The company has requested priority review status for the application. Priority review status provides for FDA action within 180 days from the date of filing.

The FDA on Jan. 19, 2001, granted marketing approval to PEG-INTRON as once-weekly monotherapy for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in patients not previously treated with alpha interferon who have compensated liver disease and are at least 18 years of age. PEG-INTRON is the first and only pegylated interferon approved for marketing in the United States.

REBETOL had been previously approved in the United States for use in combination with INTRON® A (interferon alfa-2b, recombinant) Injection for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in patients with compensated liver disease previously untreated with alpha interferon or who have relapsed following alpha interferon therapy. REBETOL is marketed in the United States as a component of REBETRON™ Combination Therapy, which contains REBETOL Capsules and INTRON A Injection in a single package. Schering-Plough on Nov. 7, 2000, submitted an sNDA seeking FDA approval to market REBETOL separately for use in combination with INTRON A.

The REBETOL application is currently undergoing FDA review.

PEG-INTRON (peginterferon alfa-2b) is a longer-acting form of INTRON A that uses proprietary PEG technology developed by Enzon, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENZN) of Piscataway, N.J. PEG-INTRON, recombinant interferon alfa-2b linked to a 12,000 dalton polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecule, is a once-weekly therapy designed to optimize the balance between antiviral activity and elimination half-life. Schering-Plough holds an exclusive worldwide license to PEG-INTRON.

INTRON A is a recombinant version of naturally occurring alpha interferon, which has been shown to exert both antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. Schering-Plough markets INTRON A, the world’s largest-selling alpha interferon, for 16 major antiviral and anticancer indications worldwide.

REBETOL is an oral formulation of ribavirin, a synthetic nucleoside analog with broad-spectrum antiviral activity. Schering-Plough has exclusive worldwide rights to market oral ribavirin for hepatitis C through a licensing agreement with ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: ICN) of Costa Mesa, Calif.

Some 4 million Americans are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and approximately 70 percent of infected patients go on to develop chronic liver disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hepatitis C infection contributes to the deaths of an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Americans each year. This toll is expected to triple by the year 2010 and exceed the number of annual deaths due to AIDS, according to the CDC. The CDC has reported that HCV-associated end-stage liver disease is the most frequent indication for liver transplantation among adults.

Schering-Plough is a research-based company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products worldwide.