MERIDIAN LIFE SCIENCE, INC. ANNOUNCES THE COMMERCIAL AVAILABILITY OF A NOVEL RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS CLINICAL CHALLENGE STOCK

Meridian Life Science, Inc., (MLS) Cincinnati, Ohio today announced that its biopharmaceutical contract services business, Meridian Biologics, has developed for commercial sale a clinical infectious inoculum of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The RSV Clinical Challenge Stock is designed for use in human clinical studies as a viral infection challenge model. The virus is a low passage clinical strain of RSV-A virus collected from a hospitalized infant. Companies who might be interested in using this material would be developing vaccines or anti-viral therapeutics to prevent or treat RSV infections. MLS is launching the RSV Challenge Stock product at the BIO International Convention 2007 Meetings in Boston, MA.

RSV is the most important cause of lower respiratory infection (causing both pneumonia and bronchiolitis) in infants and small children and is the most common cause of respiratory viral death in this population, causing approximately ten times as many infant deaths as influenza in the United States. RSV is very contagious and most children have experienced an RSV infection by two years of age. Immunity to RSV does not prevent re-infections which tend to be less severe and occur throughout life. RSV is the second most common (second to influenza) viral lower respiratory tract infection of the elderly and other adults with chronic lung disease or compromised immunity. In the elderly population, RSV infections result in over 80,000 hospitalizations and 11,000 deaths annually.

For vaccine development, the RSV challenge stock can be used to conduct precisely controlled clinical studies to demonstrate actual protection rather than simply implied protection via measuring neutralizing Ab response. Another advantage is that study patient sample size may be greatly reduced, and protection clearly demonstrated in vaccinated vs. placebo treated patients as compared to trials involving waiting for natural infection in the trial population. For anti-viral therapeutic development, the RSV challenge stock permits the design of controlled clinical studies to test for antiviral effect and also to evaluate clinical effects on symptoms and other measurements of disease.

Richard L. Eberly, President, Meridian Life Science, Inc., commented, "We are pleased to offer our RSV clinical material to the biopharmaceutical industry to enable development of cutting edge vaccines and anti-viral therapeutics for RSV." Dr. Preston Dorsett, Vice President of Science and Technology, Meridian Life Science, Inc., commented, "We have been able to leverage our expertise in cell culture, viral production, and cGMP manufacturing and expert academic and technical collaboration with Dr. John DeVincenzo, Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to develop a reproducible production process for generation of a high titered clinical stock for use in human challenge studies."

Meridian Biologics produces proteins and other biologicals for biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies engaged in research for new drugs and vaccines at its contract biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Memphis, TN. This business focuses on materials that will be used in Phase I and II clinical trials. This past year, Meridian Biologics completed manufacture of a recombinant protein for the National Institutes of Health for use in a Phase I/II clinical vaccine trial for human B19 parvovirus. The proteins that are produced in this facility are intended for use as "injectibles." As such, they are produced under cGMP Regulations for Biologics and Human Drugs under the auspices of the FDA.

MLS supplies critical assay reagents, antigens, antibodies, and contract biological R&D and manufacturing services to the research, diagnostic, and biopharmaceutical markets. MLS has targeted three primary market segments for its products and services: bulk biomedical reagents, drug and vaccine discovery, and drug and vaccine development. The customer base for bulk biomedical reagents is large and fragmented, and includes many diagnostic manufacturers as well as researchers in academia and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The market segments for drug and vaccine discovery and development are intended to be served via our contract biological R&D and manufacturing services. MLS services its customers from three primary manufacturing operations in Memphis, Tennessee; Saco, Maine; and Boca Raton, Florida; and is represented by four brands: BIODESIGN International, OEM Concepts, Viral Antigens, and Meridian Biologics.

For Additional Information Contact:
Daniel A. Shelly, Ph.D., MBA, Director of Marketing and Business Development, 513.271.3700
Robert M. Studholme, VP, Commercial Operations, 901.382.8716

(end)