About Starpharma Holdings

Starpharma Holdings Limited engages in the development and commercialization of dendrimer products for pharmaceutical, life-science, and other applications. The company's activities are managed by its wholly owned subsidiaries, including Starpharma Pty Ltd. in Melbourne, Australia; and Dendritic Nanotechnologies, Inc (DNT) in Michigan, the U.S.A. Products The company’s primary pharmaceutical development product is VivaGel (SPL7013 Gel), a vaginal microbicide designed to prevent the transmission of STIs, including HIV and genital herpes. In September 2008, the company signed a license agreement with SSL International plc (SSL) to develop a VivaGel coated condom. SSL manufactures and sells Durex condoms. SSL has secured marketing rights to the VivaGel-coated condom in Europe and the U.S.A. The company has specific programs in the areas of drug delivery and drug optimization technologies (using dendrimers to control where and when drugs go when introduced to the body) and targeted diagnostics (using dendrimers as a scaffold to which both location-signalling and targeting groups are added to allow location of specific cell type, such as cancer cells). It is exploring dendrimer opportunities in materials science applications, including adhesives, lubricants, and water remediation. Agreements and Partners The company has a collaborative research, license, and commercialization agreement with Elanco, which is animal health division of Eli Lilly and Company. The company's partners include Siemens Healthcare (Dade Behring); Qiagen; EMD Biosciences; and SSL International. It also has license arrangements with partners, such as Siemens and Merck KgA. In November 2009, Starpharma Holdings Ltd. announced that it has entered a new market for its dendrimer technology after signing a research and collaboration agreement with a US-based agricultural chemicals company.