MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Australian biotech company Starpharma today announced it has signed a sales and distribution agreement for its VIRALEZE™ antiviral nasal spray with ADMENTA Italia Group (ADMENTA), a leading pharmaceutical retail and wholesale distribution company in Italy. The Italian over-the-counter pharmaceutical market is the third largest in Europe after Germany and the UK.

VIRALEZE™ is expected to be available to Italian consumers this quarter through ADMENTA's extensive LloydsFarmacia chain, which comprises 260 retail pharmacies, including 13 parapharmacies and 50 franchising pharmacies, as well as LloydsFarmacia's online^[1] platform. 

VIRALEZE™ is a broad-spectrum antiviral nasal spray, applied in the nose to provide a physical barrier – between viruses and the nasal mucous membrane – which traps and irreversibly inactivates viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Its antiviral agent, SPL7013, has been shown in laboratory studies to have potent antiviral and virucidal activity in multiple respiratory viruses, including multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, where it has been shown to inactivate >99.9% of the highly infectious Delta variant^[2].

ADMENTA employs 1,400 people in Italy across its wholesale and retail operations, supplying more than 2,500 pharmacies, parapharmacies, drug stores and hospitals. 

ADMENTA is also the Italian holding company of McKesson Europe. The US-based McKesson Corporation is a global leader in healthcare supply chain management solutions, retail pharmacy, community oncology and specialty care, and healthcare information technology.

Vincenzo Masci, Marketing and Procurement Director of ADMENTA-LloydsFarmacia, said: "We are delighted to have partnered with Starpharma for VIRALEZE™ antiviral nasal spray in Italy. VIRALEZE™ will be an excellent addition to both our retail and distribution sectors as we head towards winter." 

Dr Jackie Fairley, CEO of Starpharma, said: "We are very pleased to have partnered with ADMENTA in Italy and we look forward to having VIRALEZE™ available soon to Italian consumers, through pharmacies as well as through the leading LloydsFarmacia online platform."

VIRALEZE™ antiviral nasal spray is registered in Europe and India, and available in certain markets online at www.viraleze.co^[3]. In the UK, VIRALEZE™ is partnered with LloydsPharmacy, also part of the McKesson group, and Starpharma is in advanced discussions with potential commercial partners elsewhere in Europe, India, Asia and other regions.

References

1. ^{^} online (www.lloydsfarmacia.it)
2. ^{^} Delta variant (starpharma.com)
3. ^{^} www.viraleze.co (www.viraleze.co)