Access Pharmaceuticals MuGard Added to Nationally Ranked Children’s Hospital of Colorado Pharmacy Formulary

DALLAS and NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (OTCBB: ACCP), a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary drug-delivery platforms to develop treatments in areas of oncology, cancer supportive care and diabetes, announced that Children’s Hospital of Colorado has added MuGard to its hospital pharmacy formulary. Children and young adults undergoing cancer treatment will now have direct access to MuGard from the first day of cancer treatment to manage oral mucositis, characterized by inflammation and erythema or ulcerations throughout the oral mucosa.

Commenting on the significance of the event, Frank Jacobucci, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. said, “Having Children’s Hospital of Colorado evaluate MuGard and determine that it has tremendous benefit for their patients undergoing cancer therapy is an important milestone for Access. There are roughly 5800 hospitals in the US with approximately 37 million admissions annually. The hospital inpatient market is very large and currently there is no meaningful intervention for these patients to prevent or treat oral mucositis. The inclusion of MuGard on Children’s Hospital formulary will allow providers and patients to have access to MuGard and potentially eliminate oral mucositis as a side effect of anticancer treatment regimens.”

Top ranked consecutively on the U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital’s honor rankingssince inception, Children’s Hospital Colorado garners local, regional, national and international respect for its treatment and care of children, adolescents and young adults with cancer and non-malignant blood diseases, such as hemophilia and sickle cell anemia. The Center is the only dedicated pediatric cancer center in the Rocky Mountain region, and it is home to numerous specialized programs, which provide state-of-the-art methods for diagnosing and treating complex diseases.

Jeffrey Davis, President and CEO, Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. stated, “We are thankful that the Children’s Hospital of Colorado recognized the need for a safe, effective and easy-to-use product like MuGard to provide its patients. Affirmations from leading institutions like the Children’s Hospital of Colorado continue to strengthen our belief in MuGard’s clinical benefit and market potential.”

About Access:
Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes proprietary products for the treatment and supportive care of cancer patients. Access’ products include MuGard (www.MuGard.com), which has received FDA marketing clearance for the management of patients with mucositis, ProLindac, a second generation DACH Platinum in Phase 2 clinical testing of patients with ovarian cancer, and Thiarabine, a novel nucleoside analog that has demonstrated both pre-clinical and clinical activity in certain cancers; currently in a Phase 1/2a trial in hematological malignancies at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

The company also has other advanced drug delivery technologies including CobaCyte-mediated targeted delivery and CobOral-oral drug delivery, its proprietary nanopolymer delivery technology based on the natural vitamin B12 uptake mechanism. For additional information on Access Pharmaceuticals, please visit our website at www.accesspharma.com.

This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include those relating to: our cash burn rate, clinical trial plans and timelines and clinical results for ProLindac, MuGard, Thiarabine and Cobalamin and other product candidates, our ability to achieve clinical and commercial success and our ability to successfully develop marketed products. These statements are subject to numerous risks, including but not limited to Access’ need to obtain additional financing in order to continue the clinical trial and operations and to the risks detailed in Access’ Annual Reports on Form 10-K and other reports filed by Access with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc.