LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2005--BioSante Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. (Amex: BPA - News )
today announced that it has signed a Material Transfer and Option Agreement
with an undisclosed European pharmaceutical company for an exclusive option
to obtain an exclusive, worldwide license to use BioSante's calcium phosphate
nanotechnology (CaP) in the development of a series of allergy products. The
partner company will fund its development of potential products for the treatment
of conditions including rhinitis, asthma, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and allergic
gastrointestinal diseases.
Under the terms of the option agreement, BioSante will
receive a $250,000 upfront option payment. If the option
is exercised and the parties enter into an exclusive
license agreement, BioSante will receive a one-time
license fee, annual maintenance payments, milestone
payments upon the achievement of regulatory milestones
and royalties on commercial sales of any allergy product
that is developed using CaP. The various payments may
total up to $10 million or more, assuming at least
three products are developed.
"The U.S. anti-allergy medication market is expected
to exceed $10 billion by 2010, and it is estimated
that up to 25 percent of the U.S. population suffers
from at least one allergy," said Stephen M. Simes,
president and chief executive officer of BioSante. "This
agreement is very exciting for BioSante, as it acknowledges
a new potential use for CaP within this growing market."
During the evaluation period, the European company
will evaluate CaP's ability to improve current allergy
products. The European company may exercise its option
to enter into an exclusive license for the use of
CaP in allergy products at any time but must exercise
no later than within 60 days of the end of the 22-month
evaluation period.
About BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
BioSante is developing a pipeline of hormone therapy
products to treat both men and women. These hormone
therapy products are gel formulations for transdermal
administration that deliver bioidentical estradiol
and testosterone. BioSante's lead products include
Bio-E-Gel(TM) (bioidentical estradiol gel) for the
treatment of women with menopausal symptoms, and
LibiGel(TM) (bioidentical testosterone gel) for the
treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). The
current market in the U.S. for estrogen and testosterone
products is approximately $2.5 billion. The transdermal
gel formulations used in the women's gel products
are licensed by BioSante from Antares Pharma Inc.
The company also is developing its calcium phosphate
nanotechnology (CaP) for novel vaccines, including
biodefense vaccines for toxins such as anthrax and
ricin, and drug delivery systems. Additional information
is available online at www.biosantepharma.com .
This
news release contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. The statements regarding BioSante
contained in this press release that are not historical
in nature, particularly those that utilize terminology
such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes" or "plans," or
comparable terminology, are forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations
and assumptions, and entail various risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those expressed in such forward-looking statements.
Important factors known to BioSante that cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed
in such forward-looking statements are the difficulty
of developing pharmaceutical products, obtaining
regulatory and other approvals and achieving market
acceptance, and other factors identified and discussed
from time to time in BioSante's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including those
factors discussed on pages 19 to 31 of BioSante's
Form 10-KSB, which discussion also is incorporated
herein by reference. All forward-looking statements
speak only as of the date of this news release. BioSante
undertakes no obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact: BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Phillip Donenberg, 847-478-0500 donenber@biosantepharma.com or
The Trout Group LLC Ritu S. Baral, 212-477-9007 ext 25 rbaral@troutgroup.com or
BMC Communications Daniel Budwick, 212-477-9007 ext 14 dbudwick@bmccommunications.com
Source: BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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