RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.,
June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ —
Talecris Biotherapeutics announced today that it has agreed to a
co-promotion arrangement with Novartis Vaccines to jointly market
and sell their respective post-exposure rabies products.
Talecris provides HyperRAB® S/D (Rabies Immune Globulin
[Human]), an essential component of rabies post-exposure
prophylaxis for previously unvaccinated individuals, that is
administered in combination with rabies vaccines. Novartis provides
RabAvert® Rabies Vaccine for both pre-exposure and
post-exposure prophylaxis.
“Through our agreement with Novartis, we are seeking to improve
access to this critical-care therapy by ensuring that patients
receive the immune protection provided by HyperRAB S/D and
RabAvert,” said John Perkins,
executive vice president, global commercial operations at Talecris.
“By co-promoting the two products, we will also enhance awareness
of the recommended CDC guidelines for preventing rabies following
an exposure.”
Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often
transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Rabies has the
highest case fatality rate of any known infectious disease and is
virtually 100% fatal following onset of clinical symptoms. The rabies
virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately
causing disease in the brain followed by death. For people
who have not been vaccinated against rabies previously,
post-exposure anti-rabies vaccination should always include
administration of both passive antibodi
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