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MEDIA CENTER Antares Announces Development Agreement with the Population Council: Innovative Transdermal Gel Contraceptives Containing Nestorone® EXTON, PA and NEW YORK, NY (24 July 2006) — Antares Pharma, Inc. (Amex: AIS) announced that it has signed a joint development agreement with the Population Council, an international, nonprofit research organization. Antares and the Council will initially develop contraceptive formulation products containing Nestorone® by using the Council’s patented and other proprietary information covering the compound and Antares’s proprietary, advanced transdermal delivery (ATD™) gel platform. Antares’s ATD system is a clear and cosmetically acceptable drug delivery gel. Within a few minutes of application to the skin, an invisible depot is formed within the epidermis from which the drug is slowly absorbed into systemic circulation. The gel contraceptive products developed under this agreement are expected to be generally safer than most oral contraceptives, convenient to use, and attractive to women who have problems taking oral contraceptives. They will be under the complete control of the user and will be able to deliver multiple active ingredients simultaneously. Adverse effects should also be minimal in comparison to standard oral contraceptives, which typically yield more precipitous “peak and trough” levels of drug in the bloodstream. Additionally, in comparison to the patch or traditional depot systems, adverse effects should be easier to reverse. Nestorone is a fourth-generation synthetic progestin contraceptive that has a good safety profile. It is not active when administered orally and is therefore especially appropriate for topical application as well as for use when breastfeeding. Certain hormonal contraceptives developed under this agreement could also possibly be effective as male contraceptive products. Under the terms of the joint development agreement, Antares will be responsible for research and development activities as they relate to ATD formulation and manufacturing. The Population Council will be responsible for clinical trial design development and management. Antares and the Council expect the first clinical study in women to start in 2007. The parties together expect to identify a worldwide or regional commercial development partner as clinical data become available. James E. Hattersley, vice president, corporate business development at Antares, said, “We look forward to collaborating with the Population Council, an organization that is a worldwide leader in reproductive health and with whom we can develop transdermal contraceptive products that have the potential to be a first-line healthcare option for women.” “The Population Council and Antares have entered into a joint development agreement to use their respective proprietary rights to develop a contraceptive gel delivery system that is affordable, safe, cost-effective, reversible, and easy to use by women,” said Sandra Arnold, vice president of corporate affairs for the Population Council. “We are eager to be a part of an endeavor that could result in the first-ever contraceptive delivered in a gel, which would give women and couples around the world another option for managing their fertility.” About Antares Pharma About the Population Council Safe Harbor Statement ### Media contacts Population Council Antares Pharma, Inc.
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