DENVER, Feb 23, 2009 -- Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB:CGXP) (the "Company"), a medical device company focused on infectious disease and dermatology, today announced that in vitro research conducted at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido (Hokkaido, Japan) found that CSA-13, the Company's lead Ceragenin(tm) class of antimicrobial compound, had potent bactericidal activity against all 23 strains of oral bacteria related to dental caries and periodontal disease including protease positive strains. The strains tested were isolates of Streptococccus mutans and Poryphyromonas species. The lead investigator was Dr. Emiko Isogai, a Professor at the Department of Disease Control and Molecular Epidemiology. Findings from the testing were published in the February issue of Oral Microbiology and Immunology.
The authors noted, "Because CSA-13 is not peptide based, it is not a substrate for the proteases that are found in the oral cavity, which are capable of degrading antimicrobial peptides. Furthermore, the simplicity of the Ceragenins(tm) make them easier to prepare and purify than antimicrobial peptides." The authors concluded that "these results suggest that CSA-13 may be useful for the prevention and treatment of oral microbial diseases."
Steve Porter, Chairman and CEO of Ceragenix stated: "We were very pleased to learn of these recent results. We are exploring a broad range of antimicrobial opportunities and we believe that there are a number of applications in oral care that could be attractive to potential commercialization partners. We have seen increasing interest in our Ceragenin (tm) technology from medical device and pharma companies as a result of the emerging drug resistant bacteria in daily life. It is our expectation that we will see our first joint development and/or commercialization transactions for our Ceragenin(tm) technology during 2009."
About Ceragenix
Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a medical device company focused on infectious disease and dermatology. The Company has two base technology platforms; Ceragenins(tm) or ("CSAs") for treatment of infectious disease and Barrier Repair for the treatment of dermatological disorders including atopic dermatitis, neonatal skin disorders and others. Ceragenin(tm) compounds are active against a broad range of gram positive and negative bacteria. We have used our Ceragenin(tm) technology to formulate Cerashield(tm)antimicrobial coatings for medical devices. All Ceragenin(tm) and Cerashield(tm) products are currently in the developmental stage. Ceragenix's patented Barrier Repair technology, invented by Dr. Peter Elias, is the platform for the development of EpiCeram(r) which is currently being marketed by Promius Pharmaceuticals (a wholly owned subsidiary of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories) in the United States under an exclusive supply and distribution agreement. For additional information on Ceragenix, please visit www.ceragenix.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the ability of the Company to raise sufficient capital to finance its planned activities including completing development of its Ceragenin(tm) technology; the ability of the Company to meet its obligations under the supply and distribution agreement with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories including having sufficient working capital to fulfill purchase orders within the timeframes required by the agreement; the ability of the Company to service its outstanding convertible debt obligations; receiving the necessary marketing clearance approvals from the United States Food and Drug Administration (the "FDA"); successful clinical trials of the Company's planned products including the ability to enroll the studies in a timely manner, patient compliance with the study protocol, and a sufficient number of patients completing the studies; the ability of the Company to commercialize its planned products; the ability of the Company to successfully manufacture its products in commercial quantities (through contract manufacturers); market acceptance of the Company's planned products, the Company's ability to successfully develop its licensed compounds, alone or in cooperation with others, into commercial products, the ability of the Company to successfully prosecute and protect its intellectual property, general economic conditions in the United States and elsewhere, and the Company's ability to hire, manage and retain qualified personnel. The aforementioned factors do represent an all inclusive list. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. In particular important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements including general economic factors, business strategies, the state of capital markets, regulatory conditions, and other factors not currently known to us, may be significant, now or in the future, and the factors set forth in this press release may affect us to a greater extent than indicated. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth in this press release and in other documents that we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K to be filed in 2009. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.