media .
GSK Biologicals (GSK Bio), one of the world's leading vaccine manufacturers, is headquartered in Rixensart, Belgium, where the majority of GlaxoSmithKline's activities in the field of vaccine research, development and production are conducted. GSK Bio employs more than 1,500 scientists, who are devoted to discovering new vaccines and developing more cost-effective and convenient combination products to prevent infections that cause serious medical problems worldwide. In 2006, GSK Bio distributed more than 1.1 billion doses of vaccines to 169 countries in both the developed and the developing world - an average of 3 million doses a day. Of those vaccine doses, approximately 136 million were doses of combination pediatric vaccines which protect the world's children with up to six diseases in one vaccine.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
Under the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by the company, including those made in this Announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that may affect the Group's operations are described under 'Risk Factors' in the 'Business Review and Prospects' in the company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2006.
Source: GlaxoSmithKline
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