FDA Grants Cipro(R) Additional Six Months Marketing Exclusivity WEST HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted it an additional six months of market exclusivity for its fluoroquinolone antibiotic Cipro(R) (ciprofloxacin) for having conducted pediatric clinical trials. With this additional six months of exclusivity, no unauthorized generic versions of ciprofloxacin will be approved to enter the market prior to June 9, 2004. According to the terms of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act of 2002, the FDA may grant a drug additional marketing exclusivity if a company conducts clinical studies in certain pediatric populations at the written request of the FDA. The granting of additional marketing exclusivity means a company has successfully met the criteria established by the FDA for conducting the clinical trials. This provision is designed to encourage further investigation into the unmet medical needs of the pediatric population. "As a leader in anti-infective therapies, it is a priority for Bayer to further the understanding about the use of quinolone antibiotics in the pediatric population," said Colin J. Foster, President, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation. "We are pleased to be working with the FDA to provide the medical community with all the scientific data gathered from our studies." Cipro(R) received pediatric marketing exclusivity upon the FDA determining that Bayer had successfully fulfilled the agency's written request to perform clinical studies evaluating the safety of ciprofloxacin in children. The FDA originally approved Cipro in 1987 for a broad range of infections, including lower respiratory tract, urinary tract, skin and skin structure, bone and joint infections and infectious diarrhea. In December 2002, the FDA approved Cipro(R) XR (ciprofloxacin extended-release tablets) as a once-daily, three-day treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections in adults at a dose of 500mg. The FDA also approved a 1000mg dose of Cipro XR for the treatment of complicated UTIs in adults in August 2003. Cipro XR 500mg and 1000mg have not been involved in pediatric clinical trials. You can view full prescribing information for Cipro at http://www.ciprousa.com/ You can view full prescribing information for Cipro XR at http://www.ciproxr.com/ About Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation is part of the worldwide operations of Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG. Bayer HealthCare is one of the world's leading innovators in the health care and medical products industry. Bayer HealthCare combines the global activities of the business groups of Bayer AG in the fields of Biological Products, Consumer Care, Diagnostics, Animal Health and Pharmaceuticals. More than 34,000 employees support the worldwide operations of Bayer HealthCare. Our work at Bayer HealthCare is to discover and manufacture innovative products for the purpose of improving human and animal health worldwide. Our products enhance well-being and quality of life by diagnosing, preventing and treating disease. This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments. DATASOURCE: Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation CONTACT: Mark Bennett of Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, +1-203-812-2160, or fax, +1-203-812-5824 Web site: http://www.bayerhealthcare.com/ http://www.ciprousa.com/ http://www.ciproxr.com/

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