JUNE 7, 2011—Arcato Laboratories, Inc., an emerging oral health products company, announced today its formation and seed financing from Golden Pine Ventures, LLC.
Arcato Laboratories’s first product is OraWax™, a wax-based, patented proprietary formulation that has an over-the-counter anesthetic incorporated into its matrix so as to provide sustained relief from the discomfort caused by orthodontic appliances. OraWax™ is based on an invention by Dr. Michael Jay, who is the Fred N. Eshelman Distinguished Professor Molecular Pharmaceutics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and co-founded Arcato Laboratories with Golden Pine Ventures. OraWax™ is exclusively licensed to Arcato Laboratories.
“Every year, more than 2 million patients receive orthodontic appliances—also known as braces—to repair misalignment of their teeth,” said Dr. Ian J. Mehr, President of Arcato Laboratories. “These patients have their braces regularly adjusted, resulting in significant discomfort for which there is no effective solution available today. The market for a product to treat brace discomfort is in excess of $700 million.”
“I’m delighted to work with Golden Pine Ventures to establish Arcato Laboratories and bring OraWax™ and other oral health products to market,” said Dr. Jay, Arcato’s Chief Scientific Officer. “OraWax™ has significant market potential and promises to be an effective treatment for the irritation and discomfort caused by braces.”
Serving the Company as advisors are Christopher S. Meldrum, Managing Director of Golden Pine Ventures; Scott Place, a 25-year veteran of sales and marketing functions; Leonard J. Lescosky, JD, MS, a regulatory affairs attorney with substantial experience in pharma and medical devices; and G. Thomas Kleumper, DMD, MS, DDS, co-inventor of OraWax™ and a professor at the school of orthodontics at the University of Kentucky.
ABOUT ARCATO LABORATORIES, INC
Arcato Laboratories, Inc.’s mission is to become a leading oral health company by commercializing unique, proprietary products to serve specialty oral healthcare practitioners, such as orthodontists and oral surgeons. Arcato’s first product, OraWax™, will target orthodontists and their patients as the first effective treatment for oral discomfort caused by orthodontic appliances (braces). Arcato will develop future products by expanding on its current proprietary technology platform, as well as aggressively seeking to create or in-license complementary intellectual property. For more information: www.arcatolabs.com
ABOUT GOLDEN PINE VENTURES, LLC
Golden Pine Ventures, LLC, was founded in 2004 in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The company’s mission is to aggressively seek out biotechnology and biomedical opportunities developed by leading researchers and grow them into valuable businesses. Current portfolio companies include Arcato Laboratories, Pique Therapeutics, Catena Pharmaceuticals, and Kylin Therapeutics. For more information: www.goldenpineventures.com
CONTACT
Ian J. Mehr, Ph.D.
President
Arcato Laboratories, Inc.
919-410-6478
