iCo Therapeutics Inc. Announces Program And Intellectual Property Advancements For Oral Amphotericin B

VANCOUVER, Dec. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - iCo Therapeutics (TSX-V: ICO), today announced that on November 26, 2013, U.S. patent 8,592,382 was issued for the Oral Amphotericin B platform (Oral AmpB) providing protection around oral delivery of the drug. With the recent receipt of ethics approval, the Oral AmpB technology is also moving into in vitro testing with study partners in Montreal, and will examine the role of this formulation in targeting latent HIV reservoirs which remain in individuals despite enormous therapeutic advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Recruitment of eight HIV-infected subjects successfully treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with detectable latent viral reservoir is expected to be complete in the first half of 2014.

"The current use of Amphotericin B has been limited due to its historical kidney toxicity and intravenous delivery and yet it is a potent anti-fungal and anti-parasitic drug with potentially much broader application if side adverse effects are tamed," said Andrew Rae, President & CEO of iCo Therapeutics. "This Oral AmpB delivery platform and approach, developed by Dr. Kishor Wasan at the University of British Columbia, has the potential to reduce toxicity issues and move the drug beyond the acute care setting, as well as to additional indications."

"These are important milestones for the Oral AmpB technology and we are very pleased by this development and potential new HIV indication," stated Dr. Wasan, Professor and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director, Neglected Global Diseases Initiative at The University of British Columbia.

About iCo Therapeutics
iCo Therapeutics in-licenses and redefines existing drug candidates or generics by employing reformulation and delivery technologies for new or expanded use indications. The company has exclusive worldwide rights to two drug candidates - iCo-007 for Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) and iCo-008 for other sight-threatening diseases. iCo-007 is in Phase 2 clinical studies for DME. With Phase 2 clinical history, iCo-008 is targeted for the treatment of keratoconjunctivitis and wet age-related macular degeneration. In addition, iCo holds worldwide rights to an oral drug delivery platform. The first platform candidate is the Oral Amp B Delivery system, utilizing a known anti-fungal drug to treat life-threatening infectious diseases. iCo trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "ICO". For more information, visit the Company website at: www.icotherapeutics.com.

No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the content of this release. The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "will," and similar references to future periods. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on iCo's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to iCo and relate to, among other things, anticipated financial performance, business prospects, strategies, regulatory developments, market acceptance and future commitments. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are based only on information currently available to iCo and speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by iCo in its public securities filings and on its website, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. iCo disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE iCo Therapeutics Inc.