Fertility Treatment Puregon(R) Approved n China

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 06 Nov 2005 - 3:00 PDT

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Organon, Akzo Nobel's human healthcare business, has received approval from the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration for its fertility treatment Puregon(R) solution.

Already a success in key markets all over the world, Puregon - a recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) - is now licensed in China for ovulation induction and controlled ovarian hyperstimulation when used in assisted reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF).

"Puregon has successfully proved its worth in many countries across the globe since it was first introduced in Europe in 1996," said Yve van Thorenburg, General Manager of Organon China. "It is widely used as a standard treatment for ovarian stimulation. We are delighted to have the opportunity to offer Puregon to doctors and patients in China, where around 10 percent of couples in the total population of 1.3 billion are infertile."

Launched in Japan earlier this year under the brand name Follistim(R) (the product is also marketed as Follistim in the USA), Puregon represents a modern alternative to the older, urinary-derived fertility products currently available in China. It is identical to the FSH produced by the pituitary gland and belongs to the group of gonadotropins (fertility medications) which play an important role in human fertility and reproduction.

Available in a ready-to-use solution, Puregon is used to either induce ovulation for natural conception or donor insemination, or to generate multiple eggs for IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Organon - with shared head offices in Roseland, New Jersey, U.S.A. and Oss, The Netherlands - creates, manufactures and markets prescription medicines that improve the health and quality of human life. Through a combination of independent growth and business partnerships, Organon strives to remain or become one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in each of its core therapeutic fields: reproductive medicine, psychiatry and anesthesia. Organon products are sold in over 100 countries, of which more than 60 have an Organon subsidiary. Organon is the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel. Additional information about Organon is available through its corporate website, http://www.organon.com.

For more information, please contact:
Monique Mols, Associate Director, Media Relations
Tel: +31-(0)412-665440, e-mail: monique.mols@organon.com

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