Starpharma Holdings (ASX: SPL, OTCQX: SPHRY) has signed a second, expanded agreement with AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) in the field of cancer medicine using Starpharma’s proprietary DEP™ dendrimer drug delivery technology.
The agreement follows on from an evaluation by AstraZeneca, which is capped at $81 billion, which began in September 2012 of Starpharma’s delivery technology, and will see the application of Starpharma’s technology to a cancer drug, from AstraZeneca’s pipeline.
Under the new agreement, AstraZeneca will provide funding for a preclinical stage cancer research program to be conducted jointly.
Starpharma’s underlying technology is built around dendrimers – a type of synthetic nanoscale polymer that is highly regular in size and structure and well suited to pharmaceutical uses.
Dendrimer-enhanced versions of drugs have been found to be superior to the unmodified drugs in pre-clinical studies, often having improved efficacy and fewer side.
Starpharma’s lead product is VivaGel®, a gel-based formulation of a proprietary dendrimer, under clinical development for the treatment and prevention of bacterial vaginosis.
Starpharma has also signed separate licence agreements with Ansell Limited (ASX:ANN) and Okamoto Industries Inc of Japan to market a value-added, VivaGel® coated condom.
In the wider pharmaceutical and life science fields, Starpharma has both partnered and internal programs in Drug Delivery.
Drug Delivery partners also include global giants GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), capped at $126 billion, and Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY), capped at $67 billion.
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