AGHG, a manufacturer of a range of aloe vera based skin care and health products marketed in Russia and Asia, says that in consumer tests, Helix peptides demonstrated the ability to provide significant beneficial activities. The launch of AGHG's initial product line incorporating this technology is currently planned for the end of 2005.
Under the terms of the license agreement, Helix is entitled to receive royalties based on AGHG's sales of these products.
Stephen Beatty, president and CEO of Helix BioMedix said "This license is consistent with our strategy of moving the company beyond the development stage by generating near-term revenues from out-licensing our technology to multiple parties within the cosmetics and consumer goods industries.
"In fact, Helix peptides are currently being tested in a variety of skin care products as well as in consumer products such as deodorant and mouthwash, among others. Longer term, our strategy is to utilize our peptides in the pharmaceutical arena, including the anti-infective market, where we believe there is significant unmet medical need."
Douglas Jewett, AGHG's President and CEO, said that he saw the agreement as an opportunity to further advance skin care in a market where consumers are demanding higher performance products.
The agreement with AGHG follows a similar agreement announced at the end of last year, when Helix signed up to license its proprietary peptides for Canada-based Body Blue to use in a range of products, including anti-wrinkle treatments, acne lotions, deodorants and mouthwashes. Body Blue said it found peptides particularly interesting due to their non-allergic properties.
Helix BioMedix is a development stage biotechnology company that has a portfolio of issued patents that covers six classes of peptides, covering over 100,000 sequences. The antimicrobial and wound healing properties of these peptides qualify them for inclusion in a wide range of both pharmaceutical and consumer products, including cosmetics/cosmeceuticals and personal care as well as crop protection, animal health and wide-spectrum biocides.
In May last year the company also announced the results of consumer studies that claimed to evince the efficacy of its anti wrinkle peptide, HB168. The ingredient was said to contribute to 69 per cent of users reporting an improvement in the appearance of fine facial wrinkles around the eyes, while 35 per cent reported a marked or moderate improvement in wrinkles.