Allergy Therapeutics plc
("Allergy Therapeutics" or "the Company")
6 December 2011
Unique to the market - The Anapen® 500mcg epinephrine auto-injector
Life saving treatment for patients with anaphylaxis
Allergy Therapeutics plc (AIM: "AGY"), is pleased to announce that the updated Anapen® 500mcg epinephrine auto-injector device registered in the UK and Ireland will be available in both countries in early 2012. In September the Company obtained the exclusive distribution rights for Anapen® in the UK and Ireland.
As many as one million people in the UK are at risk from anaphylaxis which can be caused by food allergy, insect bites or stings, latex, drugs and other triggers.1,2 The incidence and prevalence of serious allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis are increasing rapidly, as are the number of hospital related admissions.3
The UK's Resuscitation Council has recommended a dose of 500mcg of epinephrine for adults. The Anapen® 500mcg, produced by Lincoln Medical Limited, is the only 500mcg epinephrine auto-injector currently available in the UK that has been licensed for use in adults with a body weight of 60kg and above. The product is also available in 300mcg and 150mcg doses.
Professor Jonathan Hourihane, Professor of Paediatrics at University College Hospital, Cork commented;
"This is an important development for the community care of adults at risk of anaphylaxis. Delay in receiving appropriate adrenaline is associated with severe adverse outcomes in anaphylaxis and a higher dose auto-injector has long been on the allergists' wish list for their patients."
Allergy Therapeutics has been selling Anapen® in The Netherlands since September 2010 and has also received the exclusive rights to distribute Anapen® in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia and Chile; all countries with promising market potential. The Company expects to launch Anapen® in these countries during the next 12 months, subject to regulatory approvals.
For further information:
Allergy Therapeutics +44 (0) 1903 845 821
Manuel Llobet, CEO
www.allergytherapeutics.com
FTI Consulting +44 (0) 207 776 1200
Jonathan Birt/ Sue Quigley
Notes to editors
About Anapen®
Anapen® is indicated for the treatment of anaphylactic shock. Anaphylactic shock is a life threatening allergic reaction with increasing prevalence in all developed countries. Anapen® is the only epinephrine pen auto injector in the world with a 500mcg presentation. The 500mcg presentation is indicated for adults weighing above 60kg, giving Anapen® a strong competitive advantage.
The epinephrine pen auto injector market in the UK is valued at around £20 million and grew by 20% last year. Allergy Therapeutics expects sales in the UK and Ireland of up to £2 million during the next 12 months. Anapen® will be an important new product for the Commpany's UK sales force.
About Allergy Therapeutics
Allergy Therapeutics is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on allergy vaccination. It has a growing business achieving sales in the prior financial year of £42 million mainly in Europe through its own sales and marketing infrastructure and further afield through distributors. The Company is expanding its infrastructure into the Emerging Markets.
Footnotes
1 Resuscitation Council (UK). Emergency treatment for anaphylactic reaction: Guidelines for healthcare providers. January 2008
2 Simons GFE et al. Worold Allergy Organization Guidleines for Assessment and Management of Anaphlaxis. J Allergy Clin Immunol
3 Department of Health. Parliamentary written reply, 26 March 2009. Available at www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2009-03-26c.266146.h
