Contracts Provide Canadians With Access And Choice To Critical Therapies For Hemophilia And Primary Immune Deficiency

Main Category: Blood / Hematology
Article Date: 03 Apr 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Baxter Corporation (Canada) is pleased to announce contracts with Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, the two organizations responsible for managing Canada's blood system. For more than 20 years Baxter has partnered with the organizations managing Canada's blood collection system to deliver innovative products for Canadians with hemophilia, primary immune deficiency and other rare blood disorders.

"We are pleased to continue our successful relationship with Baxter in supplying Canadians with life-saving therapies," said Dr. Graham Sher, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Blood Services, "and we are confident that they will continue to be strong partners for Canadian Blood Services in ensuring a safe, secure, sustainable supply of plasma protein products for Canada."

Under the new, multi-year agreements, Baxter will supply Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec with commercial products, including ADVATE® [Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant), Plasma/Albumin Free Method (rAHF-PFM)] for the prevention and control of bleeding episodes in people with hemophilia A and the newly launched GAMMAGARD Liquid 10% HUMAN, Intravenous Immune Globulin (IVIG) for the treatment of primary immune deficiency.

Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec will distribute these and other important therapies to hospitals across Canada making them available to clinicians and patients.

"This agreement is another link in the long-standing partnership between Baxter and Héma-Québec. This partnership makes it possible for us to continue to offer stable products that meet the industry's highest standards for quality." said Dr. Francine Décary, President and Chief Executive Officer of Héma-Québec.

"These contracts are good news for Canadians as they provide both access and choice to those requiring treatment for bleeding disorders and immunological disorders," said Serge Messerlian, Business Unit Director, BioScience, Baxter Corporation. "In particular, the contracts continue access to ADVATE and GAMMAGARD Liquid, and may help patients lead healthier and more active lives."

ADVATE is an advanced factor VIII therapy and one of the most studied factor VIII therapies worldwide. It is the only factor VIII therapy made without human or animal blood-derived components approved for use in Canada. In contrast, all other factor VIII therapies available in Canada use human or animal blood-derived components during their manufacturing process. ADVATE was developed by Baxter using recombinant technology to potentially reduce the exposure of patients with hemophilia to blood-borne pathogens.

GAMMAGARD Liquid 10% is the only intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) with three dedicated and effective viral inactivation/removal steps. The therapy's ready-to-use, sterile preparation eliminates the need for reconstitution. GAMMAGARD Liquid 10% is the latest step in Baxter's ongoing efforts toward advancing the science of IVIG.

With these contracts, Baxter continues its commitment to providing both the Canadian hemophilia and primary immune deficiency communities a safe and secure supply of products

About Primary Immune Deficiency Disorders

Primary immunodeficiency disorders encompass more than 100 diseases caused by an immune system that does not function correctly. For many people with primary immunodeficiency, the cause is a lack of antibodies usually produced to fight infection. Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) therapy can help restore immunoglobulin (IgG antibodies) levels to near normal, helping the immune system function properly and prevent infections or fight them when they occur.

About Hemophilia

Hemophilia is a rare genetic bleeding disorder that affects one in 10,000 people. People with hemophilia A are primarily males, although in extremely rare cases women can also be affected. These individuals do not produce adequate amounts of factor VIII, which is necessary to effectively clot blood. Without enough factor VIII, patients can experience spontaneous, uncontrolled internal bleeding that is painful, debilitating and damaging to joints. If untreated, patients with severe hemophilia A have a greatly reduced life expectancy.

About Baxter

As a subsidiary of Baxter International Inc., Baxter Corporation (Canada) applies innovative science to develop specialty therapeutics and medical products that save and sustain patients' lives. Baxter bioscience, medications delivery and renal products and services are used to treat patients with some of the most challenging medical conditions including cancer, hemophilia, immune deficiencies, infectious diseases, kidney disease and trauma. Learn more about Baxter Corporation (Canada) at http://www.baxter.ca.

This release includes forward-looking statements concerning the contracts between the company and each of Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, including those statements related to the availability and sale of the company's products including ADVATE and GAMMAGARD Liquid. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: commercial availability of the company's products including ADVATE and GAMMAGARD Liquid; actual purchases by Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec of the company's products including ADVATE and GAMMAGARD Liquid; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; numerous other matters including economic, business, competitive and other risk factors identified in Baxter International Inc.'s most recent filing on Form 10-K and other SEC filings, all of which are available on the company's website. The company does not undertake any obligation to update its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, changes to assumptions or otherwise and all forward-looking statements speak only as of the time when made.

Baxter International Inc.