RECORDATI : OBTAINS VITAROS(R) LICENSE FROM APRICUS BIOSCIENCES


MILAN, Italy, Feb. 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recordati announces the signature of an exclusive license agreement with Apricus Biosciences Inc., (Nasdaq: APRI), a pharmaceutical company based in San Diego, U.S.A., for the marketing and sales of Vitaros® (alprostadil), an innovative topical product for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, in certain European countries including, among others, Spain, EU member countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S.), Turkey and certain African countries.

Vitaros® is approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction by a number of European health authorities and by Health Canada. Vitaros® is a topically-applied cream formulation of alprostadil, a vasodilator, which directly increases blood flow to the penis, causing an erection. Alprostadil is an alternative to the PDE-5 inhibitors for difficult to treat patients, and Vitaros® offers a patient-friendly form versus other alprostadil dosage forms.

"We are pleased with the addition of this innovative product to our urology portfolio", declared Giovanni Recordati, Chairman and CEO. "This agreement confirms the attractiveness of our commercial platform which is the object of our expansion strategy."

Recordati , established in 1926, is an international pharmaceutical group, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (Reuters RECI.MI, Bloomberg REC IM, ISIN IT 0003828271), with a total staff of around 4,000, dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Recordati has operations in the main European countries, in Russia, in other Central and Eastern European countries, in Turkey, in the United States of America and in North Africa.  An efficient field force of medical representatives promotes a wide range of innovative pharmaceuticals, both proprietary and under license, in a number of therapeutic areas including a specialized business dedicated to treatments for rare diseases. Recordati is a partner of choice for new product licenses for its territories. Recordati is committed to the research and development of new drug entities within the cardiovascular and urogenital therapeutic areas and of treatments for rare diseases.  Consolidated revenue for 2012 was € 828.3 million, operating income was € 167.0 million and net income was € 118.5 million.

 

For further information:

Recordati website:  www.recordati.com

Investor Relations                                                       Media Relations                                   
Marianne Tatschke                                                      Ketchum                                
(39)0248787393                                                          Cristina Risciotti, (39)0262411919, cristina.risciotti@ketchum.com
e-mail: inver@recordati.it                                          Marzia Ongaretti, (39)0262411915, marzia.ongaretti@ketchum.com             
Apricus Biosciences, Inc. (APRI) is a pharmaceutical company that develops and markets through its licensing partners innovative treatments that have the potential to help large patient populations across numerous, large-market therapeutic classes including male and female sexual health. The Company has one approved product, Vitaros®, for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, which is now approved in Europe and Canada and will be commercialized by Apricus' marketing partners, which include Abbott Laboratories Limited, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH, Hexal AG (Sandoz), Recordati, Bracco SpA and Laboratoires Majorelle. Femprox®, the Company's product candidate for the treatment of female sexual interest/arousal disorder, has successfully completed a nearly 400-subject proof-of-concept study.

For further information on Apricus, visit http://www.apricusbio.com.

S tatements contained in this release, other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements are based on currently available information, on current best estimates, and on assumptions believed to be reasonable. This information, these estimates and assumptions may prove to be incomplete or erroneous, and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, beyond the Company's control. Hence, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All mentions and descriptions of Recordati products are intended solely as information on the general nature of the company's activities and are not intended to indicate the advisability of administering any product in any particular instance.

RECORDATI OBTAINS VITAROS® LICENSE FROM APRICUS BIOSCIENCES http://hugin.info/143644/R/1760406/595713.pdf

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