| BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the investment firms Merrill Lynch and Punk, Ziegel & Company have included BioSante in their respective indices of nanotechnology companies. "This is a key acknowledgment and validation of the important work we are doing with our calcium phosphate nanotechnology for drug delivery and vaccines," said Stephen M. Simes, president and chief executive officer of BioSante. "We are continuing to achieve important advances with this exclusive and innovative nanotechnology, which now appears to offer substantial potential for increasing stockholder value." Merrill Lynch included BioSante on an index of 25 "pure play" nanotech companies in its March 31 report on the nanotechnology sector. Punk, Ziegel & Company included BioSante in its recently launched Nanotechnology Index of 15 publicly traded companies in this sector. BioSante's nanotechnology, known as CAP, consists of microscopic particles of material similar to calcium phosphate, a natural compound found in teeth and bones. CAP is nontoxic and biodegradable, offering a multitude of potential medical uses. BioSante's formulation contains nanoparticles of roughly uniform size, between approximately 100 and 1,000 nanometers, which can be adjusted in the manufacturing process. BioSante is developing CAP for several applications, including its use as a superior alternative to aluminum salts (alum) as an adjuvant for potential vaccines. An adjuvant is a substance that enhances the immunogenicity, and thus the efficacy, of a vaccine. In addition, the company is now working with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and Department of Defense to develop non-injected vaccines to protect against malaria, anthrax, ricin, staph and bubonic plague based on the CAP nanotechnology. "Because of their microscopic size, CAP nanoparticles also have proven very effective for improved delivery methods for therapeutic proteins that currently must be injected, such as insulin," Simes said. To date the company has successfully completed preclinical trials of formulations for the delivery of therapeutic proteins, including long-acting insulin injections, inhaled insulin and oral insulin, among other proteins tested. |