XTLbio’s HepeX-B Receives Orphan Drug Designation from the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products

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XTLbio’s HepeX-B Receives Orphan Drug Designation from the European Agency

for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA)

Rehovot, Israel, – XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. (XTLbio) reported today that

the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) has

granted its investigational therapeutic product, HepeX-B™, Orphan Drug

Designation (see Notes to Editors) for prevention of hepatitis B infection

in liver transplant patients.

Hepatitis B is the most common form of hepatitis and one of the world’s

leading causes of death. About 5% of chronic hepatitis B patients will

develop end-stage liver disease, a condition, which necessitates liver

transplantation. During the liver transplantation procedure the diseased

liver is removed and a healthy liver from a donor is transplanted. Without

proper treatment, the newly transplanted liver can become re-infected by

residual virus in the patient’s serum, leading to rapid disease progression

and graft failure in many cases. The current market for prevention of

hepatitis B infection following liver transplant is estimated to be worth

$100 million.

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/newsRev/2004/NewsRev-38.html#4