VIRALEZE sales and distribution in Saudi Arabia and GCC (ASX Announcement)

• Starpharma has signed an exclusive sales and distribution agreement for VIRALEZE™ antiviral nasal spray in Saudi Arabia and eight other countries, including the GCC region (United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain)
• VIRALEZE™ is already registered for sale in Saudi Arabia, with launch preparations well advanced. The product registration in Saudi Arabia is expected to facilitate further registrations across the region
• VIRALEZE™ is a broad-spectrum antiviral nasal spray that contains SPL7013, which has been shown to have potent antiviral and virucidal activity in multiple respiratory viruses, including inactivation of >99.9% of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, in laboratory studies that have been published in international, peer reviewed journals

Melbourne, Australia; 3 February 2022: Starpharma (ASX: SPL, OTCQX: SPHRY) today announced it has signed an exclusive sales and distribution agreement for VIRALEZE™ antiviral nasal spray in Saudi Arabia and eight other countries, including the GCC ^[1] countries  (United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain), with Etqan & Nazahah LLC (E&N). E&N is an agent and distributor of medical and pharmaceutical products, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, that represents international healthcare companies, including Bayer, in the GCC region and other neighbouring countries.

The GCC region is an economic union of Arab states bordering the Gulf, with a population of over 59 million people.

Starpharma will supply VIRALEZE™, with E&N responsible for sales, distribution, and marketing of the product. Under the agreement, VIRALEZE™ will be available to retail consumers, clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and online. The term of the agreement is 5-years and has performance obligations that include launch requirements and annual minimum purchases.

VIRALEZE™ is registered for sale in Saudi Arabia and this registration, which is the first in the Middle East, is expected to facilitate further registrations across the region. Registration activities in other countries covered by this agreement have already commenced.

Dr Jackie Fairley, Starpharma CEO commented: “We are very pleased to partner with E&N for the sale and distribution of VIRALEZE™ in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC region, and to continue building on the brand presence of VIRALEZE™ internationally .”

In addition to this distribution agreement with E&N for the supply of VIRALEZE™ in the initial nine countries in the region, Starpharma and E&N are also negotiating an arrangement for sales and distribution to other neighbouring countries.

VIRALEZE™ is now registered in more than 30 countries, including Europe, Vietnam, India, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia, and available online in certain markets. VIRALEZE™ is supported by extensive data and peer-reviewed publications , including multiple antiviral studies conducted at The Scripps Research Institute, USA.

 

About Etqan & Nazahah Company (E&N)

Etqan & Nazahah Company (E&N) is a privately held agent and distributor of medical and pharmaceutical products, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, that represents international healthcare companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and other neighbouring countries.

E&N’s company mission is to improve healthcare for patients and medical professionals in the GCC markets by providing superior products and services, which include ethical pharmaceuticals and OTC products, medical equipment, medical supplies and disposables, including rapid test kits for SARS-CoV-2. E&N represent international companies, including Bayer, where they act as the agent in the region for the sales, distribution, and promotion of healthcare products. E&N is licensed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

 

VIRALEZE ^™ Antiviral Nasal Spray

VIRALEZE™ is a broad-spectrum antiviral nasal spray. The antiviral agent in VIRALEZE™, referred to as SPL7013, has been shown to have potent antiviral and virucidal activity in multiple respiratory viruses (including influenza and RSV) and multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, including inactivation of >99.9% of the highly infectious Delta variant, in laboratory studies. VIRALEZE™ is applied in the nose to provide a physical barrier - between viruses and the nasal mucous membrane - that traps and irreversibly inactivates virus. Importantly, the mechanism of action of VIRALEZE™ means that mutations of the spike protein that make SARS-CoV-2 more infectious, as occurred for the Delta strain, appear to make the virus more susceptible to trapping and blocking by SPL7013.

VIRALEZE™ is registered in more than 30 countries, including Europe, Vietnam, India, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia, and available in certain markets online. VIRALEZE™ is partnered with LloydsPharmacy in the UK, ADMENTA Italia Group in Italy, HealthCo/TBL in Vietnam, and E&N in countries in the Middle East. VIRALEZE™ is not approved for sale or supply in Australia.

  Starpharma acknowledges the $1 million in funding for the development of VIRALEZE ^™ provided by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTB) Program, with support from UniQuest. Delivered by MTPConnect, the Australian Government's BTB program is a $22.3 million MRFF initiative that provides up to $1 million in matched funding to nurture the translation of new therapies, technologies and medical devices through to proof of concept to turn innovative medical ideas into reality.

 

Download full announcement here: VIRALEZE™ sales and distribution in Saudi Arabia and GCC (PDF 274KB)

 

[1] Gulf Cooperation Council

  This contains certain forward-looking statements.

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