Echo Therapeutics first-quarter net loss increases to $1.9 million

Echo Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ECTE), a company developing its needle-free Symphony™ tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring (tCGM) system and its Prelude™ SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, today announced financial results for the period ended March 31, 2010.

Recent Corporate Highlights:

• In April, Echo Therapeutics and Ferndale Pharma Group initiated a clinical trial for Echo's Prelude SkinPrep System for the topical delivery of Lidocaine cream. Upon completion of this study, it is anticipated that Ferndale will submit a 510(k) premarket notification to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with subsequent commercial launch of the product after 510(k) clearance.
• Echo Therapeutics' needle-free Symphony tCGM System was featured in a March 31, 2010 online article in Scientific American Magazine entitled "This Really Won't Hurt a Bit: Wireless Sensor Promises Diabetics Noninvasive Blood Sugar Readings," which discusses the importance of continuous glucose monitoring.
• In February 2010, Echo Therapeutics, Inc. announced an additional advance in the product design of Symphony with the development of its next generation electronic component package. This important advance includes an initial 33% reduction in component size and improved architectural design as compared to the prototype electronic package of the Company's earlier Symphony tCGM device.
• In January 2010, Echo Therapeutics completed the product development work for its Prelude SkinPrep System and now has the commercially ready product to be used in the Ferndale clinical trial. In this announcement, management indicated that no further changes will be made to the Prelude SkinPrep System and that the current device will be the one used for sale, subject to FDA market clearance of the product.

"We continue to exploit the tangible progress we made during 2009 and achieved some very important milestones, including our announcement that the first patients were enrolled in a clinical study of our Prelude SkinPrep System with our partner Ferndale Pharma Group," commented Patrick T. Mooney, M.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Echo Therapeutics. "This clinical study is designed to evaluate the ability of the Prelude SkinPrep System to ablate the skin prior to application of OTC lidocaine cream for local dermal anesthesia. Upon completion of this study, we anticipate that Ferndale will submit a 510(k) premarket notification to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with subsequent commercial launch of the product after 510(k) clearance."

First quarter 2010 financial results

For the first quarter of 2010, Echo reported approximately $14,000 in licensing revenue compared to no revenue in the first quarter of 2009. The Company increased operating expenses by 178% to $2.4 million compared to $0.9 million during the first quarter of 2009. This increase included a 286% increase in research and development and a 123% increase in selling, general and administrative expenses. The net loss for the first quarter was $1.9 million, or ($0.07) per share, compared to a net loss of $1.3 million, or ($0.07) per share last year.  The Company completed the quarter with cash of $1.9 million, after the Company raised an additional $2.5 million in cash from the issuance of Common Stock and warrants during the quarter.

2010 Outlook

Echo Therapeutics management reiterated its expectations for the 2010 outlook:

"We are focused on completing several key milestones during 2010 that will enable the company to begin generating near-term revenue," Dr. Mooney concluded. "This includes the successful advancement of a clinical trial study with our Symphony system, which incorporates our Prelude SkinPrep System, substantially the same System that is being used in the Ferndale clinical trial for enhanced delivery of lidocaine. We anticipate securing additional strategic partner licensing arrangements while we begin manufacturing scale-up for Prelude's product validation and planned product launch in late 2010."

SOURCE Echo Therapeutics