PRESS RELEASE

Biotest produces life-saving medicine derived from plasma from healed COVID-19 patients and participates in a cross-industry initiative

- Plasma donors who have recovered from COVID-19 infection are urgently needed

- Antibodies of healed donors have the potential to provide effective help to severely ill patients

- Test for identification of suitable plasma donors will be available soon

- Biotest participates in the cross-industry development of a therapy for the treatment of COVID-19

- Biotest collects plasma from healed COVID-19 patients for the Ministry of Health in Hungary

Dreieich, 6 April 2020. Thanks to the willingness of many people to donate plasma, Biotest is able to guarantee the protection of critically ill patients. With the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more potential plasma donors have already developed antibodies. This is particularly important for high-risk patients who rely on Biotest medicines, e.g. patients with immunodeficiency or with immunosuppression due to a transplant or chemotherapy. Biotest is, therefore, working to collect plasma from donors who have raised antibodies against coronavirus as quickly as possible.

In addition, Biotest is working intensively on a new drug against COVID-19 derived from hyperimmune plasma. A test is currently being developed that is intended to screen all plasma donations for antibodies against COVID-19. The donations with the most antibodies can then be used in a production pool for a new hyperimmunoglobulin against COVID-19. This drug could then be used therapeutically for severe courses of COVID-19.

In this context, Biotest has entered into an industry-wide cooperation. Together with Bio Products Laboratory, CSL, LFB, Octapharma and Takeda, the alliance will immediately begin developing a non-company specific trademarked polyclonal hyperimmunoglobulin drug against SARS-CoV-2. The new drug has the potential to treat people with serious course of COVID-19.

The collaboration will leverage leading-edge expertise and work that the companies already have underway. Experts from the alliance will begin collaborating across key aspects such as plasma collections, clinical trial development and manufacturing. Further companies and institutions may also join the alliance.

Developing a hyperimmunoglobulin will require plasma donations from many individuals who have fully recovered from COVID-19, and whose blood contains a high amounts of antibodies that can fight the novel coronavirus. Once collected, the "convalescent" plasma would then be transported to manufacturing facilities where it undergoes proprietary processing, including effective virus inactivation and removal processes, and then is purified and highly concentrated into the product.

An even more short-term approach that is currently being promoted in many countries as well as in Germany is the direct use of "convalescence" plasma as a therapeutic agent. The short-term availability of this direct therapeutic use of plasma is probably offset by a lower effectiveness and increased side effects compared with a hyperimmunoglobulin.

A week ago, the Hungarian Minister of Health launched a "Scientific Consortium" to introduce the collection and clinical use of plasma from cured coronavirus patients. The members of the consortium are: State Blood Transfusion Service, National Pharmacological Institute, National Centre for Public Health and National Institute for Infectious Diseases and Haematology.

The Ministry of Health has asked the Hungarian plasma collection company of Biotest AG, Plazmaszolgálat Kft., to collect COVID-19 hyperimmune plasma exclusively for this purpose. In one of our centres in Budapest (centre Studium), the healed patients are received in addition to regular donors. The donated plasma is then processed by the Hungarian blood transfusion service.

In this extremely difficult situation, Biotest would like to give any support in order to contribute to the Corona crisis solution.

About human blood plasma
Human blood plasma is a raw material used to produce plasma derived medicines, which are used to treat various illnesses of the immune system, the blood system, as well as in emergency medicine. Biotest ranks as one of the world's sixth largest plasma protein product manufacturing groups. Biotest is one of the world's six largest manufacturers of plasma protein medicines.

About Biotest
Biotest is a provider of plasma proteins and biological drugs. With a value added chain that extends from pre-clinical and clinical development to worldwide sales, Biotest has specialised primarily in the areas of clinical immunology, haematology and intensive care medicine. Biotest develops and markets immunoglobulins, coagulation factors and albumin based on human blood plasma. These are used for diseases of the immune and haematopoietic systems. Biotest has more than 1,800 employees worldwide. The ordinary and preference shares of Biotest AG are listed in the Prime Standard on the German stock exchange.

IR contact
Dr Monika Buttkereit
Phone: 06
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PR contact
Dirk Neumüller
Phone: 9
Mail:

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Disclaimer
This document contains forward-looking statements on overall economic development as well as on the business, earnings, financial and assets position of Biotest AG and its subsidiaries. These statements are based on current plans, estimates, forecasts and expectations of the company and are thus subject to risks and elements of uncertainty that could result in significant deviation of actual developments from expected developments. The forward-looking statements are only valid at the time of publication. Biotest does not intend to update the forward-looking statements and assumes no obligation to do so.