New Approach to Treating Anthrax Significantly Improves Survival Rates in Pivotal Effica...(a single high dose of ABthrax surv...),Health

survived (p=0.0007 vs. placebo).

-- 50 percent of those that received a low dose survived (p=0.0064 vs.

placebo).

-- None of the monkeys in the placebo control group survived.

A separate study that measured 14-day survival in rabbits also demonstrated a statistically significant survival benefit versus placebo. All ABthrax-treated animals that survived in both studies were rapidly cleared of anthrax toxin and bacteria following intravenous administration of a single dose of ABthrax. In contrast, all placebo-treated animals remained bacteremic or toxemic and died.

HGS also reported today that it has completed the second safety study of ABthrax in human volunteers, bringing the total number of people who have participated in human safety trials to more than 180. The clinical results to date suggest that ABthrax was generally safe and well tolerated. In addition, the new study demonstrated that co-administration of ABthrax with the antibiotic Cipro (ciprofloxacin) did not affect the pharmacokinetics of either Cipro or ABthrax, and suggested that ABthrax can be administered in combination with antibiotics. This is a key finding given the important role that antibiotics are expected to continue to play in the treatment of anthrax disease.

The Need for New Means to Fight Anthrax Infections

Two options are currently available for the prevention or treatment of anthrax infections -- a vaccine and antibiotics. Both are essential to dealing with anthrax, but both have limitations. The anthrax vaccine takes several weeks following the initial doses before immunity is detectable, and requires multiple injections over a period of eighteen months, in addition to annual booster vaccination, to maintain protective immunity. Antibiotics are effective in killing anthrax bacteria, but are not effective against the anthrax toxins once those toxins have been released into the blood. Antibiotics also
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