OPKO Health To Acquire Stake in Israeli Hepatitis B Vaccine Manufacturer

OPKO Health (Ireland)

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June 05, 2012 9:11am EDT

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MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

OPKO Health, Inc. (NYSE: OPK) has entered into a definitive agreement to

acquire a forty-five percent stake in a private Israeli company that

produces a third-generation hepatitis B vaccine (“Sci-B-Vac”) in its

state of the art biologics manufacturing facility in Rehovot. The

Sci-B-Vac is a recombinant mammalian cell produced next generation

vaccine which has in multiple clinical studies demonstrated enhanced

antibody response in a population of documented non and low-responders

for which conventional hepatitis B vaccines do not elicit adequate

antibody production. In addition, studies indicate that the vaccine

induces rapid seroprotection and can be used for immunotherapy of

chronic hepatitis B. Sci-B-Vac is currently marketed in Israel and has

received marketing authorizations in several countries.

OPKO acquired its stake in the company from FDS Pharma LLP, a

manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients for Russian and other

markets. FDS acquired the company in the first quarter of 2012,

including its Rehovot hepatitis vaccine manufacturing plant, vaccine

production and marketing rights, from SciGen Limited, a Singapore

biotechnology company publicly listed on the Australian Stock Exchange

(ASX: SIE). Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About OPKO Health, Inc.

OPKO is a multi-national biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company that

seeks to establish industry-leading positions in large and rapidly

growing medical markets by leveraging its discovery, development and

commercialization expertise and novel and proprietary technologies.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," as that

term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of

1995 (PSLRA), which statements may be identified by words such as

"expects," "plans," "projects," "will," "may," "anticipates,"

"believes," "should," "intends," "estimates," and other words of similar

meaning, including statements regarding the acquisition and the benefits

of the Sci-B-Vac, as well as other non-historical statements about our

expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding our business, technologies

and products, financial condition, strategies or prospects. Many factors

could cause our actual activities or results to differ materially from

the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements.

These factors include those described in our filings with the Securities

and Exchange Commission, that the various conditions to the closing of

the transaction may not be met, and risks inherent in funding,

developing and obtaining regulatory approvals of new,

commercially-viable and competitive products and treatments. In

addition, forward-looking statements may also be adversely affected by

general market factors, competitive product development, product

availability, federal and state regulations and legislation, the

regulatory process for new products and indications, manufacturing

issues that may arise, patent positions and litigation, among other

factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release

speak only as of the date the statements were made, and we do not

undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. We intend

that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor

provisions of the PSLRA.

OPKO Health, Inc.

Steven D. Rubin, 305-575-4100

Source: OPKO Health, Inc.

Released June 5, 2012

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