BioSante Pharmaceuticals Says FDA Advisory Committee Recommendation Against Flibanserin has No Impact on LibiGel®

LibiGel Clinical Studies for Safety and Efficacy Continue as per FDA-Agreed Protocols

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPAX) commented today that the recommendation on June 18, 2010 by the FDA Advisory Committee regarding the safety and efficacy of flibanserin (Boehringer-Ingelheim) will have no impact on its own ongoing development program or approval pathway for LibiGel (testosterone gel), for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). The FDA Advisory Committee voted that flibanserin for treatment of HSDD did not show that its benefits outweighed its side effects, among which are daytime sleepiness, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. Importantly, the Committee concluded that HSDD is a significant medical issue for women.

“There are important scientific differences between the way LibiGel and flibanserin work on the body, and differences in their clinical development programs,” stated BioSante President and CEO Stephen M. Simes. “The LibiGel safety and efficacy trials are being conducted under an SPA (Special Protocol Assessment) agreement with FDA, a level of agreement that the flibanserin program did not have. BioSante also is conducting a large safety study comparing LibiGel to placebo to show cardiovascular and breast-cancer safety. We are pleased also by comments made by the Advisory Committee stressing the need for a product to treat this unmet medical need. Given the recommendation of the Advisory Committee, we believe that LibiGel is positioned to be the first product approved for the treatment of HSDD.”

“The Advisory Committee’s judgment on flibanserin has no impact on the clinical development program of LibiGel and is not relevant to the potential for FDA approval of LibiGel for the treatment of HSDD in menopausal women,” said Michael C. Snabes, MD, PhD, BioSante’s vice president of clinical development.

About LibiGel

LibiGel® is a transdermal testosterone gel in Phase III clinical development for the treatment of women who suffer from female sexual dysfunction (FSD), specifically hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). The on-going Phase III efficacy trials are double-blind, placebo-controlled trials that will enroll up to approximately 500 surgically menopausal women each for a six-month clinical trial. The efficacy trials are being conducted under an FDA-approved special protocol assessment (SPA) agreement.

LibiGel is absorbed quickly through the skin after a once-daily pea-sized application on the upper arm, delivering testosterone to the bloodstream evenly over time and in a non-invasive and painless manner. In a Phase II trial, LibiGel significantly increased the number of satisfying sexual events in surgically menopausal women suffering from FSD by 238 percent versus baseline (p<0.0001); this increase also was significant versus placebo (p<0.05). In this study, the effective dose of LibiGel produced testosterone blood levels within the normal range for pre-menopausal women and had a safety profile similar to that observed in the placebo group. In addition, no serious adverse events and no discontinuations due to adverse events occurred in any subject receiving LibiGel. The Phase II clinical trial was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, conducted in the United States, in surgically menopausal women distressed by their low sexual desire and activity.

About BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

BioSante is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing products for female sexual health and oncology. BioSante’s lead products include LibiGel® (transdermal testosterone gel) for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) which is in Phase III clinical development under a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Special Protocol Assessment, and Elestrin™ (estradiol gel) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause, which is marketed in the U.S. by Azur Pharma, BioSante’s licensee. BioSante also is developing a portfolio of cancer vaccines (GVAX), three of which have been granted orphan drug designation, and are currently in several Phase II clinical trials. Other products in development are Bio-T-Gel™, a testosterone gel for male hypogonadism, licensed to Teva Pharmaceuticals and an oral contraceptive in Phase II clinical development using BioSante patented technology. The company also is developing its calcium phosphate technology (CaP) for aesthetic medicine (BioLook™), as a vaccine adjuvant, including for an H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine, and drug delivery as well as seeking opportunities for its 2A/Furin and other technologies. Additional information is available online at: www.biosantepharma.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

To the extent any statements made in this news release deal with information that is not historical, these are forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about BioSante’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations and products and other statements identified by words such as “will,” “potential,” “could,” “can,” “believe,” “intends,” “continue,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “may,” other words of similar meaning or the use of future dates. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Uncertainties and risks may cause BioSante’s actual results to be materially different than those expressed in or implied by BioSante’s forward-looking statements. For BioSante, particular uncertainties and risks include, among others, the difficulty of developing pharmaceutical products, obtaining regulatory and other approvals and achieving market acceptance; the marketing success of BioSante’s licensees or sublicensees; the success of clinical testing; and BioSante’s need for and ability to obtain additional financing. More detailed information on these and additional factors that could affect BioSante’s actual results are described in BioSante’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release. BioSante undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



CONTACT:

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
For Media:
McKinney/Chicago
Alan Zachary
(312) 944-6784 ext. 316
[email protected]
For Investors:
The Trout Group LLC
Tricia Swanson
(617) 583-1306
[email protected]

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Illinois

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Women  Health  Biotechnology  Clinical Trials  Pharmaceutical  Other Health  Research  FDA  Consumer  Science

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