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Intec Pharma Collaborates With BioEnvelop and Tapemark - Gears Up Large-Scale Manufacturing of SuperGeneric Drugs Using Accordion Pill(TM) Gastric Retention Technology

Posted on: Thursday, 15 June 2006, 09:01 CDT

Intec Pharma, developer of the Accordion Pill(TM) gastric retention technology, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with two leading North American dosage form manufacturers in order to scale-up the company's manufacturing platform. The two manufacturers are BioEnvelop Agro Inc. of St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada and Tapemark of West St. Paul, Minnesota, U. S.

"The signing of these agreements means that we can move ahead immediately with laying the groundwork for the mass production of our pipeline products," said Efi Cohen-Arazi, CEO of Intec. "Tapemark is a world leader in large-scale pharmaceutical production, together with BioEnvelop they have the expertise, know-how and infrastructure required to get our products quickly to market. We are delighted to have them as our production collaborators," he added.

"We are excited to be working with a leading pharmaceutical company whose product offerings and product development capabilities are on the cutting edge in the industry today," said Howard Pate, President and Chief Executive Officer of BioEnvelop Technologies Corporation. "Our unique technology and ability to scale up and manufacture film based active delivery systems with specific time release capabilities are key components in the effectiveness of the end product," added Pate.

Tom Yetter, Tapemark's VP of Sales and Marketing, said, "The challenges provided by the Intec Pharma Accordion Pill (TM) are a perfect fit for Tapemark's cGMP manufacturing environment and highly engineered 'single-pass' production philosophy. The Accordion Pill (TM) promises to attract a whole generation of drugs that will increase their effectiveness through this novel dosage platform."

Intec Pharma's proprietary Accordion Pill technology improves the bioavailability of drugs by increasing the amount of time the active ingredients are held in the gastrointestinal system.

By improving bioavailability, the Accordion Pill has the potential to transform drugs that need to be taken as much as 5 times a day into one-a-day pills that improve patient compliance and reduce unwanted side effects.

Intec Pharma plans to launch a series of supergeneric drugs that leverage the unique drug delivery capabilities offered by the Accordion Pill technology.

Supergeneric drugs combine the advantages of original pharmaceutical products (they have the potential for blockbuster sales and maintain patent protection) with the advantages of generic pharmaceuticals (with proven safety record, they can get quick regulatory approval and have low risk).

"We plan to use our platform Accordion Pill technology to transform numerous existing drugs into more powerful therapies," said Cohen-Arazi.

About Intec Pharma Ltd.

Intec Pharma Ltd., a drug delivery and drug development company based in Jerusalem, Israel, (www.intecpharma.com) has developed an advanced oral drug delivery system, based on its proprietary gastric-retention platform technology (The Accordion Pill). This unique solution is non-drug specific, and designed to significantly improve pharmacokinetics, efficacy and patient compliance of a wide range of drugs. This technology offers a new competitive edge in the area of oral drug development and for product life cycle management.

The company has completed successful pre-clinical and pilot human studies demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the Accordion Pill technology. The study results confirmed the Accordion Pill as the first gastroretentive formulation to maintain controlled release and absorption of a drug for more than 6 hours following a low calorie meal. Intec Pharma is positioned to be a leader in the gastric retention field targeting an estimated $30 billion market.

For more information visit www.intecpharma.com or contact:

Etti Lavian, +972 2 586 4657 ext. 101 etti@intecpharma.com Intec Pharma Ltd. 10 Hartom St Jerusalem 91450, Israel

About BioEnvelop Agro Inc.

Founded in 1998, BioEnvelop Agro Inc. a wholly own subsidiary of BioEnvelop Technologies Corporation (www.bioenvelop.com) has developed innovative core competencies in fast dissolving nutraceutical and pharmaceutical film and edible gels containing actives. The company is focused on advanced product delivery systems in the form of edible film strips and gels for the Health Food, OTC Drugs and Pharmaceutical Industries. BioEnvelop has a license to manufacture under the Natural Health Products (NHP) certification program of Canada and it is registered with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) under Title 21, Part 207 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), for the manufacturing of commercial drug products. Although the primary focus is on films and gels, the company continues to produce and market its line of edible and biodegradable food-agricultural coating solutions such as Longevita(R), Bari-Kad(R) and Miracle Glacage(R). Longevita(R) is being further developed under license to Mitsubishi-Kagaku Foods in Japan for the Asia Pacific Market.

About Tapemark

The Tapemark Company is a privately-held contract manufacturer with multiple facilities in West St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Throughout its 50+ year history, Tapemark has been a leader in innovative technologies that address unique customer needs. Expanding its quality commitment, Tapemark is cGMP-compliant, ISO 9001 and 13485 certified, and FDA registered as a Drug, Device, Food, and Cosmetics contract manufacturer. Tapemark's integrated converting capabilities include coating, printing, die cutting and packaging of complex components and products for the medical, pharmaceutical, and consumer products markets. Learn more about Tapemark at www.tapemark.com.

Source: Business Wire

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