Attn: News/Medical Editors
For Immediate Release
October 25, 2001
Deferiprone
Safety and Efficacy Confirmed at International Thalassemia Conference
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – Apotex Research Inc. reports today that the 8th
International Conference on Thalassemia and Hemoglobinopathies, held
October 18-21 in Athens, Greece, provided a strong endorsement for the use
of Deferiprone (Ferriprox™) in the treatment of iron overload in
thalassemia patients.
The meeting covered all aspects of screening and treatment of thalassemia.
It highlighted the benefits of deferiprone, which has now been
studied by more than 50 scientists around the world. The presentations
corroborate similar ones offered at the 11th International
Conference on Oral Chelation (ICOC), held in Italy last March, uniformly
reporting that deferiprone is a safe and effective second line therapy for
the treatment of iron overload in thalassemia patients.
"This meeting was a milestone for deferiprone", stated Dr. Fernando Tricta,
Medical Director, Apotex Research Inc. "We are elated that scientists around the world have endorsed the
importance of deferiprone in extending the life of thalassemia
patients".
Mr. Costa Papageorgiou, the President of the Thalassemia International
Federation (TIF) stated, "Thalassemia patients in Europe and around
the world have been waiting for years for an oral iron chelator and I am
pleased that the scientists are now reporting on studies that establish
this medicine as an important new treatment to help save the lives of
thalassemia patients", particularly in those who will not or cannot
take Desferal®, the only other drug that is available for the treatment
of this life threatening condition.”
Dr. Beatrix Wonke, of the Whittington Hospital in London, England, one of the
world's most experienced physicians in the treatment of thalassemia said,
"We now have evidence, from our own studies, that indicate
deferiprone may be more effective than subcutaneous Desferal® at removing
iron from the heart. This is an important finding because the number one cause of death among
thalassemia patients is iron-induced heart disease, even among those
patients who take Desferal®. Furthermore, it is clear from several
studies that there is no basis for the claims that deferiprone induces
liver fibrosis. It is time to move on. We now know this is
an important new drug in thalassemia."
"Certainly many of the outstanding and controversial issues regarding deferiprone
were finally put to rest at this meeting." reported Dr. Vasili Berdoukas,
an internationally known expert in the field who has personally studied
the effects of both deferiprone and Desferal® in the treatment of
thalassemia. "It's time that deferiprone was made available to more
patients around the world to increase their quality of life and possibly
even extend it", he added.
The biannual conference on thalassemia was sponsored by TIF, a non-government
organization working in concert with the World Health Organization, and
brought together more than one thousand physicians, scientists, other
health professionals and thalassemia association members from over 30
countries, to share new knowledge that can improve the quality of life for
these patients and extend their lives.
Ferriprox (Apotex brand of deferiprone) has already been approved for the treatment
of thalassemia patients in 18 countries and is under review in several
others.
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For additional information, please contact:
Elie Betito
Director, Public & Government Affairs
Apotex Inc.
Tel: (416) 749-9300
Fax: (416) 401-3835
E-mail: ebetito@apotex.ca
