Alliance Pharma Regulatory News (APH)

6 Jul 2006 07:00

Alliance Pharma PLC06 July 2006 For Immediate Release 6 July 2006 ALLIANCE PHARMA PLC ("Alliance Pharma" or "the Company") Expansion of UK skincare portfolio through product acquisitions from Pfizer Alliance Pharma plc (AIM: APH), the speciality pharmaceutical company, ispleased to announce that it is further expanding its dermatology portfoliothrough the acquisition from Pfizer of the UK rights to three products: the oralantihistamine AtaraxTM, the oral steroid DeltacortrilTM and TerracortrilTM, atopical combination steroid. Atarax and Deltacortril had combined annualisedsales of around £2.8 million in the UK in the 12 months to May 2006. For each of the three brands, Alliance will transfer the manufacturing,reformulate the products to improve their profitability and will then pay Pfizera consideration out of cashflow over the following three years. Sales of Atarax, which is used increasingly to treat itchy skin disorders, aregrowing steadily at 11% per annum. The product will further strengthenAlliance's dermatology portfolio, which has been built through the selectiveacquisition of products and companies. Deltacortril, is used for a wide range of steroid-responsive conditions such asasthma, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and eczema. It has a maturesales profile and as such will fit well into Alliance's portfolio of unpromoted,stable-selling products which deliver the cashflow to fund the Company'sdevelopment pipeline. Alliance plans to relaunch Terracortril which has been off the UK market forsome 18 months. The product is used by specialised burns units and its returnhas been canvassed by clinicians. John Dawson, Alliance Pharma's Chief Executive, commented: "We are very pleased Pfizer selected Alliance as its partner to help rationalisetheir portfolio. These are important medicines and we are pleased to be able toensure their continued availability via our process of manufacturingoptimisation. Our dermatology portfolio has been a key area of focus forAlliance during the past year so I am delighted by this acquisition of threeimportant brands to expand our franchise. In addition to treating skinconditions two of these three products treat other indications and we lookforward also to serving those treatment areas." Carl Davis, Head of Business Development for Pfizer Limited, said: "Pfizer has a commitment to partnering with organisations to deliver healthcarebenefits. We are very pleased to partner with Alliance on Atarax, Deltacortriland Terracortril as their strategic focus will ensure a wide range of patientswill continue to benefit from these medicines. As the world's leadingpharmaceutical company, we are happy to support an emerging British company." For further information: Alliance Pharma plc + 44 (0) 1249 466966 John Dawson, Chief ExecutiveMaddy Scott, Finance Directorwww.alliancepharma.co.uk Buchanan Communications + 44 (0) 20 7466 5000 Mark Court/ Rebecca Skye Dietrich/Lisa Baderoon Pfizer Press Office + 44 (0) 1737 332332Lisa O'Neill Notes to editors About Alliance Pharma Alliance Pharma, founded in 1996, is an AIM listed speciality pharmaceuticalcompany based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK. The company has a strong trackrecord of acquiring the rights to established niche brands and owns, or shares,the rights to 32 branded pharmaceutical products and continues to exploreopportunities to expand the range. Alliance Pharma's products are prescribed in the treatment of a wide range ofconditions and include brands used in periodontitis (a serious gum disease), theprevention of heart disease, in Parkinson's disease, in nutrition, in nasalinfections, in the treatment of dermatological conditions and in childbirth.Alliance Pharma's sales are mainly prescription driven. Its products aredistributed to hospitals directly and to UK and International pharmaceuticalwholesalers which service both hospital and retail pharmacies with theirprescription requirements. Alliance Pharma is also developing Posidorm(R) for sleep disorders and Isprelor(R) for the induction of labour. Alliance Pharma joined the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in December2003 and trades under the symbol APH. About Pfizer Pfizer, with its UK business headquarters in Surrey and global headquarters inNew York, is a research-based global pharmaceutical company. Pfizer discovers,develops, manufactures and markets leading prescription medicines for humans andanimals, and many of the world's best-known consumer treatments. Every month,over two million patients in the UK are prescribed a Pfizer medicine. It isestimated that on any given day, 40 million people around the world are treatedwith a Pfizer medicine. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange