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Last checked at 
11 Jan 2010 12:00
RNS Number : 3292F
Hikma Pharmaceuticals Plc
11 January 2010
Hikma announces partnership with BioCryst for its pandemic flu product
London, 11 January 2009: Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (“Hikma”) (LSE:HIK) (NASDAQ Dubai: HIK), a leading speciality pharmaceutical company, announces that it has signed an exclusive agreement to represent BioCryst in respect of its anti-viral product peramivir for pandemic flu treatment stockpiling opportunities with governments in the Middle East and North Africa (‘MENA’) region.
Said Darwazah, Hikma’s Chief Executive Officer commented: “This agreement reinforces our position as the partner of choice in the MENA region. BioCryst has received peramivir emergency use enquiries from a number of countries in MENA, and we look forward to working with BioCryst to make peramivir available during the ongoing influenza pandemic, leveraging our regulatory and commercial capabilities across 17 markets in the region.”
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Enquiries
Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC
Susan Ringdal, Investor Relations Director Tel: +44 (0)20 7399 2760
Brunswick Group
Jon Coles / Justine McIlroy Tel: +44 (0)20 7404 5959
About peramivir
Peramivir is an intravenously administered anti-viral agent developed to deliver high plasma concentrations to the sites of infection. Discovered by BioCryst, peramivir inhibits the interactions of influenza neuraminidase, an enzyme which is critical to the spread of influenza within a host. In laboratory tests, peramivir has shown activity against multiple influenza strains, including pandemic H1N1 swine origin flu viral strains. Peramivir has been studied in over 1800 patients with complicated and uncomplicated influenza. Shionogi & Co., Ltd. has filed for regulatory approval in Japan. On October 23, 2009, BioCryst announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for i.v. peramivir in certain adult and pediatric patients with confirmed or suspected 2009 H1N1 influenza A infection who are admitted to a hospital. Additional information regarding the peramivir EUA is available on the web at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/eua/.
BioCryst is currently enrolling patients in two peramivir Phase 3 studies intended to support U.S. regulatory approval for influenza. Approximately 300 study locations are targeted to participate in these studies globally.
About Hikma
Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC is a fast growing multinational group focused on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad range of both branded and non-branded generic and in-licensed products. Hikma's operations are conducted through three businesses: "Branded", "Injectables" and "Generics" based principally in the Middle East and North Africa ("MENA") region, where it is a market leader, the United States and Europe. In 2008, Hikma achieved revenues of $581 million and profit attributable to shareholders of $57 million. For news and other information, please visit www.hikma.com.
About the MENA region
The MENA region has a population of 270 million people and comprises the following countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman.
About BioCryst
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals designs, optimizes and develops novel small-molecule pharmaceuticals that block key enzymes involved in infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases. BioCryst has progressed two novel compounds into late-stage pivotal clinical trials; peramivir, an anti-viral for influenza, and forodesine, a purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) inhibitor for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Utilizing crystallography and structure-based drug design, BioCryst continues to discover additional compounds and to progress others through pre-clinical and early development to address the unmet medical needs of atients and physicians. For more information, please visit the Company's Web site at www.biocryst.com.
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