AEROCRINE AND STALLERGENES SIGN EXCLUSIVE distribution AGREEMENT for NIOX MINO®
Solna (Sweden) and Antony (France), 28 August 2012 – Aerocrine AB (OMX Nordic Exchange: AERO) and Stallergenes S.A (Euronext Paris CAC small) today announce the signing of an exclusive multi-year distribution agreement for Aerocrine’s airway inflammation monitor and test Kit. The agreement will initially cover France, Italy, Poland, Turkey and the Middle East and could be extended to additional countries.
The agreement, which comes into effect on 1 September 2012, gives Stallergenes exclusive rights for the marketing, sales and distribution of Aerocrine’s instrument NIOX MINO® and test kits, used for diagnosing and monitoring patients with asthma. The existing distribution agreement of Aerocrine with ThermoFisher/Phadia which covers France and Italy will be terminated on the effective date of this new agreement.
Aerocrine offers versatile and easy-to-use exhaled Nitric Oxide (NO) monitoring devices for research and clinical applications. Aerocrine’s compact hand-held device is intended for routine measurements, where it can be used to improve the management of asthma and other inflammatory airway conditions in both specialist and primary care clinics. NIOX MINO® offers added advantages for patient care including detecting of eosinophilic airway inflammation, determining the likelihood of corticosteroid responsiveness, monitoring of airway inflammation to determine the potential need for corticosteroid, and unmasking of otherwise unsuspected non adherence to corticosteroid therapy[1].
The agreement will initially cover France, Italy, Poland, Turkey and the Middle East and could be extended to additional countries. Aerocrine’s products are already approved for commercialisation. Stallergenes will provide adequate resources to market the products, depending on a country basis scenario.
“Stallergenes has a strong product portfolio and well-established local sales forces with a good network of relationships in the clinical world”, says Scott Myers, CEO of Aerocrine.
With Stallergenes as distributor, Aerocrine gains access to one of the larger providers of both diagnostic and therapeutic products and will benefit from Stallergenes excellent network in the specialist segment.
Scott Myers continues, “We believe Stallergenes is a good partner for us. They know the market well and have the resources that we need and could not fund at this time. The terms of the agreement offer financial benefits to both companies once executed”.
“We are delighted to team up with Aerocrine, the established leader in the measurement and monitoring of airway inflammation. This partnership will reinforce our expertise and offer allergologists and pulmonologists an important tool for a tailored treatment of asthmatic patients. This project not only enables us to enlarge our product offering, specifically designed for allergic and asthmatic patients, but is also perfectly in line with Stallergenes’ strategy in asthma development”, says Roberto Gradnik, Chief Executive Officer of Stallergenes.
The terms of the agreement are undisclosed.
ABOUT ASTHMA
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterised by symptoms including coughing, wheezing and difficulty in breathing. Asthma is one of this world’s most common and costly diseases, affecting 8-10% of the world population, and is always in the top five in terms of costs relating to chronic diseases. The prevalence of asthma has been gradually increasing over the last 20 years in industrialised countries, at a rate of around 5% per year. Asthma is very often linked to allergic rhinitis: 80% of allergic asthma sufferers also have allergic rhinitis and 40% of patients with untreated rhinitis go on to develop asthma.
Inadequate control of asthma is common and leads to a poorer quality of life and incorrect dosage of medication. Aerocrine’s instrument NIOX MINO® plays a significant role and is key to effective asthma management.
About Aerocrine
Aerocrine AB is a medical technology company focused on the improved management and care of patients with inflammatory airway diseases. As the pioneer and leader in technology to monitor and manage airway inflammation, Aerocrine markets NIOX MINO® and NIOX Flex®. Both products enable fast and reliable management of airway inflammation and may therefore play a critical role in more effective diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma. Aerocrine is based in Sweden with subsidiaries in the U.S., Germany, and the U.K. Aerocrine shares were listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 2007.
ABOUT STALLERGENES
Stallergenes is a European biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the treatment of allergy-related respiratory diseases, such as severe rhinoconjunctivitis and rhinitis, as well as allergic asthma, using allergen immunotherapy. The seventh largest pharmaceutical company in France and the leader in sublingual immunotherapy treatment, Stallergenes devotes almost 20% of its gross turnover to Research & Development and is actively involved in the development of a new therapeutic class, sublingual immunotherapy tablets.
In 2011, the company had a turnover of 235 million Euros, and more than 500,000 patients were treated with Stallergenes products.
Euronext Paris (Compartiment B)CAC smallCode ISIN : FR0000065674Code Reuters : GEN.PA Code Bloomberg : GEN.FP |
Additional information is available at www.stallergenes.com
Forward-looking statements related to Stallergenes
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including forecasts of future revenue and operating profit as well as expected business-related events. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Stallergenes’ management and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, due to various factors. Without being exhaustive, such factors include economic situations and business conditions, including legal and product evaluation issues, fluctuations in currencies and demand, changes in competitive factors and reliance on suppliers. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events and except as required by law.
Aerocrine may be required to disclose the information provided herein pursuant to the Securities Markets Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication at 8:00 a.m. on August 28, 2012.
ContactsStallergenesRoberto Gradnik, Chief Executive OfficerTel. +33 1 55 59 20 04Investor and Analyst RelationsChristian Thiry, Chief Financial OfficerTel. +33 1 55 59 20 95e-mail: investorrelations@stallergenes.frPavie Finance: Lucile de FraguierTel. +44 208 248 2793e-mail: contact@pavie-finance.comPress RelationsLise Lemonnier, Senior Communication DirectorTel. + 33 1 55 59 20 96e-mail: llemonnier@stallergenes.frChandler Chicco Agency: Bahar TurkogluTel.: + 33 1 41 43 02 27e-mail: bturkoglu@ccapr.com | AerocrineScott Myers, President & CEO, Aerocrine AB, Phone: +46 768 788 379 |
[1] An Official ATS Clinical Practice Guideline: Interpretation of Exhaled Nitric Oxide Levels (FeNO) for Clinical Applications
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2011 184: 602-615