UCLB and NCYPE announce a commercialisation agreement with special products limited for epistatus

UCL Business PLC (UCLB) and the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE), a specialist epilepsy charity, have signed a commercialisation agreement with Special Products Limited, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on niche therapeutic areas, in preparation for the marketing of the Special Product’s proprietary epilepsy treatment Epistatus® as a licensed medicine.

Professor Brian Neville and Dr Rod Scott from UCL’s Institute of Child Health (ICH) and NCYPE have been closely involved in the development of Epistatus^® since the inception of the product 10 years ago.

Special Products is currently seeking UK marketing authorisation for Epistatus^®, which has been distributed internationally as an unlicensed medicine for more than 10 years on compassionate use. Epistatus^®, a proprietary buccal formulation of midazolam maleate, is used to stop an epileptic seizure from developing into status epilepticus, a life-threatening condition.

Special Products filed for marketing approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) earlier this year. Once the product is approved in the UK, it is intended that the marketing authorisation will be extended to other European countries and selected world markets.

The negotiation of this agreement was supported by Dr Chris Williams, UCLB Business Manager (BioPharm), who is responsible for ICH’s intellectual property. Dr Williams commented: ‘We are pleased to have completed this agreement with Special Products, and look forward to seeing Epistatus^® become widely available for patients as a licensed medicine.’

For Further Information

Special Products Limited
Special Products Limited is a UK specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and distribution of medicines for patients with rare disorders and unmet medical needs. Our core skill is in the development of long shelf-life products, which we distribute from our headquarters in Weybridge, Surrey, throughout the UK and into export markets. For further information, please visit the website.

UCL Business PLC
UCL Business PLC (UCLB) is responsible for commercialising innovations arising from the research base at UCL, one of the UK’s leading research-led universities. UCLB undertakes a broad range of knowledge transfer activities, covering the facilitation of consultancy and collaborative research engagements through to technology transfer, company incubation and investment. For further information, please visit the website.

National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy
The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) is a national charity for children and young people with epilepsy and other neurological conditions. The NCYPE works in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust and the UCL’s Institute of Child Health. It campaigns for improved epilepsy services for children and young people through its Champions for Childhood Epilepsy Campaign. The NCYPE’S campus in Lingfield, Surrey includes residential and day provision at St Piers School and the NCYPE Further Education College. Also on campus is the award-winning Neville Childhood Epilepsy Centre, which hosts a range of diagnostic, assessment and rehabilitation services, along with the Childhood Epilepsy Information Service (helpline 01342 831342 Mon-Fri 9am-1pm) and a SureStart Children’s Centre for all local families. For further information, please visit the website.

For further information please contact Dr Chris Williams, Business Manager (BioPharm) at UCLB on 0207679 9000