King of Prussia, PA, October 4, 2000 -
Aventis Behring L.L.C.
announced today the successful results of its large, pivotal
Phase I clinical trial for Recombumin®20%. The trial was
designed to assess the tolerability of Recombumin®20% as a
stabilizing component in pharmaceutical and biological
products, such as
vaccines, recombinant therapies and
coatings for
medical devices.
Recombumin 20% is a recombinant, or completely
biosynthetic, human albumin product. The manufacturing
process begins with
fermentation in yeast, yielding a product
that is free of human or animal-derived material with a level of
purity that is unparalleled in biological products.
Manufacturers of biological products can use
Recombumin®20% as a stabilizing agent for new therapies in
development or by replacing less optimal stabilizers in their
existing products. Delta Biotechnology Ltd., a wholly owned
subsidiary of Aventis Behring, is already producing
Recombumin 20% in small amounts.
"We believe Recombumin®20% can raise the standard of
purity and safety in important therapies already developed to
prevent and treat
diseases around the world. Because it is a
recombinant product derived from fermentation in yeast, there
is not even a theoretical risk that it will transmit any known,
unknown or newly emerging infectious agents," stated Werner
Merkle, Vice President and General Manager of Delta
Biotechnology Ltd. "Recombumin®20% symbolizes the future
of Aventis Behring as we continue to combine state-of-the-art
technology with our rich heritage in
plasma therapy."
Between November, 1999 and June, 2000, five-hundred
subjects were included in this double-blind, randomized,
parallel-group, dose-escalating study comparing
Recombumin®20% to human
serum albumin 20%. The trial
was conducted in
Sweden under a United States
food and
Drug Administration Investigational New Drug Application
(IND). The volunteers received intramuscular
administrations, once a week for five consecutive weeks, of
either Recombumin®20% or human serum albumin (HSA)
20% at dose levels of 5 mg (100 subjects), 15 mg (100
subjects) or 65 mg (300 subjects). The results of the study
demonstrated the safety and good tolerability of
Recombumin®20% up to a dose of 65 mg. Since the
expected highest single dose is 15 mg, the good tolerability
of the 65 mg dose provides an excellent safety margin. The
overall incidence of adverse events, (e.g. those referring to
allergic reactions), was low and comparable between the
Recombumin®20% and the hu