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OLSTEN HEALTH SERVICES TO ADMINISTER HEMISPHERX AMPLIGEN TO U.S. PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME.
Melville, New York -- Feb. 25, 1998 -- Olsten Health Services, a subsidiary of Olsten Corporation and Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. announced today that they have signed a treatment protocol specialty distribution agreement to treat U.S. patients suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) with the emerging drug therapy Ampligen (R). CFS, also know as Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), is a severly debilitating disease which afflict a minimum of 400,000 Americans. Ampligen, a nucleic acid developed by Hemispherx, is the only drug being investigated at the Phase III level for the treatment of CFS.
This agreement is part of Olsten's strategic focus on providing essential marketing, distribution and staffing services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, said Michael Ellis, Olsten Helath Services' Senior Executive, Corporate Development. As North America's largest home health care company and the second-largest provider of home infusion services, we offer pharmaceutical companies access to approximately 500 offices staffed with the skilled personnel needed for distribution of new drug therapies. We look forward to working with Hemispherx.
"We welcome this opportunity to work with a leader such as Olsten, said William A. Carter, M.D., F.A.C.P., Chariman and CEO of Hemispherx. Olsten's expertise in chronic disorders, staffing their nationwide pharmacy network allow us to distribute Ampligen in a cost-effective and timely manner."
The distribution agreement will initially cover six clinical sites nationwide that treat patients under protocol approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Olsten will also provide various patient education and support services to assist CFS sufferers to deal more effectively with this severely debilitating disease. The FDA-approved protocol allows for the administration of Ampligen to the most severly debilitated CFS patients, with cost-recovery. The price of Ampligen is approximately $7,200 for a six-month treatment cycle, and allows Hemispherx to recover certain costs of manufacture, research and development. Additionally, the cost of infusion and related medical services is between $8,000 and $9,000. Under this new distribution agreement, both companies agree to provide the drug and infusion at no cost to 5 percent of patients who cannot afford the treatment and who are severely debilitated with CFS.
The enigmatic disease CFS/CFIDS is a serious and complex illness that affects many different body systems. It is characterized by profoundly disabling fatigue, problems with concentration and memory, flu-like symptoms, pain in the joints and muscles, sleep disorder and various manifestations of immune dysfunction.
Olsten Corporation, with more than 1,400 offices in 13 countries, is a world leader in staffing services and Nort America's largest provider of home health and related services.In 1997, the company achieved systemwide sales of $4.8 billion and revenues of $4.1 billion.
Hemispherx, headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, is a biopharmaceutical compnay engaged in the manufacture and global clinical development of new drug entities in the nucleic acid (NA) class for chronic viral diseases and disorders of the immune system including CFS, hepatitis B, HIV, renal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma.
Information contained in this news release, other than historical information, should be considered forward-looking and is subject to various risk factors and uncertainties. For instance, the strategies and operations of Olsten and Hemispherx involve risks of competition, changing market conditions, changes in laws and regulations affecting our industries and numerous other factors discussed in this release and in the companies' filings with the SEC. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements.
James W. Wyckoff
Director, Public Relations
516-844-4923
or
Hemispherx
William A. Carter M.D., F.A.C.P.
CEO and Chairman
215-988-0080
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