Microsoft word - pr_nbp axcan pylera july 2009 final.doc
NewBridge Pharmaceuticals Announces Licensing of Pylera® for Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Caspian Region Dubai and San Francisco, July 22, 2009 NewBridge Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical, biologics, and medical device company serving the Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Caspian regions, today announced that is has entered into an exclusive license and supply agreement with Axcan Pharma for Pylera®, an innovative 3- in-1 capsule therapy for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium now recognized as being the main cause of gastric and duodenal ulcers. Pursuant to the agreement, NewBridge is entitled to obtain exclusive rights in certain markets where it obtains required regulatory approvals and launches the product. The product should be launched in Q4 2010. Pylera®, which was developed by Axcan over the last ten years, is a patented 3-in-1 capsule therapy. Each Pylera® capsule contains bismuth subcitrate potassium, metronidazole and tetracycline hydrochloride. Pylera® is clinically proven to be as effective as the most widely prescribed therapeutic regimen for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (omeprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin) and has the potential to be used in a wide range of patients as a first-line therapy for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori based on its convenient 10-day treatment dosing regimen. Pylera® provides additional clinical benefit by improving patient compliance. Pylera® received FDA approval in September 2006 and was successfully launched in the United States in May 2007. "In partnering with Axcan for the Pylera 3-in-1 capsule therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication, NewBridge Pharmaceuticals advances further to become one of the key providers of innovative pharmaceutical care to the Middle East, Turkey, CIS and Africa" said Dr. Garrett Vygantas, CEO of NewBridge Pharmaceuticals. “NewBridge’s strategy of providing world-class sales and marketing, pharmacovigilance and supply chain support for our innovative products allows patients and physicians across the region access to best-in-class therapeutics, education and support.” “We are happy to be partnering with NewBridge Pharmaceuticals,” said Nicholas Franco, Axcan’s Senior Vice President, International Commercial Operations, “which will enable Axcan’s Pylera to be launched in rapidly growing markets in which NewBridge has expertise.” About Helicobacter pylori
The discovery in 1983 of the Helicobacter pylori organism was one of the major advances in gastroenterology in recent decades, as it has revolutionized the approach to many upper gastrointestinal disorders. Helicobacter pylori is believed to cause a spectrum of diseases in humans, including gastritis, ulcer disease (gastric and duodenal), gastric cancer and gastric lymphoma. In North-America, 10% of the population will have an ulcer in their lifetime; and
many treatments end up with a high rate of recurrences. In fact, 40% to 80% of patients experience a recurrence within only a year after undergoing short-term treatment of gastric acid suppression therapy. Studies have shown that the gastroduodenal reoccurrence rate is only 2% for patients in whom the organism has been eradicated. About NewBridge Pharmaceuticals NewBridge Pharmaceuticals (www.nbpharma.com) is a specialty pharmaceutical, biologics, and medical device company serving the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and Caspian regions to address the unmet needs of diseases with high regional prevalence such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and other metabolic disorders. NewBridge in-licenses and commercializes FDA and EMEA approved therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics. Headquartered in UAE with Business Development in the US, NewBridge was founded in 2007 by Burrill & Company, a San Francisco based Life Science Venture Capital, Private Equity, Merchant Banking and Media firm. NewBridge Pharmaceuticals is uniquely positioned as the partner of choice for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and device companies seeking to capture value from their products in these high growth emerging markets. About Axcan Pharma Axcan Pharma is a privately-held, leading specialty pharmaceutical company that develops and markets a wide range of products to treat gastrointestinal diseases and disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease, cholestatic liver diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, and complications related to pancreatic insufficiency. Axcan's products are marketed by its own dedicated and specialized sales forces both in North America and the European Union. The company also markets its products in more than 40 countries through a global network of local partners. NewBridge Pharma Media Contact: Peter Winter E-mail: pwinter@b-c.com Tel: (415) 591-5474 Axcan Pharma media Contact: Isabelle Adjahi Senior Director, Investor Relations and Communications Axcan Pharma Tel: (450) 536-7696 E-mail: iadjahi@axcan.com www.axcan.com
Cough - General Advice for Patients Cough is common as part of a respiratory infection but cough going on for eight weeks or more is less common and often leads to referral for specialist help. Doctors and health professionals think of the following possibilities when a cough has developed either following an upper respiratory infection or spontaneously and continues for this time. The caus
