Successful Collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim RCV and Fresenius Kabi

Wien (OTS) - Through the coupling of Fresenius Kabi's hydroxyethyl
starch ("HES") to a therapeutic protein, the capability to produce
robust HESylated pharmaceuticals on an industrial scale level was
successfully demonstrated. Fresenius Kabi provided Boehringer
Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG with its HESylation(R) Technology to
manufacture HES conjugated to a therapeutic protein.

The HESylated pharmaceutical deriving from both, the laboratory
and the industrial scale were well comparable with regard to quality
and process yield. The amount of the HESylated pharmaceutical
equalled 30,000 once weekly doses of an already approved long acting
second generation product.

Upon this first successful collaboration, Boehringer Ingelheim RCV
GmbH & Co KG and Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH will actively
evaluate further opportunities to extend the collaboration and to
apply HESylation(R) Technology, respectively.

HESylation(R) Technology

HESylation(R) Technology allows a targeted modification of drugs
and their characteristics by site-specific coupling to HES molecules.
HES-coupling enables the modification of key pharmacological
parameters such as absorption, metabolization, half-life, water
solubility and safety.

Fresenius Kabi's Business Unit HESylation(R) Technology is a
focused team of experienced professionals. With access to customized
HES species and dedicated fully equipped R&D and GMP facilities the
support for biopharmaceutical product developments are fulfilled at
highest standards.

HESylation(R) Technology is based on the extensive expertise in
the field of hydroxyethyl starch ("HES") that Fresenius Kabi has
gathered as the world's largest producer of pharmaceutical grade HES.
HES is derived from waxy maize starch and can be metabolized by the
body's enzymes. HES solutions have been safely administered for over
30 years to treat deficient blood volume and to improve the
rheological properties of blood.

Fresenius Kabi expects to enter into further collaborations with
leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to contribute to
improved pharmaceutical products through its HESylation(R) Technology
platform.

HESylation(R) Technology is covered by a broad portfolio of
intellectual property rights. For further details please visit
http://www.HESylation.com.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world's 20 leading
pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it
operates globally with 142 affiliates in 50 countries and more than
41,500 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned
company has been committed for 125 years to researching, developing,
manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value
for human and veterinary medicine.

Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna (BI RCV), the Austrian
affiliate of Boehringer Ingelheim, is responsible for the human
pharmaceuticals and animal health business in more than 30 Central
and Eastern European countries. Moreover, the whole clinical research
of the region is managed from Vienna, where also the oncology
research center of Boehringer Ingelheim is located. Furthermore, BI
RCV is the center of competence for microbial expression technologies
and the development and GMP production of biopharmaceuticals for
Boehringer Ingelheim and its third party customers.

Today, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's leading
companies for contract development and manufacture of
biopharmaceuticals. All types of services from mammalian cell line or
microbial strain development to final drug production can be
delivered within a one-stop-shop concept. Boehringer Ingelheim
delivers services for pre-clinical development up to global market
supply with a strong commitment to its customers at its manufacturing
facilities for mammalian cell culture and microbial fermentation.
Boehringer Ingelheim has brought 17 molecules to market and has many
years of experience in multiple molecule classes such as monoclonal
antibodies, recombinant proteins, interferons, enzymes, fusion
molecules and plasmid DNA. Furthermore, high-titer platform
technologies for new antibody mimetic formats such as scaffold
proteins and antibody fragments are available for the manufacture of
customer products.

For more information please visit www.biopharma-cmo.com

Fresenius Kabi

Fresenius Kabi is focused on products for the therapy and care of
critically and chronically ill patients in and outside the hospital.
Fresenius Kabi's core product range includes intravenously
administered drugs, infusion solutions and parenteral as well as
enteral nutrition and the medical devices for the application.

Fresenius Kabi has more than 22,000 employees worldwide and a
global network of around 55 sales organizations and more than 55
production sites. In 2009, Fresenius Kabi achieved sales of Euro
3,086 million and an operating profit (EBIT) of Euro 607 million.
Fresenius Kabi AG is a 100% subsidiary of the health care group
Fresenius SE.

For more information about Fresenius Kabi, please visit the
company's web site at www.fresenius-kabi.com

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject
to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ
materially from those described in these forward-looking statements
due to certain factors, e.g. changes in business, economic and
competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, results of clinical
trials, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in
litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of
financing. Fresenius does not undertake any responsibility to update
the forward-looking statements in this release.

Rainer Baule (Chairman), Marc Crouton, John Ducker, Mats
Henriksson, Manfred M. Köhler, Dr. Michael Schönhofen, Gerrit Steen
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Dr. Ulf M. Schneider
Registered Office: Bad Homburg, Germany/Commercial Register:
Amtsgericht Bad Homburg - HRB 11654

Rückfragehinweis:

Contact for Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG:
   
   Inge Homolka
   Communications
   Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG
   Phone +43 / 1 / 80105-2230
   Fax +43 / 1 / 80105-2624
   mailto:[email protected]
   
   
   Contact for BU HESylation(R) Technology:
   
   Frank Feller, Commercial Affairs & Business Development
   Kabi Innovation Centre
   Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH
   T:+49 6172 686 8558
   F: +49 6172 686 390033
   Email: [email protected] 
   www.HESylation.com

OTS-ORIGINALTEXT PRESSEAUSSENDUNG UNTER AUSSCHLIESSLICHER INHALTLICHER VERANTWORTUNG DES AUSSENDERS - WWW.OTS.AT | IMP

print