The team aims to commercialize a novel treatment for Herpes simplex and Herpes zoster utilizing an extract from the blood of black lip abalone Haliotis ruber. The project is expected to cost $1.2M in cash and in-kind support over three years.

ARC, which fosters academic-industry research collaborations, has made the funding available for research into the abalone derived haemocyanin product.

MBA, a Tasmanian based company, has been researching the novel glycoprotein with antiviral activity for the past five years. Novotech has been working with MBA for three years.

The new research collaboration with the University of Sydney under the ARC agreement is underway and is expected to move to human clinical trials in mid 2011.

MBA Managing Director Adrian Cuthbertson said: “An 18 month development study undertaken by Sydney based Protech Ltd on behalf of MBA had identified significant anti viral activity associated with the abalone blood extract and may be effective in the treatment of certain viral infections such as the Herpes simplex (HSV1 and HSV2 and Herpes zoster (Shingles).”

The ARC grant will also look at the development of the abalone respiratory molecule as a carrier for use in research and vaccine production.

Novotech CEO Alek Safarian said Novotech was looking forward to progressing with the research, which will run through to 2013.

“Novotech is providing regulatory and clinical advisory services to support clinical research and will design the clinical trials program to determine the proteins’ potential as the basis for a new drug,” said Safarian.

About Novotech

Headquartered in Sydney with a regional hub in Malaysia, Novotech is focused on the Asia Pacific region with operations in eight countries including India and South Korea. Novotech also has worldwide reach through the company’s network of strategic partners. Novotech, described by Frost & Sullivan as the best in its industry class for Australia based CROs, brings its global reputation for high quality service and regional expertise to the high-growth Asia Pacific area. As the largest independent CRO based in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and local knowledge that is unmatched among other contract research organizations in the region. Since 2006, Novotech has been recognized as Australia’s leading CRO by Frost & Sullivan in its Asia Pacific Excellence in Healthcare awards. For more information, please visit www.novotech-cro.com.

ABOUT MBA P/L

Marine Biotechnology Australia Pty Ltd was established with private investment funds in 2005 with a view to developing anti cancer and anti viral products from abalone extracts. An initial joint venture with the German company Biosyn Corporation looked at the use of abalone hemocyanin in the treatment of post operative bladder cancer. Whilst the results were positive it was a study conducted at The Department of Immunology at the University of Tasmania on behalf of MBA that attracted the most attention. With the aid of an Aus Industry matching dollar for dollar grant the company contracted the University of Tasmania to study the immunogenic effect of  abalone hemocyanin. The first indications that abalone hemocyanin could be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of HSV arose from this study and has been the catalyst for further work by Protech and the University of Sydney. To date MBA has invested over $3million in the project with a further $1.5 million budgeted for the current financial year.

ABOUT ARC www.arc.gov.au

The ARC is a statutory authority within the Australian Government’s Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (IISR) portfolio. Its mission is to deliver policy and programs that advance Australian research and innovation globally and benefit the community.

In seeking to achieve its mission, the ARC provides advice to the Government on research matters and manages the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP), a significant component of Australia’s investment in research and development.

Sydney, Australia, 29 October 2010 – Novotech has announced initiation of three Phase Ib oncology trials at sites in Australia and New Zealand to test the safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of client OncoMed’s humanized monoclonal antibody product designed to target cancer stem cells.

Novotech, a leading Australian contract research organization, employing cutting edge technologies in electronic data capture and clinical trial management systems, will manage the trials for OncoMed.

Three separate trials will recruit patients with pancreatic cancer, advanced colorectal cancer, and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Dr. Steve Benner, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of OncoMed  Pharmaceuticals, a Redwood City, California based biotechnology company said Novotech was appointed for its local regulatory knowledge and site selection and data management expertise.  “We have been very impressed with our colleagues at Novotech and look forward to collaborating closely with them on these important trials,” said Dr. Benner.

Novotech CEO Alek Safarian said the Novotech team, has initiated the trials and enrollment has begun.

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals is a US-based clinical-stage company that discovers and develops novel therapeutics targeting cancer stem cells, the cells believed to be capable of driving tumor growth, recurrence and metastases. A leader in cancer stem cell research, the company has established a library of antibodies  to cancer stem cell proteins associated with tumors such as pancreatic, breast, colorectal and lung cancers. OncoMed’s lead candidate, OMP-21M18 is currently in Phase Ib clinical trials and has a pipeline of several preclinical product candidates targeting multiple cancer stem cell pathways.

About Novotech

Headquartered in Sydney with a regional hub in Malaysia, Novotech is focused on the Asia Pacific region with operations in nine countries including India and South Korea. Novotech also has worldwide reach through the company’s network of strategic partners. Novotech, described by Frost & Sullivan as the best in its industry class for Australia based CROs, brings its global reputation for high quality service and regional expertise to the high-growth Asia Pacific area. As the largest independent CRO based in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and local knowledge that is unmatched among other contract research organizations in the region. Since 2006, Novotech has been recognized as Australia’s leading CRO by Frost & Sullivan in its Asia Pacific Excellence in Healthcare awards. For more information, please visit www.novotech-cro.com.

News Facts

• Novotech, the largest independent clinical research organisation in Australia, has selected Oracle’s Siebel Clinical Trial Management System to support the company’s complete spectrum of clinical drug development and research.
• Novotech works with leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to bring new healthcare products to the global market by offering a broad range of compliant clinical services. The company is headquartered in Australia with operations in India, New Zealand, South Korea and across Southeast Asia. The company has helped global customers conduct trials across a population base of more than 1.5 billion people in the Australasian region alone from first human exposure through to completion of Phase III trials.
• Novotech has been running a bespoke system to manage their clinical trial operations.  Over time, the business has grown and expanded across the Asia Pacific rim. The existing system did not accommodate the evolving business needs of Novotech as it lacked scalability and flexibility.
• In order to support the company’s continued growth and an increasingly complex business, Novotech needed a system that was robust and could grow with their operations.
• Novotech selected Siebel Clinical Trial Management because it met the organisation’s present needs, is a recognised leader and is built on open standards allowing the company to integrate other business applications, such as its financial system.
• Siebel Clinical Trial Management will also serve as a centralised repository for all investigators to collect and track relevant information about research, including personal profiles to disease specialities. Information will be readily available to manage clinical trials at different tiers – local, regional and global.
• Siebel Clinical Trial Management will offer a consistent view of the clinical trials undertaken by Novotech and provide up to date information on clinical trial statuses across the organisation. Furthermore, Siebel Clinical Trial Management will provide a common platform that will assist Novotech to conduct their activities to achieve operational efficiencies.
• In addition to managing the end-to-end trial management process, Siebel Clinical Trial Management will assist to provide timely and accurate reports and dashboards to support tactical and strategic decision making.
• Novotech expects to see improved process efficiencies, better trial quality and lower trial costs from the implementation. Plans are underway to integrate Siebel Clinical with Novotech’s finance system. This will help streamline the business and support real time and accurate reporting, enabling traceability and auditability, and helping reduce the risk of errors due to manually entered information.

Supporting Quotes

• “As we continue to expand, we need a system that can grow with our business operations and support our ability to run successful clinical trials across the globe. Novotech’s investment in this field with industry leading technology systems like Oracle’s Siebel Clinical showcases our efforts to be recognised as a world-class CRO, “said Alek Safarian, CEO Novotech Australia.
• “Oracle’s Siebel Clinical Trial Management System is a proven solution for managing successful clinical trials. We are pleased that Novotech recognises the benefits it provides in supporting the company’s ongoing and future clinical drug development and research,” said Neil de Crescenzo, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Health Sciences.

Supporting Resources

• Siebel Clinical Trial Management System
• Oracle in Life Sciences
• Oracle Health Sciences on Twitter
• Join the Oracle Health Sciences Community on Facebook

About Novotech

Headquartered in Sydney with a regional hub in Malaysia, Novotech is focused on the Asia Pacific region with operations in nine countries including India and South Korea. Novotech also has worldwide reach through the company’s network of strategic partners. Novotech, described by Frost & Sullivan as the best in its industry class for Australia based CROs, brings its global reputation for high quality service and regional expertise to the high-growth Asia Pacific area. As the largest independent CRO based in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and local knowledge that is unmatched among other contract research organisations in the region. Since 2006, Novotech has been recognised as Australia’s leading CRO by Frost & Sullivan in its Asia Pacific Excellence in Healthcare awards. For more information, please visit www.novotech-cro.com.

About Oracle Applications
Over 65,000 customers worldwide rely on Oracle’s complete, open and integrated enterprise applications to achieve superior results. Oracle provides a secure path for customers to benefit from the latest technology advances that improve the customer software experience and drive better business performance. Oracle Applications Unlimited is Oracle’s commitment to customer choice through continuous investment and innovation in current applications offerings. Oracle’s next-generation Fusion Applications build upon that commitment, and are designed to work with and evolve Oracle’s Applications Unlimited offerings. Oracle’s lifetime support policy helps ensure customers will continue to have a choice in upgrade paths, based on their enterprise needs.  For more information on the latest Oracle Applications releases go to: www.oracle.com/applications

About Oracle

Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world’s most complete, open, and integrated business software and hardware systems company. For more information about Oracle, please visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Media contact:

Susan Fitzpatrick
DatelineMedia Group
Australian office: +61 2 9006 1614
USA office: +1650 7985238
EMAIL: susan@dmgpr.com

Safarian will speak on “Global Study Experiences: Lessons from Observing Regional Variations” which is part of the “Clinical Projects: Faster and Smarter? It’s All in the Planning! session.

Date: June 15, 2:00PM – 3:30PM
Session #: 246
Room #: 140B

Novotech is the largest full-service Australian CRO with an extensive operations footprint across Asia, and has helped global customers conduct trials across a population base of more than 1.5 billion people in the Australasian region.

Headquartered in Sydney, Novotech works with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in North America and Europe to bring new products to the global market by offering a full range of ICH-compliant clinical services, from first human exposure through to completion of Phase III trials.

“Judging by the growth in number of new clinical trials starting in the region over the last few years, Asia provides a tremendous untapped opportunity to the drug development industry,” said Safarian.

The DIA Annual Meeting is the premier event for professionals involved in the discovery, development, and lifecycle management of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and related products. There is no other industry meeting of its kind that can rival the breadth and depth of experience that this meeting delivers. With 25 content-area tracks, 330 sessions and 20 tutorials, presentations are geared to attendees at all disciplines, works settings, and experience levels.

About Novotech
Headquartered in Sydney with a regional hub in Malaysia, Novotech is focused on the Asia Pacific region with operations in nine countries including India and South Korea. Novotech also has worldwide reach through the company’s network of strategic partners. Novotech, described by Frost & Sullivan as the best in its industry class for Australia based CROs, brings its global reputation for high quality service and regional expertise to the high-growth Asia Pacific area. As the largest independent CRO based in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and local knowledge that is unmatched among other contract research organizations in the region. Since 2006, Novotech has been recognized as Australia’s leading CRO by Frost & Sullivan in its Asia Pacific Excellence in Healthcare awards. For more information, please visit www.novotech-cro.com.

ABOUT THE DRUG INFORMATION ASSOCIATION (DIA)
DIA is a neutral, global, professional, member-driven association of nearly 18,000 industry, academia, and regulatory professionals involved in the discovery, development, and life cycle management of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and related products. Through our international educational offerings and myriad networking opportunities, DIA provides a global forum for knowledge exchange that fosters the innovation of products, technologies, and services to improve health and well-being worldwide. Headquarters are in Horsham, PA, USA, with offices in Basel, Switzerland, Tokyo, Japan, Mumbai, India, and Beijing, China.

Media contact:
Susan Fitzpatrick
DatelineMedia Group
Australian office: +61 2 9006 1614
USA office: +1650 7985238
EMAIL: susan@datelinemedia.com

NEW YORK – 15/4/10 – Novotech, a leading Australasian CRO, has engaged Citeline to support its clinical development programs and further improve the rate at which Sponsor clinical studies are planned and carried out.

Citeline, the leader in global pharmaceutical intelligence solutions, today announced Novotech will utilize Citeline’s TrialTrove^® to better define their competitive clinical landscape and SiteTrove^® to assist in identifying and tracking clinical trial sites and investigators on a worldwide basis.

“As the most comprehensive clinical trial tracking service in the marketplace, our investment in TrialTrove^® and SiteTrove^® will bring immense benefit to Novotech and our Sponsors in assessing feasibilities and planning new clinical trials in the region,” said Novotech CEO Alek Safarian .

Novotech, which is headquartered in Australia with a management-hub in Malaysia and offices throughout the region, currently manages trials in 9 Asia Pacific countries, including India, Australia, South Korea and Taiwan.

“Our association with Citeline is in keeping with our history of always striving to bring the best combination of technologies and people available in the marketplace for the benefit of our Sponsors worldwide,” said Safarian.

This partnership adds to Citeline’s already impressive list of clients.  Novotech joins an increasing number of CROs in incorporating TrialTrove^® and SiteTrove® into their business process.

“A lot of costly delays in clinical study programs can be avoided with access to accurate intelligence and by a data led approach to investigator selection,” says Robert Roseberry, Commercial Director for Citeline Asia Pacific.   “TrialTrove^® monitors over 100,000 individual clinical trials worldwide and the SiteTrove^® service currently tracks the trial activities of over 190,000 clinical investigators, meaning we are well placed to provide unrivalled levels of intelligence to our clients in this sector.”

-ENDS-

About Citeline:

With 100% of top 20 pharmaceutical companies and many leading CROs as enterprise wide clients, Citeline is the leading provider of real time, global R&D intelligence to the biopharmaceutical industry.  Citeline tracks clinical trials, drugs in development, clinical investigators and trial sites on a worldwide basis.  Citeline acts as an information partner by delivering enterprise wide access to its information via a suite of Web based tools in combination with direct access to expert therapeutic area analysts who provide research support according to specific client requests.  Citeline is an operating subsidiary of Informa plc (LSE: INF), a leading international provider of specialist information and services for the academic and scientific, professional and commercial business communities.  More information available at www.citeline.com.

About Novotech:

Headquartered in Sydney with a regional hub in Malaysia, Novotech is focused on the Australasian region with 9 offices across the Asia Pacific including India, South Korea and Taiwan. Novotech also has worldwide reach through the company’s network of strategic partners.  Novotech, described by Frost & Sullivan as the best in its industry class for Australia based CROs, brings its global reputation for high quality service and regional expertise to the high-growth Asia Pacific area.  As the largest independent CRO based in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and local knowledge that is unmatched among other contract research organizations in the region.  Since 2006, Novotech has been recognized as Australia’s leading CRO by Frost & Sullivan in its Asia Pacific Excellence in Healthcare awards.  More information available at www.novotech-cro.com

For additional information contact:

Sarah Powell, Marketing Director, Citeline, Inc., sarah.powell@citeline.com

For Novotech

Susan Fitzpatrick-Napier USA: +1 650 798 5238 Australia: +1 61 2 90061614

Susan@DMG-Agency.com

New operations in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Philippines

Sydney, Oct 27, 2009 – Leading Australian contract clinical research company Novotech announced today that it was expanding into four new Asian markets with the establishment of a management hub in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Novotech CEO Alek Safarian said the time was right to expand further to accommodate Novotech’s client demands for patient recruitment, and cost effective, high quality clinical research.

Novotech’s newest operations will involve a regional management hub based in Malaysia covering a presence in Singapore, Thailand and Philippines. Novotech already has a joint venture presence in India and an office in Korea.

“A sizable patient population, transparent regulatory environment, time zone compatibility with the Australian headquarters and Government and clinical sector support for research all make the region very attractive,” said Safarian.

Safarian said growth predictions for outsourced clinical trials in Asia are strong and the company expects to generate more than 50% of its revenues from outside Australia in three to five years.

“We are well advanced with planning with this initiative.  Our Malaysian office will be fully operational during the current quarter, with the other countries coming online towards the end of the year,” said Safarian.

Internationally recognized as a leading CRO in the region, Novotech announced in June that it had been awarded a total of 23 new multi-centre phase II and III clinical studies during the height of the global financial crisis, further strengthening the growing importance of the Asia Pacific region for clinical drug development.

These included trials focusing on oncology, ophthalmology, central nervous system, cardiovascular, endocrinology and musculoskeletal diseases.

“The majority of these studies involve US and European-based biotechnology companies, some of whom are repeat clients of Novotech, and will run between now and 2014,” said Safarian.

“There’s an increasing momentum building behind drug developers looking at the Asia-Pacific region for their R&D programs.

“Given Australia’s long history of involvement in global clinical trials, the country is ideally placed to be a gateway for expansion of clinical trial activity in the region as a whole.”

About Novotech
Headquartered in Sydney, Novotech is focused on the Australasian region but has worldwide reach through the company’s network of strategic partners.

As the largest independent CRO in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and local knowledge that is unmatched among other contract research organizations in the region.

In the past year, Novotech, described by Frost & Sullivan as the best in its industry class for Australia based CROs, has expanded rapidly into Asia bringing its global reputation for high quality service and regional expertise to this growth area.

Novotech has been recognized as Australia’s leading CRO by Frost & Sullivan for the past two years.

www.novotech-cro.com

Media contact:
Susan Fitzpatrick
DatelineMedia Group
Australian office: +61 2 9006 1614
EMAIL: susan[at]datelinemedia.com

Sydney, Australia – 31, August 2009 – It was announced today that a new global clinical trial has begun enrolling patients with Alzheimer’s disease in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia.

The CONCERT study, is a new clinical trial that will test the efficacy of a unique investigational drug, dimebon (latrepirdine)*, in patients currently taking Aricept® (donepezil HCI tablets), the leading Alzheimer’s disease medication worldwide.

“Alzheimer’s is a complex disease and while current medications address symptoms for some patients, the long-term management of this disease would benefit from new treatment options.” said Professor Henry Brodaty, Professor of Ageing and Mental Health, University of New South Wales; Director, Aged Care Psychiatry and Head of the Memory Disorders Clinic, Prince of Wales Hospital.

“CONCERT is an important study because dimebon is thought to work differently than current medications and this study will evaluate whether adding it to one of the most commonly used Alzheimer’s medications will provide more effective symptomatic treatment to patients,” said Brodaty.

While a cure is still many years away, treatments that provide lasting effects, more complete symptomatic benefits or slow disease progression would be meaningful advances for patients and caregivers; for this reason there is an urgent need for patients to participate in clinical trials to help advance the understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease can be better treated.

According to Alzheimer’s Australia an estimated 230,000 Australians have dementia; of which 50-70% are Alzheimer’s disease (1), a devastating disease that hinders a patient’s ability to remember, learn, perform daily activities and relate to others. As the baby boomer population ages, the incidence of Alzheimer’s is expected to increase dramatically.

(1) Alzheimer’s Fact Sheet, Alzheimer’s Australia http://www.alzheimers.org.au/index.cfm http://www.alzheimers.org.au/upload/HS1.12.pdf

For more information on eligibility and enrollment, patients and caregivers can call the CONCERT study hotline toll-free at 1 800 235 526 or visit www.concertstudy.com.

About the CONCERT Study
CONCERT is an international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that will enroll approximately 1,050 patients with mild-to-moderate AD at approximately 100 sites in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe. Patients on a stable dose of Aricept will be randomized to one of three treatment groups: dimebon 20 mg three times per day, dimebon 5 mg three times per day or placebo.

The primary endpoints are the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale – cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study – Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL), a measure of self-care and daily function.

The CONCERT study is sponsored by Pfizer and Medivation, Inc.

About Dimebon
Dimebon (latrepirdine) is an investigational drug currently in Phase 3 development for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and in clinical development for Huntington disease (HD). The comprehensive Phase 3 clinical development program for Alzheimer’s disease is evaluating the potential for dimebon to be used in broad applications including use alone, in combination with existing medications and in patients at all stages of the disease.

Dimebon has a unique mechanism of action, distinct from currently available treatments. In preclinical studies, dimebon has been shown to protect brain cells from damage and enhance brain cell survival, potentially by stabilizing and improving mitochondrial function.

Mitchondria are critical to brain cell functioning as they are the primary source of energy for cells. Drugs that protect mitochondria or restore their function could potentially be a valuable treatment approach in AD.

* Latrepirdine is the proposed generic (nonproprietary) name for dimebon

Novotech announced the win at BIO 2008, San Diego.

According to Frost & Sullivan, Novotech has demonstrated it can “manage multiple
projects of almost any size across the globe”.

In the past year, Novotech, described by Frost & Sullivan as the best in its industry class
for Australia based CROs, has expanded rapidly into Asia bringing its global reputation
for high quality service and regional expertise to this growth area.

Alek Safarian, Novotech CEO, said much of the company’s research work was for
leading-edge treatments in oncology and cardiovascular disease.

According to Frost & Sullivan analyst Ms Sohini Mitra, Manager of HealthCare Practice
Asia Pacific: “The company’s significant revenue increase between 2005 and 2007 has
stemmed mainly from their investment in IT capabilities.”

“These investments, along with geographic expansion and enhanced capabilities in the
area of biometrics have enabled the company to manage multiple projects of almost any
size across the globe.”

“Novotech’s focus on enhancing its Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS)
technology, potential acquisitions and geographic expansion, position the company
favourably to exhibit strong growth in the future.”

Safarian said the range of skills and technology infrastructure Novotech has been
investing in for years fits perfectly the service delivery expectations of overseas
sponsors.

“We also have world leaders in health and medical research right here in Australia which
is one of the key reasons sponsors choose Australia for sophisticated clinical research,”
he said.

Following the company’s expansion to the US, Novotech attracted investment from two
leading biotech venture firms BioPacificVentures and Co-Investor Capital Partners. This
investment gives Novotech the capability to execute on its aggressive expansion plans
internationally.

Novotech came out on top against its competitors after being evaluated on key criteria
including excellence in one or more of the following criteria:

• Revenue and market-share growth
• Geographical and service expansion
• Company’s strategy to strengthen position
• Technological innovation and leadership

According to Frost & Sullivan in addition: “The company is perceived to exhibit
outstanding management and consistent growth. The company must offer high quality
products and/or services and have positive social and economic impact on local and
national communities. The company should have proven expertise in taking advantage
of market changes by capturing and solidifying market presence, or through execution of
innovative strategies within the existing competitive landscape.”

About the 2008 Frost & Sullivan Excellence in Healthcare Awards – Australia
Clinical Research Organization Of The Year
The Frost & Sullivan Award for Australian Contract Research Organization of the Year is
presented each year to the company that has demonstrated unparalleled excellence
within its industry, growth and performance across Asia Pacific in 2007. The Award is
based on factors including the company’s business development, revenue growth and
market potential, geographical and service expansion and company’s strategy to
strengthen position within a particular Frost & Sullivan Industry Research Group (IRG).
This company is perceived to exhibit outstanding management and consistent growth.
The company must offer high quality products and/or services and have positive social
and economic impact on local and national communities. The company should have
proven expertise in taking advantage of market changes by capturing and solidifying
market presence, or through execution of innovative strategies within the existing
competitive landscape.

About Novotech
Headquartered in Sydney, Novotech is focused on the Australian and New Zealand
markets but has worldwide reach through the company’s subsidiary in the United
Kingdom and its US and Asian operations.

As the largest independent CRO in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and
local knowledge that is unmatched among other contract research organizations in the
region. Novotech’s US operations make it uniquely positioned to offer trials across the
two countries, providing the benefits of Australia’s highly regarded cost-effective clinical
trial capabilities, and at the same time take advantage of access to the much larger US
market for rapid patient enrolment – a service that has to date only been available via
large global CROs at higher overhead costs.

www.novotech-cro.com

Sydney, Australia – November 17, 2007 – A novel new oral treatment for Tinea, commonly known as Athletes’ Foot, is now being tested by Australian research teams in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane as part of a global study in the condition that affects over 9% of Australians.

According to the research team from Novotech Australia, Australia has reported a high incidence of this disease and with the warmer summer months coming on it is the ideal time to explore the effectiveness of the new once a week oral treatment.

The fungal skin infection which affects people of all ages and levels of physical activity and fitness, typically presents as itchy, dry, inflamed, flakey skin. In some people this can lead to cracking, blistering and secondary infections which is of particular of concern for the elderly, and those with compromised circulation, including those with conditions such as diabetes.

The sponsor company, which specializes in dermatology products, is conducting a study involving healthy volunteers with athletes foot, focusing on the moccasin type tinea pedis. The study involves 9 visits over a course of 12 weeks.

Study participants will receive study medication and study related medical care at no cost and all information will be kept strictly confidential.

This study has been approved by Bellberry Ethics Committee.

The toll-free number for potential participants is 1800 334 274

About Athletes’ Foot:
Athlete’s foot is a skin infection caused by a fungus. There are several clinical forms of tinea pedis, the 2 most common ones are:

1. Interdigital Tinea Pedis: This is the most common form of tinea, which occurs between the toes. Symptoms include redness, itch, scaling and can be quite painful. The infected areas are often moist and the skin can fall off quite easily.
2. Moccasin Type Tinea Pedis: This occurs on the soles / heels of the foot. The condition is typically red, dry, itchy and very scaly.

The three fungi most commonly implicated in athlete’s foot, Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, and Epidermophyton floccosum, and tend to flare up during warm weather.

Infection with these fungi occurs more commonly in males than females. Everyone is susceptible in getting tinea if given the ideal environment for the fungus to grow. Hot and humid conditions, and prolonged use of occlusive foot wear, will increase the occurrence of all types of tinea. Infection can also spread in communal areas such as public swimming pools and showers.

Since the fungus may also cause the skin to crack, it can lead to bacterial infections, especially in older people or those with poor circulation in their feet. If the infection takes root under the toenails, it is called onychomycosis, and can be very difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate.

About Novotech
Headquartered in Sydney, Novotech is focused on the Australian and New Zealand
markets but has worldwide reach through the company’s subsidiary in the United
Kingdom and its US and Asian operations.

As the largest independent CRO in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and
local knowledge that is unmatched among other contract research organizations in the
region. Novotech’s US operations make it uniquely positioned to offer trials across the
two countries, providing the benefits of Australia’s highly regarded cost-effective clinical
trial capabilities, and at the same time take advantage of access to the much larger US
market for rapid patient enrolment – a service that has to date only been available via
large global CROs at higher overhead costs.

www.novotech-cro.com

Sydney, Australia – November 14, 2007 – A novel agent for the treatment of rhinitis, commonly known as hayfever, is now being tested by Australian research teams in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. The agent is derived from the shells of marine crustaceans.

Dr Rimmer from the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney is a leading specialist on seasonal allergies and is excited about this new study.

“The way this nasal spray is different to any other rhinitis treatment is that it uses completely natural ingredients to encourage the body to create an immune response that balances-out the effects of allergens. It really is ingenious.” Dr Rimmer said today.

An early phase study has just been approved in Australia; and the Woolcock Institute, along with six other Centres across three states, are looking for 200 volunteers to take part in a clinical study.

Hayfever affects more than 3 million people in Australia, and in the USA more than 12% of the population or 35 million people suffer from the allergy, with some figures suggesting up to 40% of the population is affected.

The study drug, chitin microparticles, is obtained from the shells of prawns.

Chitin, the active ingredient, is a polysaccharide found in mushrooms and crustaceans and is part of the normal diet for many humans.

The study is being coordinated by Novotech, Australia’s largest clinical trials company based in Sydney. Participants may be eligible to take part in this study if they are:

• Aged 15 to 60 years
• Suffer from hayfever
• Otherwise healthy

The study will be performed over the course of seven weeks and will require four visits plus a follow-up phone call or visit to the Research Centre.

All information will be kept strictly confidential

Participants will be compensated for their participation in the trial.

This study has been approved by the Bellberry Human Research Ethics Committee and the Sydney South West Area Health Service Ethics Review Committee (RPAH zone).

The toll-free number for potential participants is 1800 828 717

About Novotech
Headquartered in Sydney, Novotech is focused on the Australian and New Zealand markets but has worldwide reach through the company’s subsidiary in the United Kingdom and its US operations.

As the largest independent CRO in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and local knowledge that is unmatched among other contract research organizations in the region. Novotech’s US operations make it uniquely positioned to offer trials across the two countries, providing the benefits of Australia’s highly regarded cost-effective clinical trial capabilities, and at the same time take advantage of access to the much larger US market for rapid patient enrolment – a service that has to date only been available via large global CROs at higher overhead costs.

www.novotech-cro.com

About The Woolcock Institute
The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research is Australia’s leading respiratory and sleep research organisation. Its aim is to foster, develop and promote research into the fields of respiratory and sleep medicine.

With a world-class network of specialised researchers, they deal with the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory disease and sleep disorders. In the words of Professor Jeffrey Drazen, Professor of Medicine, Harvard University and Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Woolcock is one of the top six such institutes world-wide.

www.woolcock.org.au