Treatment Of Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS):

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Accentia Biopharmaceuticals Licenses Targeted Technology For

Treatment Of Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS): 37 Million Affected in the

US and no Approved Pharmaceutical

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TAMPA, Fla., April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Accentia

Biopharmaceuticals, a

privately held Hopkins Capital Group portfolio company, announced

today that

it has entered into a license with the Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education

and Research to commercialize the Mayo Clinic's patented method of

treating

chronic sinusitis (chronic rhinosinusitis or CRS) in the USA and EU.

CRS

affects an estimated 37 million people in the USA and a similar

number in the

EU. Currently, there is no FDA-approved pharmaceutical for the

treatment of

CRS. Systemic antibiotics are used to treat acute exacerbations due to

bacterial superinfection.

Investigators at Mayo Clinic have identified a novel etiology for

many

patients with chronic sinusitis. In published clinical studies, they

have

demonstrated that chronic, topical application of low-dose antifungals

provides relief to many patients with this disease. Based on clinical

and

laboratory investigations at Mayo Clinic, it appears that saprophytic

fungi

(non-invasive mold) are responsible for the chronic symptoms in

patients

sensitized to the mold.

Under the terms of the royalty-bearing license, Accentia will

file an IND

on the use of a specially formulated Amphotericin B for the

indication of

chronic rhinosinusitis in the USA and EU.

" We are very pleased to be able to bring this product to market,

which may

benefit many patients suffering from this debilitating, chronic

condition. It

is a good example of a targeted therapeutic based on an appreciation

of the

fundamental causal mechanisms of a disease, " said Baum, CEO of

Accentia's specialty biopharmaceuticals business. " Moreover, we

believe that

Amphotericin B, a well-characterized fungicidal, may prove to be

advantageous

in terms of reduced risk of acquired resistance in this chronic

disease. "

" This technology represents a paradigm shift in our understanding

of the

cause of chronic rhinosinusitis in many patients, " said Dr Steve

Arikian, MD,

CEO of Accentia's biopharmaceutical research business. " It is

analogous to the

discovery many years ago that bacteria, not hyperacidity, are

responsible for

peptic ulcers. We are delighted to have the opportunity to assist in

the

validation of this paradigm shift, and to reduce the morbidity

associated with

this chronic disease. On an annual basis, the economic impact of CRS

in the

USA is substantial: over 300,000 surgeries are performed for chronic

rhinosinusitis, approximately 73 million work and school days are

lost each

year, over 12 million physician visits, and over $5 billion are spent

on 13

million prescriptions for antibiotics to treat acute exacerbations. "

Accentia, Inc., a Hopkins Capital Group company, is a privately

held,

vertically integrated specialty biopharmaceutical company based in

Tampa,

Fla., that provides comprehensive biopharmaceutical services,

including

product commercialization, clinical manufacturing, contract sales and

product

distribution. For more information about Accentia, go to

http://www.Accentia.net.

The Hopkins Capital Group, LLC is not a part of the s Hopkins

University.

For more information on the Hopkins Capital Group, go to

http://www.hopkinscap.com.

Except for historical information, all of the statements,

expectations and

assumptions, including expectations and assumptions about the equity

investment in Accentia, contained in this news release are forward-

looking

statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although

Accentia attempts to be accurate in making those forward-looking

statements,

it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the

assumptions on

which such statements are based. In addition, other important

factors which

could cause results to differ materially include the following: risks

associated with the inherent uncertainty regarding the approval of

development

stage products, the impact of competitive products, third party

reimbursement

risks associated with the pharmaceutical industry, risks associated

with

investments, including impairments; economic conditions in the

pharmaceutical,

biotechnology and medical device industries; rapid technological

advances that

make the products and services of companies in which we invest less

competitive; continued success in sales growth; and the ability to

attract and

retain key personnel. Accentia assumes no obligation to update

information on

its expectations.

SOURCE Accentia, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.accentia.net

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