All Russian Infants to get IPV

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Russia Chooses Inactivated Polio Vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur for Primary

Immunization of all Infants

From the PharmaLive.com News Archive - Nov. 12, 2008

Sanofi Pasteur and Chumakov Institute Russian Academy Medical Sciences Providers

of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) IMOVAX PolioTM for Russia National " Project

Health "

 

PARIS, November 12, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines

division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that Russia has chosen

inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) from Sanofi Pasteur for primary immunization of

all infants. The IPV doses are provided by M.P. Chumakov Institute of

Poliomyelitis and Virus Encephalitides through a manufacturing agreement with

Sanofi Pasteur.

 

IPV vaccination started in the summer of 2008 as part of Russia National

" Project Health. " Four-million doses of IPV IMOVAX PolioTM have been delivered

to date, ensuring that a complete birth cohort (approximately 1.3 million babies

are born every year in Russia) can receive the recommended three doses of IPV

vaccine.

 

" The Chumakov Institute was the first to produce oral polio vaccine which was

instrumental in eradicating poliomyelitis in Russia, " said Academician Sergey

Drosdov, Senior Scientific Advisor of M.P. Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis

and Viral Encephalitides Russian Academy Medical Sciences. " Today, IPV is the

vaccine of choice for post-eradication polio immunization programs and the

Institute is proud to bring this vaccine to Russian children. "

 

The Russian Federation was certified polio-free in 2002. Since 2006, children

from certain at risk groups are vaccinated with IPV. Starting mid 2008, all

children less than one year of age are vaccinated following a sequential

schedule: three doses of IPV for primary immunization, followed by two doses of

oral polio vaccine (OPV).

 

" Every year in Russia, over 1.3 million children will be vaccinated with IPV and

will benefit from its enhanced safety profile, " said Dr. Vladimir Tatochenko,

Professor of pediatrics, Head of Diagnostic Department of Scientific Center of

Children Health, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. " IPV fits perfectly with

the Russian childhood immunization calendar. DTP (diphtheria, tetanus,

pertussis) vaccine and IPV will be administered during the same pediatrician

visit. The existing high DTP vaccination coverage will ensure the success of IPV

vaccination. "

 

Over 50 polio-free countries are using IPV

 

An increasing number of polio-free countries are using IPV for their national

immunization programs which is becoming the international health standard of

care for polio vaccination. In 2007, Mexico was the first Latin American country

to choose IPV in a national immunization program with sanofi pasteur's IPV

containing pediatric combination vaccine, Pentaxim® (Diphtheria, tetanus,

acellular pertussis, inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine, Haemophilus influenzae

type b conjugate vaccine). Turkey also chose to include Pentaxim® in its

national immunization program.

 

In Indonesia the World Health Organization (WHO) is conducting a pilot program

to evaluate the switch from OPV to IPV in a tropical setting, for which sanofi

pasteur is donating 1.5 million doses of IPV over 5 years.

 

Committed to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative for 20 years

 

Sanofi Pasteur has been a partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative

since its founding by WHO in 1988.

 

    - Since 1988, Sanofi Pasteur has been a leading provider of OPV, supplying

over 600 million vaccine doses in 2007, helping to reduce the number of polio

cases by 99% with an estimated five million people escaping paralysis(1).

 

    - Between 1997 and 2005 Sanofi Pasteur donated over 120 million doses of

oral polio vaccine to help eradicate polio in Africa (Nigeria is the only

remaining endemic country in Africa).

    - In 2005, Sanofi Pasteur developed a novel monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine

type 1 or mOPV1 following urgent requests from the WHO. Fifty million doses of

mOPV 1 were used for the polio eradication campaign in Egypt. As a result, Egypt

was declared polio-free by the WHO in February 2006.

About M.P. Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides

The Institute of Poliomyelitis Research was established in 1955 by

Chumakov who became its first Director.

 

In 1960, the Institute included several laboratories and research departments

from other research organizations and became Institute of Poliomyelitis and

Viral Encephalitides.

 

Inactivated polio Salk vaccine has been produced in the Institute from 1956 to

1958, and since 1959 live attenuated polio vaccine administered orally (OPV)

manufactured by the Institute has been used for mass vaccination campaigns.

 

Production technology of oral polio vaccine created in the Institute was the

first to be certified by WHO for production and control of polio vaccines.

 

In the 1980's, new inactivated vaccine against tick-born encephalitis was

developed by the Institute.

 

Now scientists are working on creation of human gamma immunoglobulin by new

hybrid technology.

 

Vaccines against rabies and hepatitis A were also developed in research

laboratories of M.P. Chumakov Institute and other Russian manufacturers produce

those vaccines for mass vaccination.

 

The Institute has an exclusive advantage of close coordination between research

and industrial operations. Scientists are involved in creating new vaccines and

also new technologies for mass production.

 

The research department of M. P. Chumakov Institute includes 18 laboratories

with 91 research scientists, including four academicians. The Institute produces

live polio vaccine, vaccine against tick-born encephalitis, rabies, yellow

fever, and measles.

 

About poliomyelitis

 

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that

invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the

body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are

fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the

limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the

legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become

immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. In 1994, the

Region of the Americas was certified polio-free by the World Health

Organization, followed by the Western Pacific Region in 2000 and the European

Region in 2002; worldwide efforts are continuing towards global eradication of

this contagious and devastating disease.

 

About sanofi-aventis

 

Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company, discovers, develops and

distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of everyone.

Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris and in New York .

 

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, provided more

than 1.6 billion doses of vaccine in 2007, making it possible to immunize more

than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine

industry, sanofi pasteur offers the broadest range of vaccines protecting

against 20 infectious diseases. The company's heritage, to create vaccines that

protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest

company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company invests more than

EUR1 million in research and development. For more information, please visit:

http://www.sanofipasteur.com or http://www.sanofipasteur.us

IMOVAX PolioTM is a trademark of Sanofi Pasteur.

 

Forward Looking Statements

 

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private

Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements

are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include financial

projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding

plans, objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to future events,

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Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words " expects, "

" anticipates, " " believes, " " intends, " " estimates, " " plans " and similar

expressions. Although sanofi-aventis' management believes that the expectations

reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are

cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various

risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally

beyond the control of

sanofi-aventis, that could cause actual results and developments to differ

materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the

forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties

include those discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and the

AMF made by sanofi-aventis, including those listed under " Risk Factors " and

" Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements " in sanofi-aventis'

annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2007. Other than as

required by applicable law, sanofi-aventis does not undertake any obligation to

update or revise any forward-looking information or statements..

 

(1) World Health Organization, Fact sheet 288 Immunization against diseases of

public health importance

    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs288/en/index.html

    http://www.sanofipasteur.com

    http://www.sanofipasteur.us

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