Pharmalink AB Receives Patent for Nefecon(R) Principle

STOCKHOLM, October 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Japanese Grant Supports Asian Partnering Programme

Pharmalink AB announced today that it has been granted Japanese Patent No 4326696, "Methods and means for treating glomerulonephritis" for its product Nefecon(R) which is being developed to treat IgA nephropathy, a glomerulonephritis leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Counterparts of the patent have been issued for other territories including the EU, US and China.

Pharmalink's Managing Director Johan Haggblad said, "We now have IP protection for the Nefecon(R) principle in the major pharmaceutical markets. We are particularly happy about the addition of Japan as we are actively seeking product development partners for Asia. Asia is of high importance for Nefecon(R) as Japan and China represent areas with significant prevalence of IgA nephropathy. With strengthened product protection we are even better positioned to attract partners and thereby reach out to patients in Asia."

Pharmalink AB previously announced highly promising results from a planned interim analysis of an ongoing open Phase II trial which was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Nefecon(R) in IgA nephropathy, a glomerulonephritis leading to end-stage renal disease. The interim results were confirmed in the final results obtained in early 2009. Nefecon(R) is an oral small molecule product which downregulates the inflammatory process in the kidneys. It is being co-developed by Pharmalink and Archimedes Pharma under a partnership agreed in January 2004 to bring the product candidate to proof-of-concept.

The concept underlying the renal disease product candidate Nefecon is a patented invention by Professors Bengt Fellstrom and Roger Hallgren at Uppsala University, Sweden. It is delivered using Archimedes' proprietary TARGIT(R) drug delivery technology which enables the localized delivery of drugs to the lower small intestine or colonic regions of the gut. Archimedes is providing access to the TARGIT platform and providing all trial supplies of Nefecon. Pharmalink is responsible for the management of the clinical trials.

About Pharmalink

Pharmalink AB is a privately held Swedish specialty pharma company that develops proprietary pharmaceutical products in fields of unmet medical need. Pharmalink has adopted a reformulation/repurposing strategy and has a vast international network of physicians, biotech companies, CMOs, CROs and specialist consultants. Pharmalink has a track record of introducing more than 15 pharmaceutical products to market. Pharmalink currently has three clinical phase development projects mature for out-licensing: Nefecon(R), an effective treatment of IgA nephropathy; Xepol(R), the first effective treatment of neurology indication post-polio syndrome; and Busulipo(TM), a safer alternative for myeloablation prior to bone marrow transplantation. Pharmalink also seeks to refill its development pipeline by in-licensing.

About Archimedes Pharma

Archimedes Pharma ("Archimedes") is a pan-European specialty pharmaceutical company marketing and selling an expanding portfolio of specialist products to hospital-based prescribers in major European territories. Archimedes is also developing a robust, high value pipeline of in-house products in pain, Parkinson's disease and critical care. It applies its world-class drug delivery technologies to proven molecules which have yet to achieve their market potential due to their current mode of delivery. This approach reduces the company's development risk, while delivering significant clinical and commercial benefits. The Group's lead development product is NasalFent(R), an innovative and highly differentiated fentanyl citrate nasal spray, for the rapid relief of breakthrough cancer pain. Archimedes technologies - ChiSys(R), PecSys(TM) and TARGIT(R) - are used in a number of partnered products in late-stage clinical development. TARGIT is Archimedes' proprietary technology for the delivery of drugs to specific regions of the large intestine or the local treatment of disease, an area of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry. The TARGIT system offers the option of delivering high local concentrations of drug, which are ideal for the topical treatment of diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome and bacterial infections. The ability of TARGIT to reliably deliver drugs into the lower GIT has been demonstrated in numerous clinical studies.

    For further information, please contact:

    Pharmalink:
    Johan Haggblad, Managing Director, +46(0)70-668-0644
    Email: johan.haggblad@pharmalink.se
    http://www.pharmalink.se

    Archimedes Pharma:
    Michael Clark, +44-118-931-5077
    http://www.archimedespharma.com

    Citigate Dewe Rogerson (Pharmalink):
    Chris Gardner/Nina Enegren, +44-207-638-9571

    CapitalMSL (Archimedes):
    Mary Clark, Tel: +44-207-3075330

SOURCE Pharmalink AB