Chiron Corporation operates as a biopharmaceutical company in blood testing, vaccines, and biopharmaceuticals segments. The Blood Testing segment develops and sells nucleic acid testing (NAT) products to screen blood, plasma, organs, and tissue for viral infection. It has an alliance with Gen-Probe Incorporated for NAT products. This segment also provides immunodiagnostic tests to detect retroviruses and hepatitis viruses in blood in collaboration with Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. The Vaccines segment develops, manufactures, and sells vaccines for various diseases. It offers approximately 20 pediatric and adult vaccines, including influenza, meningococcal, travel, and pediatric vaccines. The Biopharmaceuticals segment develops, manufactures, and markets various therapeutic products for cancer, infectious, and pulmonary disease. This segment’s marketed products include TOBI tobramycin solution for inhalation, USP for pseudomonal lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients; PROLEUKIN for injection for metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma; and BETASERON for subcutaneous injection for multiple sclerosis. In addition, its CUBICIN for complicated skin and soft-tissue infections is approved in Europe. Its oncology pipeline includes CHIR-258, a growth factor kinase inhibitor; CHIR-12.12, an anti CD-40 monoclonal antibody; and CHIR-265, a Rafkinase inhibitor. Chiron also provides contract manufacturing services. The company sells its blood testing and vaccine products through tenders to public sector and directly to private sector pharmacies, as well as to wholesalers and distributors; and sells its biopharmaceutical products to wholesalers, distributors, clinics, and hospital pharmacies worldwide. It has a joint venture to manufacture vaccines in India. Chiron was founded by William Rutter, Edward Penhoet, and Pablo Valenzuela in 1981. The company is based in Emeryville, California. As of April 19, 2006, Chiron Corp. is a subsidiary of Novartis AG.