MMR Vaccine recalled by maker Chiron.

[Guest guest]

" TAAP " <Truth " Jagannath Chatterjee "

<jagchat01 Chiron recalls MMR vaccine Sat, 18

Mar 2006 02:36:22 -0800

http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2006/03/16/afx2599913.html

Chiron recalls MMR vaccine Morupar on safety grounds; revises FY 2005 earnings

ZURICH (AFX) - US pharmaceuticals company Chiron Corp announced the recall and

withdrawal of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine Morupar, of which it

supplied 5 mln doses last year, mainly to developing countries and

approximately 450,000 doses to Italy. Results of routine pharmacovigilance

surveillance in Italy suggests that Morupar 'may be associated with a higher

rate of adverse events following immunization than other MMRs', such as fever,

allergic reactions and swelling of glands. However, Chiron reiterated that

historical surveillance data indicate that adverse events remain rare and that

it is recalling and withdrawing the vaccine as a precautionary measure.

The company -- which recorded Morupar sales of approximately 10 mln usd last

year -- also revised its income from

continuing operations for 2005 to 253 mln usd or 1.31 usd per share, a

decrease of 0.03 usd. Chiron is currently the subject of a takeover offer by

Swiss pharma company Novartis AG, which already holds a stake of 44 pct.

afx.zurich at/lam

http://ca.us.biz./ap/060316/chiron_vaccine_recall.html?.v=10 AP

Chiron Recalls, Withdraws Morupar Vaccine Thursday March 16, 4:30 pm ET By

Michael Liedtke, AP Business Writer Chiron Recalls, Withdraws Common

Childhood Vaccine Sold in Italy, Several Other Foreign Nations SAN

FRANCISCO (AP) -- Chiron Corp. on Thursday recalled and withdrew a common

childhood vaccine sold in Italy and several other foreign countries,

compounding the biotech company's headaches as it recovers from production

problems that caused a recent shortage of flu shots.The Emeryville,

Calif.-based company's latest slip potentially affects about 5 million doses

of Chiron's measles, mumps and rubella vaccine,

called Morupar. The vaccine is used in Italy, Syria, Jordan and a variety

of smaller countries that receive the drug through the United Nation's

Children's Fund and Pan American Health Organization. Chiron sells Morupar

exclusively in overseas markets closer to the plants that make the vaccine,

said company spokeswoman Alison Marquiss. Other drug makers supply the

United States with the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine, which is

usually first administered when children are 12 to 15 months old. Italy

determined five patients immunized with Morupar suffered adverse reactions,

including fever and swelling of the glands, commonly associated with the

vaccine, Marquiss said. The same pattern hasn't been cropping up with MMR

vaccines made by two other manufacturers, prompting the Italian Medicine

Agency to order a withdrawal of Chiron's product from the market to protect

the public's health. Chiron said it provided Italy with about

450,000 doses of the MMR vaccine last year, with roughly 4.5 million other

doses going to other countries. In a statement, Chiron described the

recall and withdrawal as precautionary and emphasized there's no reason to

believe patients already immunized with Morupar face any long-term health

risks. The company intends to consult with the World Health Organization to

determine if a limited supply of its existing MMR vaccine should be allowed

back on the market. Morupar accounted for just $10 million of Chiron's 2005

revenue of $1.9 billion. To account for the setback, Chiron will reduce its

previously reported earnings for last year's final quarter by 3 cents per

share to 68 cents per share. Chiron's woes with its flu vaccine have been

more severe, reducing the company's sales by more than $250 million during the

past two years. In 2004, Chiron triggered a public health panic after

contamination concerns at an England plant prevented the

company from delivering 50 million flu shots -- about half of the national

stockpile. The flu shot problems persisted last year when Chiron fell well

short of meeting its production goals. The missteps undermined Chiron's

sales of its flu vaccine. In its last full year of normal production, Chiron

sold $332 million of flu vaccine. In 2004, Chiron's flu vaccine plunged to

$153 million and rebounded to $225 million last year. Chiron has agreed to

be acquired by Swiss drug maker Novartis AG, but that deal isn't going

smoothly either. Four Chiron shareholders with a combined 17.5 percent stake

in the company believe the sales price is too low. Novartis has offered $5.1

billion, or $45 per share, for the 56 percent of Chiron that it doesn't

already own. One of the dissident shareholders, ValueAct Capital, has

threatened to lead an effort to oust Chiron's chief executive, Howard Pien, if

he continues to support Novartis' bid and the offer is

ultimately rejected. A shareholder vote is scheduled April 12. Federal

regulators already have approved the proposed Novartis takeover. Chiron's

shares fell 19 cents to close at $45.51 Thursday on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

DEFINITION * TREATMENT * PREVENTION Autism is 1 in 150 children today, 1 in 68

families! TAAP (The Autism Autoimmunity Project) is a non-profit charity

dedicated to obtaining funding for independent research into the cause,

treatment and prevention of autism and other autoimmune disorders. Please

learn from our mistake and 'Educate BEFORE You Vaccinate!' For more

information visit our website at www.TAAP.info and 'TAAP into the Truth!'

 

 

 

" Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest

of life by the power of the spirit. " - Aurobindo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mail

Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.