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