Samaritan to Distribute Shire Drug

Monday February 26.

Samaritan Pharma Will Distribute Shire's Hunter's Disease Drug Elaprase in Greece and Cyprus

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Samaritan Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday it signed a marketing agreement with Shire plc to sell Shire's Elaprase to treat Hunter's disease in Greece and Cyprus.
Samaritan will sell the drug on a "named patient" basis until Greece and Cyprus establish pricing and reimbursement for the drug. The drug is expected to launch in the two countries during the second quarter.

Hunter's disease is a hereditary disorder characterized by dwarfism, mental retardation and deafness. It first appears early in life in children and primarily affects males. Most patients die before age 20, Samaritan said.

Shares of Samaritan added 2 cents, or 8.3 percent, to 26 cents on the American Stock Exchange in morning trading. The stock has ranged from 17 cents to 90.5 cents over the past year.

American depository shares of U.K.-based Shire rose 79 cents to $67.40 on the Nasdaq Stock Market in morning trading. Earlier, shares traded as high as $67.73, eclipsing a previous 52-week high of $67.24.

ABOUT Elaprase:
Hunter syndrome, also known as Mucopolysaccharidosis II (MPS II), is a rare, life threatening, genetic disorder with no available treatment. Individuals with Hunter syndrome lack the enzyme iduronate-2-sulfatase, which is essential in the continuous process of replacing and breaking down glycosaminoglycans (GAG). As a result, GAG remains stored in cells in the body causing progressive damage. The symptoms of Hunter syndrome are usually not visible at birth, but usually start to become noticeable after the first or second year of life. Often the first symptoms may include hernias, frequent ear infections, runny noses, reduced growth rate and abnormal facial appearance.

As the disease progresses, a variety of symptoms appear including enlarged liver and spleen, heart failure, decreased endurance, obstructive and restrictive airway disease, sleep apnea, joint stiffness, and, in some cases, central nervous system involvement. If central nervous system involvement exists, the life expectancy for patients with Hunter syndrome is typically 10-15 years of age, however, some patients can survive into the fifth or sixth decade of life. There is currently no effective therapy for Hunter syndrome.

Elaprase is a human iduronate-2-sulfatase produced by genetic engineering technology, developed to replace the missing enzyme in Hunter syndrome patients. Elaprase has been designated an orphan drug in both the United States and in the European Union.