Nanomedicine Company Cristal Delivery Boosts the Therapeutic Value of Pharmaceutical Compounds

Utrecht, The Netherlands, June 14, 2011. Cristal Delivery B.V. is a new nanomedicine company that creates clear value for patients in areas of unmet medical needs. Cristal Delivery’s nanoparticulate drug delivery platform increases efficacy, safety and convenience of pharmaceutical products through tuneable and controlled drug release inside the body. Cristal Delivery is developing a proprietary product portfolio based on innovative combinations of its technology with new as well as marketed drugs. Moreover, it offers pharmaceutical companies facing the “patent cliff” customised solutions to improve the therapeutic performance of their drug products.

The new company is founded by Dr. Cristianne Rijcken (Chief Executive Officer) and Dr. Joost Holthuis (founder and former CEO of OctoPlus N.V.) and is based in Utrecht. Cristal Delivery is a spin-off of the Department of Pharmaceutics of Utrecht University. The platform is based on the pioneering work of Prof. Wim Hennink and the PhD-work of Cristianne Rijcken. Cristal Delivery has secured seed financing from its founders, a private investor and Universiteit Utrecht Holding B.V., while the Pre Seed Grant of the Netherlands Genomics Initiative was instrumental in establishing the company.

Cristal Delivery has created a unique platform technology of transiently stable nanoparticles, so-called CriPec®. The company’s strategy is to leverage this technology, partially together with partners, into an assorted product portfolio. This generates valuable solutions for current drug delivery issues with low molecular weight compounds and peptides. In recent months, Cristal Delivery has obtained exciting preclinical results of first products based on CriPec®. Beneficial product features include an improved therapeutic index as a result of enhanced tissue targeting and tailored sustained drug release. The growing data package underscores the broad potential and safety of the proprietary technology for a variety of indications, both existing as well as new treatment areas. Cristal Delivery’s nanoparticles have a unique position in the nanomedicinal field as they combine the best features of known nanoparticles into one single, tuneable system.

“We are very excited to start with the translation of my academic findings into actual beneficial pharmaceutical products and to develop these into the clinic” says Dr. Cristianne Rijcken.

“It is very satisfying to see that this nanomedicine technology developed at our university will be at the base of multiple future pharmaceutical products” says Prof. Wim Hennink, head of the Department of Pharmaceutics.

“Advanced drug delivery systems will provide better and more targeted therapeutics. Cristal Delivery’s ambitious and motivated team has the skills to improve drug efficacy and safety and it can rely on a seasoned board that will assist the company. We are keen to be involved” says Dr. Oscar Schoots, director of Universiteit Utrecht Holding.

A Dutch version of this press release is available at www.cristaldelivery.com/news. For more information about Cristal Delivery and its nanomedicines, please contact:

Cristianne Rijcken, PharmD PhD

Chief Executive Officer, Cristal Delivery B.V.

+31 30 430 0222

Cristianne.Rijcken@cristaldelivery.com

www.cristaldelivery.com

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