Medinox and Orient Europharma Announce Collaboration on Developing NOX-100, a New Anti-Hypotensive Drug

SAN DIEGO, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Medinox, Inc. in Carlsbad, California and Orient Europharma in Taiwan announce today that they have entered into a partnering agreement to develop and market NOX-100, a new anti-hypotensive drug. Under the terms of the agreement, Orient Europharma holds the exclusive distribution rights of NOX-100 in Taiwan, China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.  Medinox retains the marketing rights in the United States, Japan and Europe.

NOX-100 is an investigative new drug developed by Medinox to treat conditions associated with excessive production of nitric oxide, such as in hemodialysis, cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and septic shock.  NOX-100, a small-molecule nitric oxide scavenger, binds nitric oxide and inactivates its properties.

Intradialytic hypotension (IH) is a significant complication of routine hemodialysis in end-stage renal disease patients. Complications of IH include headache, muscle cramps, and increase in mortalities.   At present, there is no FDA-approved therapy available for treating and/or preventing IH.

Medinox completed a Phase 1 safety study of NOX-100 in hemodialysis patients in the US. A Phase 2 trial of NOX-100 in hemodialysis will be conducted in Taiwan. This multicenter study will determine if NOX-100 lowers the incidence of IH, decreases the frequency of nurse intervention, and reduces the number of patient complaints and discomfort.  Over 380,000 end-stage renal failure patients in the US require dialysis.  In Taiwan, more than 60,000 patients are currently in dialysis.

About Medinox, Inc.

Medinox is a leader in anti-nitric oxide therapeutics and is developing a broad technology platform to address several unmet medical needs including hemodialysis, cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and septic shock. In addition to its nitric oxide technology, Medinox is also developing new and safer NSAID prodrugs for treating arthritic patients. For information about Medinox and its products, please visit the Company's website at http://www.medinox.com/, or contact Monte Lai, Ph.D., President & CEO of Medinox, Inc., at [email protected].

About Orient Europharma Co. Ltd.

Founded in 1982, Orient Europharma (OE, Taiwan OTC: 4120) comprises five divisions: Pharma, Nutricare, Dermo-Cosmetics, Oncology and Consumer Healthcare. Starting in 1993, OE established subsidiaries in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In 2006, OE expanded into mainland China. In 2003, the company listed on Taiwan's OTC market. In 2008, OE established a subsidiary Orient Pharma (OP), to focus on new drug R&D and manufacturing operations. OP is building a new pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the Central Taiwan Science Park in Yunlin, which is designed to comply with the international standards of the USFDA, as well as European PIC/S and Japanese certification bodies. The current proprietary technologies of OP include a two-stage hot melt filling technology platform and development of new drugs for several therapeutic areas. More information on OE can be found in the company's Web site: http://www.oep.com.tw/

SOURCE Medinox, Inc.