Melbourne, Australia; 18 August 2010: Starpharma Holdings Limited (ASX:SPL, OTCQX:SPHRY) today announced the extension of the VivaGel® patent portfolio with the first grant of its patent specifically for the VivaGel® coated condom.
The application will be granted on 20th August 2010 by the Russian patent office. Starpharma has also filed this patent in major markets including the USA, Canada, Europe, China, India and Japan.
Both the VivaGel® coated condom and the VivaGel® standalone gel are already protected by a portfolio of granted VivaGel® patents in major markets. This new patent family not only provides additional protection for the condom product but also extends the duration of coverage in each market for which it is granted. In the case of this grant in Russia it provides coverage for the coated condom until at least 2026.
“This is an important milestone in the commercialisation of the VivaGel® coated condom,” said Dr Jackie Fairley, CEO Starpharma. “Although each patent office works according to slightly different criteria, we consider this successful grant to be a very encouraging sign more widely. Additionally, protection in Russia is very valuable in its own right as Starpharma’s commercial partner SSL has the leading position in the Russian condom market.”
SSL International plc (LSE:SSL) holds approximately 40% of the global branded condom market and is the owner of Durex®, the number one global condom brand.
In addition to the coated condom, Starpharma is also developing VivaGel® as a stand-alone vaginal microbicide to prevent the transmission of STIs, including HIV and genital herpes, and for the treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis.
About Starpharma
Starpharma Holdings Limited (ASX:SPL, OTCQX:SPHRY) is a world leader in the development of dendrimer technology for pharmaceutical, life-science and other applications. SPL has two operating companies, Starpharma Pty Ltd in Melbourne, Australia and DNT, Inc in theUSA. Products based on SPL’s dendrimer technology are already on the market in the form of diagnostic elements and laboratory reagentsthrough licence arrangements with partners including Siemens and Merck KgA.
The Company’s lead pharmaceutical development product is VivaGel® (SPL7013 Gel), a vaginal microbicide designed to prevent the transmission of STIs, including HIV and genital herpes.In September 2008 Starpharma signed a full licence agreement with SSL International plc (LSE:SSL) to develop a VivaGel® coated condom. SSL manufactures and sells Durex® condoms, the market-leading condom brand worldwide.
Starpharma also has agreements in place with Lilly, Elanco, Stiefel Laboratories (a GSK Company), and Unilever as well as many research collaborations with some of the world’s leading organisations.
Dendrimer: A type of precisely-defined, branched nanoparticle. Dendrimers have applications in the medical, electronics, chemicals and materials industries.
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs): Starpharma’s ADRs trade under the code SPHRY (CUSIP number 855563102). Each Starpharma ADR is equivalent to 10 ordinary shares of Starpharma as traded on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The Bank of New York Mellon is the depositary bank. Starpharma’s ADRs are listed on International OTCQX, a premium market tier in the U.S. for international exchange-listed companies, operated by Pink OTC Markets, Inc.
Forward Looking Statements This document contains certain forward-looking statements, relating to Starpharma’s business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “promising”, “plans”, “anticipated”, “will”, “project”, “believe”, “forecast”, “expected”, “estimated”, “targeting”, “aiming”, “set to”, “potential”, “seeking to”, “goal”, “could provide”, “intends”, “is being developed”, “could be”, “on track”, or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential filings or marketing approvals, or potential future sales of product candidates. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no assurance that any existing or future regulatory filings will satisfy the FDA’s and other health authorities’ requirements regarding any one or more product candidates nor can there be any assurance that such product candidates will be approved by any health authorities for sale in any market or that they will reach any particular level of sales. In particular, management’s expectations regarding the approval and commercialization of the product candidates could be affected by, among other things, unexpected clinical trial results, including additional analysis of existing clinical data, and new clinical data; unexpected regulatory actions or delays, or government regulation generally; our ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection; competition in general; government, industry, and general public pricing pressures; and additional factors that involve significant risks and uncertainties about our products, product candidates, financial results and business prospects. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Starpharma is providing this information as of the date of this document and does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or developments or otherwise. For further information:
Media Buchan Consulting:
Rebecca Wilson Mob: +61 417 382 391 rwilson@bcg.com.au
Jessica Sealby Tel: +61 3 9866 4722 jsealby@bcg.com.au
Starpharma: www.starpharma.com
Dr Jackie Fairley Chief Executive Officer +61 3 8532 2704
Ben Rogers Company Secretary +61 3 8532 2702 ben.rogers@starpharma.com
