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EXHIBIT 1
VIRAGEN, INC.
FAMOUS SCOTTISH INSTITUTE THAT REVOLUTIONIZED SCIENCE WITH "DOLLY"
UNVEILS PLANS FOR LIFE SAVING DRUGS IN CHICKEN EGGS
U.S. PRESS CONTACT: U.K. PRESS CONTACT:
Thomas J. Madden, 561/750-9800x11 David Macauley
or Mark Hopkinson 561/750-9800x15 Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, DEC. 6, 2000 - - The Roslin Institute, the renowned
Scottish birthplace of the world's most famous sheep, Dolly, announced at a
special news conference at Edinburgh Castle today their collaborative project
with Viragen, Inc., (AMEX: "VRA") a U.S. biotech company based in Plantation,
Florida and Edinburgh, Scotland. The project is designed to enable biotech and
pharmaceutical companies to produce drugs, including monoclonal antibodies to
fight cancer, inside the eggs of specially developed chickens. In doing so, it
will catapult the chicken egg into the scientific halls of fame.
Speaking at the news conference, Dr. Helen Sang, Roslin Institute's lead
scientist on avian (bird) transgenic technology, said that the cloning of Dolly
was a dramatic scientific breakthrough that served to open the way to new
commercial therapeutic applications. "The essence of this project is to create
chickens which produce eggs containing new drugs to treat many serious diseases,
including cancer," Dr. Sang said. While animals such as cows, sheep, goats and
rabbits are being developed to produce drugs in their milk, avian technology
promises a much faster, cheaper and virtually unlimited production process
marked by the chicken's prolific egg laying capabilities.
Dr. Magnus Nicolson, Viragen's COO, stated, "Now that the human genome has been
mapped, hundreds of new, novel and powerful protein and monoclonal antibody
drugs are under development or proceeding through clinical trials. This
explosion has accelerated the need for expanded production facilities since the
industry's present capacity is extremely limited."
"This collaborative effort is being undertaken to enable the production of a
wide variety of drugs in greater volume and at a fraction of the cost when
compared to conventional manufacturing methods. Only a nominal outlay would be
required to produce the special chicken flocks thereby eliminating the huge
capital expenditures now required for buying bioreactors and building related
facilities," said Gerald Smith, Chairman and CEO of Viragen. "This undertaking
not only takes into account Viragen's future manufacturing needs but addresses
the future needs of the entire biotech and pharmaceutical industries for
large-scale protein and monoclonal antibody production," concluded Mr. Smith.
VIRAGEN, INC.
865 SW 78th Avenue, Suite 100, Plantation, Florida 33324
Telephone (954) 233-8746 Fax: (954) 233-1414
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The Roslin Institute is the acknowledged world leader in the research and
development of mammalian cloning. Dr. Helen Sang produced the first ever
transgenic chicken by direct injection and is a world recognized expert in her
field.
For Viragen, this project represents the culmination of a series of
collaborative projects with major institutions including Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center, New York, for the development of a human monoclonal
antibody for melanoma and other cancers, the U.K.'s Cancer Research Campaign to
develop a cancer vaccine for the treatment of breast, ovarian and colorectal
cancers and the U. S. Government's National Institutes of Health ("NIH") which
licensed Viragen exclusively and globally for its "Notch 1" technology. In
addition to its oncological project, Viragen's lead product, OMNIFERON(TM), a
leukocyte derived alpha interferon, is in Phase II clinical trials in Europe
targeting hepatitis C, a disease estimated to affect tens of million worldwide.
Other notable Viragen agreements include those with the Common Services Agencies
of the United Kingdom, preferential access to white blood cells collected by the
German Red Cross and America's Blood Centers and an agreement with The American
Red Cross.
THE FOREGOING PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS THAT CAN BE
IDENTIFIED BY SUCH TERMINOLOGY SUCH AS "EXPECTS", "POTENTIAL", "SUGGESTS",
"MAY", "WILL", OR SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS. SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS INVOLVE
KNOWN AND UNKNOWN RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES AND OTHER FACTORS THAT MAY CAUSE THE
ACTUAL RESULTS TO BE MATERIALLY DIFFERENT FROM ANY FUTURE RESULTS, PERFORMANCE
OR ACHIEVEMENTS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY SUCH STATEMENTS. IN PARTICULAR,
MANAGEMENT'S EXPECTATIONS REGARDING FUTURE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT RESULTS COULD BE
AFFECTED, BY AMONG OTHER THINGS, UNCERTAINTIES RELATING TO CLINICAL TRIALS AND
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT; UNEXPECTED REGULATORY DELAYS OR GOVERNMENT REGULATION
GENERALLY; THE COMPANY'S ABILITY TO OBTAIN OR MAINTAIN PATENT AND OTHER
PROPRIETARY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION; AND COMPETITION IN GENERAL.
Corporate Contacts: Mel Rothberg, Executive Vice President, Phone: (954)
233-8746 Fax: (954) 233-8743; E-mail: [email protected];
Douglas Calder, Director of Communications, (954) 233-8746; Fax (954) 233-8743;
E-mail: [email protected].
For more information please visit our Web site at WWW.VIRAGEN.COM or contact
"Company News On Call" at (800) 758-5804, followed by extension 116574.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Dr. Helen Sang, Roslin Institute's principal scientist on avian
transgenic technology, will be in New York on Monday, December 11 to attend a
reception in her honor at the British Consulate-General. Dr. Sang will be
available thereafter for interviews. Contact: Mark Hopkinson (cell phone: (561)
289-6852)
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VIRAGEN, INC.
865 SW 78th Avenue, Suite 100, Plantation, Florida 33324
Telephone (954) 233-8746 Fax: (954) 233-1414
