Option and Licensing agreement

RNS Number : 7117L

Advanced Medical Solutions Grp PLC

04 August 2011

 



For release on 4 August 2011

Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc

("AMS")

Option and Licensing agreement

Winsford, UK: Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc (AIM: AMS.L), the global medical technology company, today announces that it has signed an Option and Licensing Agreement ("Agreement") with Sinclair IS Pharma plc (AIM: SPH.L) ("Sinclair IS"), the international specialty pharma company, for Sinclair IS's Delmopinol anti-biofilm technology. Under the terms of the agreement, AMS has the right to exclusively licence Delmopinol from Sinclair IS for worldwide use in the development of new foam-based Advanced Woundcare dressings.

Delmopinol is the active ingredient in Decapinol®, Sinclair IS's brand of oral healthcare products, where it has proven to be effective as an anti-biofilm agent. Bacterial biofilms are widely recognised as a major cause of microbial resistance to current treatments. This is equally true of the biofilms which form within chronic wounds, such as pressure (decubitus) and diabetic ulcers as well as burns and infected trauma injuries. Complications with infections are known to delay the wound healing process and can be fatal.

In collaboration with a number of universities, AMS has screened the efficacy of Delmopinol, in a number of in-vitro models, to test its potential use as an anti-biofilm agent in conjunction with an AMS anti-microbial woundcare dressing. This screening has produced encouraging data supporting Sinclair IS's own internal development programmes on the compound, and the substantial package of preclinical and toxicological data from Sinclair IS's marketed products Decapinol® and GUM PerioShield™ in the USA (via Sunstar Americas Inc).

As a result, AMS and Sinclair IS have signed an agreement which allows AMS to conduct further R&D and feasibility testing for up to a maximum of six months. At the end of this period, assuming the additional data generated confirms the results seen so far, AMS has the right to exclusively license the worldwide patent rights from Sinclair IS for the new use of Delmopinol in foam-based Advanced Woundcare dressings.

Chris Meredith, Chief Executive Officer of AMS, said:  "As we have previously indicated, we believe the future of Advanced Woundcare lies in antimicrobial and 'active' wound dressings. In this regard, our R&D programme has been looking into ways to control biofilms within chronic wounds, in order to further improve the efficacy of our dressings. Whilst there is still work to do to confirm its feasibility, indications so far are encouraging that a combination of Delmopinol and our own anti-microbial foam technologies could provide an effective new range of dressings to combat biofilms. We are delighted to be working with Sinclair IS Pharma on this initiative."

Chris Spooner, Chief Executive Officer of Sinclair IS, added:  "Today's announcement underpins our strategy to optimise the Company's current product portfolio and leverage our IP for Delmopinol. Delmopinol has already been shown to be safe and effective in oral care and has the potential to be an effective treatment for many other indications where biofilms are a factor in increasing resistance. As a leader in the woundcare market, AMS is a strong partner for Sinclair IS and we look forward to working with them to further advance the development of the compound."

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For further enquiries:

Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc                                                            [phone]

Chris Meredith, Chief Executive Officer

Mary Tavener, Finance Director

Tavistock Communications                                                                              [phone]

John West / Chris Munden / Andrew Dunn

Investec Bank plc                                                                                             [phone]

Gary Clarence / Patrick Robb / Daniel Adams

Notes to Editors:

About Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc - see www.admedsol.com

Founded in 1991, AMS is a leading company in the development and manufacture of innovative and technologically advanced products for the US$15 billion global wound care market. These products are sold in countries across the globe either directly or through a number of strategic partners and distributors.

AMS' advanced woundcare products are based on an extensive range of technologies including alginates, silver alginates and hydrophilic polyurethane foams. These and other products pioneer the concept of moist wound healing, allowing wounds to heal faster and with less pain and scarring. They protect the wound, deal with tissue fluids and provide an optimal environment for healing to occur. Silver is widely recognised as a safe and effective broad-spectrum anti-microbial agent for infection control.

AMS' wound closure and sealants products are based on cyanoacrylate adhesive ("superglue") technology developed for medical applications. Tissue adhesives offer significant benefits over conventional ways of closing wounds following trauma or surgical incision. They are simple to use, non-invasive, help to reduce the risk of infection, minimise trauma to the patient and provide good clinical and cosmetic outcomes. The technology is also ideally suited to protecting skin from breakdown or for use as a skin sealant to help prevent infection of surgical sites.

About Sinclair IS Pharma plc - see www.sinclairispharma.com

Sinclair IS Pharma plc is an international specialty pharmaceutical company providing solutions to treat wounds, dermatological and oral diseases through advanced surface technology and innovative delivery systems. It has a growing sales and marketing operation that is present in France, UK, Italy, Germany and Spain, and an extensive marketing partner network across selected developed & emerging markets.

 

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