Alliqua completes transdermal pain patch initial study for treatment of PHN

Alliqua, Inc., an advanced biomedical products company focused on the development and manufacturing of proprietary drug delivery and liver health technologies, announced today the successful completion of its initial study for the transdermal pain patch project.

In the comparative dissolution study, the Alliqua patch demonstrated a favorable profile when compared to the market leading product for treatment of PHN pain. Management estimates that global value of the PHN pain patch market today is approximately US$1.4 billion. Based on the positive results, Alliqua will proceed to the next developmental stage, including in vitro testing.

"The successful outcome of this study validates the progress Alliqua has made in creating a specialized transdermal pain patch based on our proprietary hydrogel technology. With additional products currently in development, this is the first of many important steps towards our goal of becoming a leading specialty pharmaceutical company," said Richard Rosenblum, President and Director of Alliqua.

Alliqua has also completed several other milestones in the development of the PHN patch product, including but not limited to:

•           Development of the overall strategy and project plan;

•           Pre-formulation development; and

•           Formulation development.

Alliqua intends to continue to aggressively pursue a generic version of an existing pain management patch for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia ("PHN"). PHN is associated with shingles, which is a rising medical problem in the United States and around the world as countries continue to struggle with increasingly elderly populations.

Management estimates that the total U.S. market for pain management pharmaceuticals, exclusive of over-the-counter products, totaled in excess of $20 billion in 2009, with the market for the existing prescription pain patch in excess of $1 billion in the U.S. alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1 million cases of shingles occur in the United States annually, and approximately 20% of shingles cases result in PHN. Alliqua's patch technology enables the delivery of drugs and active ingredients directly through the stratum corneum, avoiding 'first pass' of the digestive system and the liver.