BORRELIOOSI VERENSIIRROSTA

[Bb]

Lähettäjä: Soijuv Lähetetty: 30.11.2004 8:34

Keskustelu verivalmisteiden turvallisuudesta ja mahdollisuudesta levittää erilaisia mikrobeja nousee esille aika ajoin. Näin on myös borreliabakteerin kohdalla. Seuraava firma kehittelee valmistetta jonka on alkuvaiheen tutkimuksissa todettu tuhoavan mm. borreliabakteerin verivalmisteista:


Watertown, MA (July 18, 2002) -- V.I. Technologies, Inc. (Vitex) (Nasdaq: VITX), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing products that improve the safety of the transfusion blood supply by pathogen reduction or removal, announced today that its INACTINEâ?¢ red blood cell process was successful in inactivating the infectious bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, that causes Lyme disease. Additional data showed that the INACTINEâ?¢ process was also extremely effective in inactivating the virus that causes West Nile encephalitis. These studies have been accepted for presentation at the October 2002 American Association of Blood Banks Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

In recent years, Lyme disease and West Nile encephalitis have shown increased prevalence in the northeastern and Atlantic coastal regions of the U.S. The causative pathogens of both diseases require an insect vector. Both pathogens share an asymptomatic period in which blood donor guidelines would not exclude blood donations by persons during this stage.

West Nile virus and the bacterium that causes Lyme disease are prime examples of emerging pathogens. Further epidemiologic studies in human transfusion recipients are needed before the transfusion risk, if any, can be ascertained,said Mr. John R. Barr, President and CEO, Vitex. The results of these studies strengthen the power of Vitex INACTINEâ? technology. Based on all of our scientific data to date, the uniqueness of the INACTINEâ?¢ process is inherent in its ability to inactivate an unmatched list of enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, gram negative and gram positive bacteria, parasites, and lymphocytes, all of which can endanger a transfusion recipient.

Vitex recently announced that it reached written agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to initiate its pivotal Phase III clinical trial program with the INACTINEâ?? pathogen reduction red blood cell system.

About West Nile Virus
West Nile virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes with the most serious manifestation of the West Nile virus being fatal encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. The virus, which was first identified in North America in 1999, has been subsequently documented in 28 states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. West Nile virus was first isolated in 1937 from a woman in the West Nile District of Uganda. The virus then became recognized as the cause of severe human meningoencephalitis in elderly patients during an outbreak in Israel in 1957. As of July 2002, there have been a total of 150 human cases of West Nile virus illness reported and confirmed, including 18 fatalities.

About Lyme Disease
Lyme disease was named in 1977 when arthritis was observed in groups of children from Lyme, Connecticut. Further investigation revealed that Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. More than 145,000 cases have been reported to health authorities in the United States since 1982, when a systematic national surveillance was initiated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transmitted by the bite of a deer tick or Western black-legged tick, Lyme disease is responsible for over 80% of all vector-borne illnesses.

About Vitex
Vitex is developing products designed to improve the safety of the world's blood supply. The Company's revolutionary INACTINEâ?¢ technology, currently in Phase III clinical trials, is designed to inactivate a wide range of viruses, bacteria and parasites, and has demonstrated its ability to remove prion proteins, while preserving the therapeutic properties of red blood cells. The technology works by binding to the RNA or DNA of the pathogen. Once bound, the compound forms an irreversible bond to the pathogenic nucleic acid, preventing replication and thereby "killing" the pathogens. The Company's lead product is the INACTINEâ?¢ Pathogen Reduction System for red blood cells. Over 40 million red cell units are transfused annually in the U.S., Europe and Japan, representing an over $4 billion market opportunity. The Company currently has partnerships with Pall Corporation, Haemonetics Corporation and Amersham Biosciences. For more information on Vitex, please visit our Web site at: www.vitechnologies.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, such as execution of the Companyâ??s financing plans, quarterly fluctuations in operating results, anticipated clinical trial timelines or results, the timely availability of new products, market acceptance of the Company's products, the impacts of competitive products and pricing, government regulation of the Company's products and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made herein.