EANS-News: Intercell AG / Intercell Announces FDA Approval of IXIARO®, a Vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis - A Successful Collaboration with the U.S. Army

» U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approves Intercell's first
marketed product, a new vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis for

adult travelers and military personnel

» Success of Intercell's
new JE vaccine is a result of an excellent
collaboration between
Intercell and the Walter Reed Army Institute
of Research in the
U.S.

» Supply contract for IXIARO with the U.S. military, to be
concluded
in the near future, forms the basis for distribution of
the vaccine
to the U.S. military

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companies

Wien (euro adhoc) - Vienna, Austria, March 31, 2009 - Intercell AG
(VSE: ICLL) today announced FDA approval of its new vaccine, IXIARO,
for the prevention of Japanese Encephalitis (JE), which now builds
the basis for the future distribution of the vaccine to the U.S.
military. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), United States
Department of Defense, already posted a Request for Proposal (RFP)
for purchase of JE vaccine in August 2008. As JE is a serious and
growing public health threat in Asia, the DLA intends to enter into a
contract to purchase supplies of JE vaccine for use with military
personnel who are deployed to affected countries.

"With the approval of IXIARO, Americans - both civilians and military
personnel - will have an efficacious and safe vaccine to protect
themselves from the devastating effects of Japanese Encephalitis. JE
is a deadly disease found mainly in Asia that kills approximately
one-third of those persons who contract it and leaves one-half of
survivors with permanent brain damage. As there is no specific
treatment for JE, health care experts recommend vaccination as the
best protection for the millions of travelers and military personnel
who live in or travel to areas where the virus circulates," said
Intercell's Chief Executive Officer, Gerd Zettlmeissl. "The timing of
this FDA approval of IXIARO is good news because production has been
halted and inventories are almost exhausted for the only other JE
vaccine licensed in the United States today."

IXIARO was developed for over 10 years under a Collaborative Research
and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Walter Reed Army Institute
of Research (WRAIR). "The expert scientists at WRAIR made a
significant contribution towards development of IXIARO and Intercell
is very appreciative of this outstanding collaboration. The FDA
approval of IXIARO is an excellent example of what can be achieved
when industry and government work together towards an important
common goal. Intercell looks forward to supplying this novel vaccine
to the U.S. military for use in their JE immunization program," added
Zettlmeissl.

"The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) welcomes the news that IXIARO
has now been approved by FDA," stated LTC(P) Wayne Hachey, Director
of Preventive Medicine in the Office of the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness. "The
Department has been committed to protecting its Service members from
this serious disease since the threat was first recognized during
World War II", Hachey said. "DoD researchers developed the initial
vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and are responsible for
much of our understanding regarding the effectiveness and safety of
that vaccine.

"Recognizing that a replacement vaccine would be required," Hachey
explained, "DoD researchers were again at the forefront of the JE
vaccine development that eventually led to IXIARO. Through a
decade-long successful collaboration between DoD and Intercell, we
now have an effective vaccine that early indications predict both
improved safety and convenience for our Service members." IXIARO is a
purified, inactivated product for active immunization against viral
infections of Japanese Encephalitis. IXIARO is manufactured at
Intercell´s proprietary manufacturing facility in Scotland and is
prepared using modern tissue culture rather than live organisms.
Intercell will directly distribute and market IXIARO to the U.S.
military, while such functions will be handled by Novartis Vaccines
USA to the private market.

end of announcement euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: Intercell AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Intercell AG

Lucia Malfent

Head of Corporate Communications

Tel. +43 1 20620-1303

lmalfent@intercell.com

Branche: Biotechnology
ISIN: AT0000612601
WKN: A0D8HW
Index: ATX Prime, ATX
Börsen: Wiener Börse AG / official market