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 new article on scln


 SCLN
 SciClone Pharm. CEO eyes selective alliances
 [3/21/00, 5:15 AM EST] Donald Sellers, CEO of SciClone
 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCLN), has forged alliances with
 some of the strongest global partners around, giving SCLN the clout
 and the funds it needs to bring drugs to market, but that traditional
 biotech paradigm is not a snug fit for SCLN, a company that has
 always been self-sufficient.
 In a recent interview, Sellers told RedChip Reporter™ that while he
 will strike a deal when he sees benefits and profitability, his company
 will “go it alone as much as possible” in order to place added value
 into the hands of shareholders.

 Analysts see substantial benefit to SCLN in seeking alliances in the
 global market.

 “My view is that putting energy and money into marketing takes away
 from what a small company does best--drug development,” said
 RedChip™ analyst Wayne Lottinville.

 SCLN’s focus on acquiring and developing promising compounds, in
 conjunction with the choice to selectively seek global alliances, have
 paid off for Sellers’ company, placing it among the biotech elite.

 SCLN is one of less than 10% of small-cap biotech companies
 currently selling a lead compound on the market. With that first
 milestone achieved, the company has laid the groundwork to achieve
 profitability by the end of 2000.

 “We think that having some meat on the bones is a very important
 feature in today’s market, where the biotech world is a little bit upside
 down,” said Sellers.

 SCLN’s climb toward profitability has been fueled by ZADAXIN
 thymosin alpha 1--its lead compound and a drug with implications for
 hepatitis B, hepatitis C and possibly cancer and HIV/AIDS.

 Starting in 1995, the company targeted markets in Asia, Latin America
 and the Middle East, where there are the greatest number of cases of
 chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and where ZADAXIN was originally
 given regulatory approval.

 More recently, SCLN has focused on carving out a place for ZADAXIN
 in the U.S. and European markets.

 On March 13, SCLN announced a strategic alliance with Sigma-Tau,
 one of the largest private companies in Italy.

 “The interesting thing about Sigma-Tau, is that they realize that a
 study [for ZADAXIN] in the United States would be very valuable to a
 successful approval in the European community,” Sellers told
 Reporter™.

 Because of this, Sigma-Tau will not only fund pan-European pivotal
 Phase III hepatitis C trials, but will also dedicate more than one-third of
 the funds necessary to complete the same Phase III trials in the
 United States.

 Sellers said that the deal with Sigma-Tau was not only beneficial
 financially to the company, but was essential to working through the
 maze-like regulatory environment in Europe.

 For similar reasons, SCLN partnered with a subsidiary of
 Schering-Plough in Japan and is currently in a pivotal Phase III
 hepatitis B trial.

 Sellers could not yet discuss results from the trials, but said that
 studies usually do not advance to Phase III in Japan without some
 certainty that the drug will be approved.

 With the cost of studies in Europe on the shoulders of Sigma-Tau and
 studies in Japan on a cost-sharing basis with Schering-Plough, SCLN
 has been able to keep its research and development spending at low
 levels.

 “We really have a lot of people spending money on our behalf. If we
 had to spend it all ourselves I think this budget [of a little more than $4
 million] would be significantly larger,” said Sellers.

 While its partnerships with large pharma have clearly helped SCLN,
 Sellers insisted such deals are not the standard for his company.

 SCLN licensed an entire class of drugs from the National Institutes of
 Health, including CPX, a drug that addresses the underlying causes of
 Cystic Fibrosis (CF).

 Sellers called CPX, which targets a very lucrative market, “the icing
 on the cake” for the company. “It’s the kind of drug Merck would love
 to have,” he said.

 While several large pharmaceutical companies have approached
 SCLN, Sellers said his company would remain independent in the
 development of CPX for the time being.

 “You don’t really need a giant field force or a big distribution group to
 sell [CPX],” said Sellers.

 Almost 95% of CF patients in the United States are registered with the
 CF Foundation (a similar situation exists in Europe), making the
 market one that is easily identified and targeted.

 SCLN has been working closely with the CF Foundation and with the
 U.S. Food and Drug Administration, both of which are anxious to bring
 CPX into the investigative clinic for children as quickly as possible.

 The company’s relationship with the patient population provides a
 strong foothold in a concentrated market, said Sellers.

 Even with ZADAXIN studies still underway and CPX and other
 compounds still in the pipelines, SCLN saw its sales grow by 151%
 last year to $9.1 million, while total revenue increased 152% to $9.4
 million.

 The company trimmed its net loss for the year to $5.5 million, or $0.26
 per share--a 74% decrease from the net loss posted in FY98--and
 expects to make the jump to profitability by the end of this year.

 “Having some financial stability [and] a good balance sheet--the ability
 to sustain ourselves--plus having a significant future with some
 development plans in place, we hope makes us a very attractive
 candidate in the marketplace,” said Sellers



 (Voluntary Disclosure: Position- Long; ST Rating- Buy; LT Rating- Strong
 Buy)




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SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN) - News


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FDA Grants Orphan Drug Status to Sciclone's ZADAXIN® for the Treatment of Liver Cancer
SciClone Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SCLN) today announced that
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted
Orphan Drug Status to ZADAXIN®, SciClone's lead
immunotherapy, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma,
the most common and deadliest form of liver cancer worldwide.
Orphan Drug Status provides for U.S. marketing exclusivity for
seven years upon marketing approval, as well as significant tax
benefits and exemptions from FDA application fees.
March-22-2000

                     SciClone Receives Three New ZADAXIN® Marketing
                     Approvals
                     SciClone Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SCLN) today announced that
                     ZADAXIN, the Company's lead immunotherapy, has been
                     approved for marketing in Thailand, Laos and Malta. ZADAXIN
                     now is approved for marketing in 19 countries, principally for
                     treatment of hepatitis B and hepatitis C. SciClone has filed for
                     ZADAXIN marketing approval in 18 additional countries.
                     March-17-2000
 

FDA GRANTS ORPHAN DRUG STATUS TO SCICLONE'S
ZADAXIN®
FOR THE TREATMENT OF LIVER CANCER

         San Mateo, CA, March 22, 2000 -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals
         (Nasdaq: SCLN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug
           Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Status to
       ZADAXIN®, SciClone's lead immunotherapy, for the treatment of
        hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common and deadliest form
       of liver cancer worldwide. Orphan Drug Status provides for U.S.
        marketing exclusivity for seven years upon marketing approval,
         as well as significant tax benefits and exemptions from FDA
                              application fees.

"This is another green light for our ZADAXIN U.S. clinical
development program in cancer," said Donald R. Sellers,
SciClone's President and Chief Executive Officer. "There is a
growing body of data that shows enormous potential for ZADAXIN
in cancer. Liver cancer is an ideal first cancer target for us
because it is a primary fatal endpoint in the progression of
hepatitis B and hepatitis C, diseases ZADAXIN is currently
treating successfully in numerous countries worldwide."

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent malignant
disease in the world, killing up to 1,250,000 people each year.
HCC accounts for more than 80% of all primary liver tumors.
Worldwide, there are approximately 1,000,000 new cases each
year. In the U.S., the American Cancer Society estimates
approximately 14,000 new cases of liver cancer, including up to
6,000 cases of HCC, and 13,000 deaths each year. There is a
strong association between HCC and chronic hepatitis B and C.
The most common non-surgical treatment alternative for HCC is
transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).

U.S. Phase 2 Liver Cancer Trial Planned for Third Quarter of 2000

SciClone's U.S. phase 2 liver cancer trials, which are planned to
begin in the third quarter of 2000, will be based on the same
protocols as a previous study in Italy combining ZADAXIN
immunotherapy with TACE. In that pilot study, the combination
resulted in a statistically significant increase in survival compared
to a matched historical group receiving TACE alone. Patients
receiving the combination also showed an increase in peripheral
blood immune cells, which are fundamental in the destruction of
cancer cells. No additional side effects, often a limiting factor for
combination therapies in cancer, were observed from the addition
of ZADAXIN.

Many patients with cancer and chronic infectious diseases have
an impaired immune system. ZADAXIN significantly enhances the
immune system's ability to recognize and destroy cancerous and
infected cells. ZADAXIN immunotherapy is in late-stage
development for cancer and viral hepatitis worldwide. ZADAXIN
now is approved for marketing in 19 countries, principally for
treatment of hepatitis B and hepatitis C. SciClone has filed for
ZADAXIN marketing approval in 18 additional countries.

SciClone Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharmaceutical company
that develops and commercializes novel medicines for treating a
broad range of the world's most serious diseases. The Company
has focused its current product development and
commercialization activities on cancer, hepatitis B, hepatitis C,
drug-resistant tuberculosis and cystic fibrosis. Press releases
and corporate information from SciClone Pharmaceuticals are
available on the Internet at www.sciclone.com or by calling the
Company's Investor Relations Department at 800/724-2566.
SciClone's Common Stock is listed on The Nasdaq National
MarketÒ under the symbol SCLN.