M`SIAN HEALTH MINISTRY SUSPENDS RAPTIVA PRODUCT

KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Health Ministry has
suspended the product Raptiva immediately because its risks outweigh its
benefits and it can cause death.

The ministry's Pharmaceutical Services Senior Director, Eisah A. Rahman,
said serious side effects had been reported between September last year and
January this year, including three confirmed cases of "progressive multifocal
leukoencephalopathy", a rare brain infection, in patients who had taken Raptiva
for more than three years and two of the three cases resulted in the patient's
death.

She said in a statement that in Malaysia adult patients with moderate to
severe chronic plaque psoriasis had been treated with Raptiva which can only be
obtained with a doctor's prescription.

Merck Sdn Bhd, holder of the registration for Raptiva, had been ordered to
stop the import, sale and distribution of the product immediately, she said.

Eisah said new patients should not seek treatment with Raptiva while
patients receiving treatment with the product should contact their medical
practitioners to obtain appropriate alternatives.

-- BERNAMA