Innovus Pharma Announces Combined Launch Of Apeaz Cream For Arthritis Pain Relief, And Arthrivarx, A Supplement Designed To Maximize And Support Joint Health

First Launch of Combined OTC Monograph Drug and Nutritional Supplement by the Company

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Innovus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Innovus Pharma" or the “Company”) (OTCQB Venture Market: INNV), an emerging over-the-counter (“OTC”) consumer goods and specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the commercialization, licensing and development of safe and effective non-prescription medicine and consumer care products to improve men’s and women’s health and vitality and respiratory diseases, announced today the launch of its first proprietary combination of an OTC monograph drug and a supplement: Apeaz™, a cream for the relief of arthritis pain and ArthriVarx™, a nutritional supplement designed to promote and maximize joint health. The products are available through the Company’s website and on-line sites and through its Beyond Human® platform.

“We are very excited to announce the launch of Apeaz™ and ArthriVarx™, our first combined proprietary OTC monograph drug and nutritional supplement”

To the Company’s knowledge, Apeaz™ is the only OTC monograph drug published and commercialized to reduce all signs and symptoms of arthritis in a collagen induced mouse model. In addition, Innovus Pharma’s proprietary deep penetration formulation was shown to penetrate the joint tissues where the inflammation and joint damage take place (J Immunol April 1, 2009, 182 (1 Supplement) 50.20). Apeaz™ drug facts are available on DailyMed.³

“We are very excited to announce the launch of Apeaz™ and ArthriVarx™, our first combined proprietary OTC monograph drug and nutritional supplement,” said Innovus Pharma CEO, Dr. Bassam Damaj. “We believe that the future of the OTC drug market will be for companies such as ours to combine a drug, or in this instance a cream, with a nutritional supplement that is specifically targeted to alleviate debilitating diseases such as arthritis. The two products will be sold together under one product SKU and we look forward to providing additional combination drug and nutritional supplement products in the U.S. and international OTC markets in the future.”

About Apeaz™

Apeaz™ Arthritis Cream is a fast acting, FDA monograph pain relieving drug and over-the-counter medication cream. Apeaz™ is not only formulated to soothe the pain in joints and muscles like other arthritis and sports creams, but it also contains ingredients such as methyl-sulfonyl methane (MSM) and glucosamine sulfate known to help damaged cartilage for stronger and more pressure resistant joints.¹ Apeaz™ is indicated to relieve the following: acute pain, arthritis pain, athletic injuries, muscle soreness, muscle stiffness, muscle and joint pain, simple backache and strains and sprains.

According to Markets & Markets (October 2016 Report Code: MD 4660), the market for arthritis and other related joint pain is estimated to be at approximately $850 million in 2016 and projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.0% during 2017 to 2021. For more information on Apeaz™, please visit our website at www.apeaz.com.

About ArthriVarx™

ArthriVarx™ is a joint supplement designed to maximize the health of joints. The two main ingredients in ArthriVarx™ are andrographolides paniculata and hyaluronic acid.

In publications² emanating from clinical trials, andrographolides paniculata has been demonstrated to suppress inflammatory mediators such as interferon-gamma and interleuklin-2 (IL-2), while protecting against cell death induced by corticosteroids. These studies further demonstrated that andrographolides directly prevent NF-kB from binding to DNA in inflammatory cells, thereby preventing it from activating production of dangerous inflammatory mediators on going in the joints.

Hyaluronic acid is a glycosaminoglycan, which is a very long chain of disaccharides (sugars) present in all connective tissues that is responsible for retaining moisture. As people age, levels of hyaluronic acid may fall as much as 50 percent. Genetics, smoking, and magnesium and zinc deficiencies appear to accelerate this loss, but it happens to all of us to some degree and as a result, produce aching joints. The studies have shown that supplementing with hyaluronic acid may help promote healthy joints. For more information on ArthriVarx™, please visit our website at www.apeaz.com.

About Innovus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Headquartered in San Diego, Innovus Pharma is an emerging over-the-counter (“OTC”) consumer goods and specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the commercialization, licensing and development of safe and effective non-prescription medicine and consumer care products to improve men’s and women’s health and vitality and respiratory diseases. Innovus Pharma delivers innovative and uniquely presented and packaged health solutions through its (a) OTC medicines and consumer and health products, which we market directly, (b) commercial partners to primary care physicians, urologists, gynecologists and therapists, and (c) directly to consumers through our on-line channels, retailers and wholesalers. The Company is dedicated to being a leader in developing and marketing new OTC and branded Abbreviated New Drug Application (“ANDA”) products. The Company is actively pursuing opportunities where existing prescription drugs have recently, or are expected to, change from prescription (or Rx) to OTC.

For more information, go to www.innovuspharma.com, www.zestra.com; www.ejectdelay.com; www.myvesele.com; www.sensumplus.com; www.myandroferti.com; www.fluticare.com; www.beyondhumantestosterone.com; www.getbeyondhuman.com; www.trybeyondhuman.com; www.prostagorx.com; www.allervarx.com; and www.apeaz.com.

Innovus Pharma's Forward-Looking Safe Harbor

Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, as amended: with the exception of the historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that may individually or mutually impact the matters herein described for a variety of reasons that are outside the control of the Company, including, but not limited to, receiving patent protection for any of its products, successfully commercializing its Apeaz™ and ArthriVarx™ products in the United States and other products in the U.S. and internationally and to achieve its other development, commercialization, financial and staffing objectives. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. Readers are urged to read the risk factors set forth in the Company's most recent filing on Form S-1, annual report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q and other filings made with the SEC. Copies of these reports are available from the SEC's website or without charge from the Company.

¹ “MSM and Glucosamine help cartilage,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150191/.

² (www.apeaz.com).

³ https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=9f36e226-9e8b-4282-9699-84fc7ac499c4.