NIH funds clinical development of Starpharma's VivaGel to treat genital herpes

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, April 20 - Starpharma Holdings Ltd. signed an agreement Thursday with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to fund a clinical trial to test the use of VivaGel in the prevention of genital herpes.

Genital herpes is the second indication for which VivaGel is being developed, according to a company news release.

This latest support from the agency is in addition to a previously announced $20.3 million funding provided to support the development of VivaGel for the prevention of HIV.

In both cases, funding is non-dilutive for shareholders and has no negative impact on the commercial returns that Starpharma will receive from VivaGel, officials said.

"Genital herpes represents a significant market opportunity for VivaGel as there is currently no cure and no sufficiently wide-spread, effective means of protection," John Raff, chief executive officer, said in the release.

The trial will be conducted at established clinical sites in the United States and Kenya. It is anticipated that the trial will begin in the first half of 2006.

As part of this support, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said it also will act as sponsor of an additional investigational New Drug Application with the Food and Drug Administration for VivaGel for prevention of genital herpes. Starpharma will be a co-sponsor.

Starpharma is a Melbourne, Australia, biopharmaceutical company that uses nanotechnology to develop pharmaceuticals.

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