Advitech to promote Dermylex with former Olympian
announced it is signing on a former Canadian Olympian to promote
its whey-derived ingredient - this is the latest in a series of
announcements as the company plugs the oral supplement.
Quebec-based Advitech acquired the rights for Dermylex in 2003 and has since taken it through further clinical trials. The company has recently announced various distribution agreements, but the announcement of using spokesperson Pierre Harvey signals a further push into the Canadian market.
An estimated 6 million adults in North America suffer from the skin disease psoriasis, potentially opening-up a large market for a natural oral alternative to target the condition.
Psoriasis is an immune system disorder that has no cure. Until now those with mild to medium forms of the condition have had to resort to topical therapies or aggressive drug treatments with significant side effects.
Dermylex is a patented blend of naturally derived bioactive peptides that comes in the form of a tablet to be taken orally.
Harvey, who Advitech said is a psoriasis sufferer, is best known as the first Canadian male athlete to compete in both the 1984 Summer Olympics (in cycling) and the 1984 Winter Olympics (in cross-country skiing).
"This relationship with Pierre will permit Advitech to speak to Canadians about Dermylex with authority while educating them about psoriasis in plain-spoken terms," said Advitech president and CEO Renaud Beauchesne. "It's an important step in our plan to increase our distribution, sales and market share growth of Dermylex in Canada."
Throughout the research and development phase, Dermylex was known as XP-828L. Advitech then acquired the rights to develop the nutraceutical through an agreement with French firm Pierre Jouan Biotechnologie.
Advitech originally hoped to roll out Dermylex by the end of 2004, but decided to delay whilst it carried out a program of placebo-controlled clinical trials, the results of which are expected to give the product weight with dermatologists, as well as with natural products suppliers.
Its patience paid off in July when the results of a 112-day phase II, multi-center, placebo-controlled, double-blind study involving 84 patients were announced, confirming its safety and efficacy for sufferers of mild to moderate psoriasis.
As part of a market test program, Jamieson Laboratories has been distributing Dermylex in some drugstores and pharmacies in Quebec City and Toronto since April 2006.
Advitech also announced it has just signed an agreement in principle with Associated Medical Supplies Company from Hong Kong for distribution of Dermylex in the Hong Kong and Macao markets. And the company is still continuing negotiations with other partners in other countries to expand distribution and accelerate its sales program for 2007.
The company believes Dermylex could also benefit sufferers of other immune-related conditions. Positive results of a pre-clinical study into the nutraceutical's use for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and autoimmune colitis, were announced last year.
Advitech, founded in 1997 in Quebec, specializes in the development of clinically tested bioactive ingredients for chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.
