LAS VEGAS, Nev., October 23, 2006 -- Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) treated with REMICADE (infliximab) had an approximate 50 percent reduction in mean number of hospitalizations per year compared with placebo, according to an analysis of long-term data from a Phase 3 clinical trial (Active Ulcerative Colitis Trial 1, ACT 1) presented at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) meeting. Patients who responded and those who were in remission at one year had lower mean number of hospitalizations (no hospitalizations) vs. non-responders (23 per 100 patients, P <0.001) through one year of treatment.

"Severe ulcerative colitis is a disease characterized by high costs, as it often results in extended hospitalizations and surgery," said Stephen Hanauer, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology; Chief, section of Gastroenterology and Nutrition at the University of Chicago Hospitals. "Results from this analysis suggest that patients who did not respond to REMICADE were more likely to be hospitalized than patients who responded."

A separate analysis of a medical claims database (PharMetrics), also presented at ACG, shows that individuals with moderate to severe UC who require hospitalization have 80 percent higher average yearly healthcare costs compared with healthy individuals. A review of the claims records of 13,856 patients with UC shows that individuals who require inpatient hospitalizations have the greatest overall healthcare costs. In fact, inpatient hospitalizations account for approximately 42 percent of UC patients' total healthcare costs annually.

Reduction of hospitalizations was sustained through one year in ACT I with approximately 50 percent lower mean number of hospitalizations for REMICADE-treated patients (12 per 100 patients) compared with placebo (22 per 100 patients, P = 0.061). Furthermore, the time to the first hospitalization among REMICADE patients was longer compared with patients who
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Contact: Michael Parks
215-325-4010
Centocor, Inc.
23-Oct-2006