Pronova BioPharma ASA to present at the UBS Global Life Sciences Conference 2009 21 September

17 September 2009, Lysaker, Norway: Pronova BioPharma ASA (OSE: PRON.OL) has been invited to present at the UBS Global Life Sciences Conference 2009. Morten Jurs, CEO will present the company from 15:00 EST at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City. The presentation will be available on http://www.pronova.com.

 

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Pronova BioPharma is a global leader in the research, development and manufacture of marine-originated omega-3 derived pharmaceutical products.  Pronova BioPharma's first commercialized product is branded as Omacor® in a number of countries throughout Europe and Asia and as LovazaTM in the United States.  The product is manufactured at the Company's plant in Sandefjord, Norway using a unique and complex process.  An additional manufacturing plant is under construction in Kalundborg, Denmark and is expected to be operational in first quarter 2010.

 

Omacor/Lovaza is the first and only EU- and FDA-approved omega-3 derived prescription drug.  The drug is prescribed as an adjunct to diet for the treatment of elevated levels of triglycerides in humans, a condition known as hypertriglyceridemia (HTG), a form of dyslipidemia (or disorder of lipid metabolism).  Very high triglycerides have been linked to a number of cardiovascular diseases.  Omacor is also approved in key European and certain Asian markets for the secondary prevention of post-myocardial infarction, or Post-MI, the period following the initial survival of a heart attack.

 

Omacor/Lovaza has been demonstrated in a number of clinical trials to be a potent triglyceride-lowering agent as a monotherapy.  It has been documented to be efficacious, safe, and highly complementary to other lipid-lowering agents, such as statins. In addition, Pronova BioPharma is involved in various projects to develop Omacor/Lovaza in a number of cardiovascular indications, including as a combination therapy with statins for mixed dyslipidemia which management believe represents a major market opportunity for the Company.

 

Pronova BioPharma's global network of license and distribution partners includes: GlaxoSmithKline PLC (US), Takeda Pharmaceutical (Japan), Prospa (Italy) and Solvay (UK, Germany and others).  The combined sales force from this network focused on the sale of Omacor/Lovaza is approximately 2,650 sales representatives.

 

Omacor/Lovaza was launched in 2005 in the US and in major European markets, such as France and Spain. IMS Health reports that global end-user sales of the product have increased from US$144 million in 2005 to US$778 million in 2008.  The current annual run rate for end-user sales is estimated at US$953 million (as of December 2008), and the Company estimates that approximately 750,000 patients are currently on a prescription for Omacor/Lovaza.

 

Pronova BioPharma had revenues of NOK 1,302 million and EBITDA of NOK 603 million in 2008. The company is listed at Oslo Børs.  See www.pronova.com for more information.