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Cosmo Pharmaceuticals awarded US patent for use of its MMX™ technology

Cosmo Pharmaceuticals awarded US patent for use of its MMX™ technology

Lainate, Italy - August 4, 2008 -Cosmo Pharmaceuticals, (SWX:COPN) a specialty pharma company that aims to become a global leader in optimised therapies for certain Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, announced today that the US Trademark and Patent Office has issued a “notice of allowance” for its “controlled release and taste masking oral pharmaceutical compositions” better known as the MMX™ technology patent. This patent will expire in 2020, not considering possible SPCs. The patent was previously granted in Europe in 2003 and in other countries outside the US.

Most pharmaceutical products that Cosmo currently develops are based on the MMX™ technology. The technology delivers active ingredients into the full length of the colon where they are released in a homogenous and controlled form.

The controlled release and taste masking compositions contain one or more active ingredients embedded in a complex matrix structure, formed by sequential ampiphilic, lipophilic or inert matrices and finally embedded or dispersed in hydrophilic matrices. The MMX™ technology not only allows the delivery of drugs that are topically active into the intestine in an optimized form and extent but may also be applied to some other drugs to make them locally available. The patent covers, amongst others, compositions where the active ingredient is selected from mesalazine (5-aminosalicyclic acid), budesonide, metformin, octylonium bromide, gabapentin, carbidopa, nimesulide, propionylcarnitine, isosorbide mono- and dinitrate, naproxen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, diclofenac, thiaprophenic acid, chlorhexidine, benzydamine, tibezonium iodide, cetylpryridium chloride, benzahlkonium chloride and sodium fluoride.

Mauro Ajani, CEO of Cosmo, said: “We are pleased that the US PTO has granted this patent and believe that this is a further step towards firmly establishing MMX™ as the leading technology in delivering GI therapies. It gives us a strong base upon which to expand MMX™ into a wide range of new indications in the important US market.”

About Cosmo Pharmaceuticals
Cosmo is a specialty pharmaceutical company that aims to become a global leader in optimised therapies for certain Gastrointestinal Diseases. The Company’s proprietary clinical development pipeline specifically addresses innovative treatments for IBD, such as Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, and Colon Infections. Cosmo’s first MMX™ product that has reached the market is LIALDA™ / MEZAVANT™, a treatment for IBD that is licensed globally to Giuliani and Shire Limited. Cosmo’s proprietary MMX™ technology is at the core of the company’s product pipeline and was developed from its expertise in formulating and manufacturing gastrointestinal drugs for international clients at its GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) facilities in Lainate, Italy. For further information on Cosmo, please visit the Company’s website: www.cosmopharmaceuticals.com

Contact:
Dr. Chris Tanner, CFO and Head of Investor Relations
Cosmo Pharmaceuticals S.p.A
Tel: +39 02 9333 7614

Some of the information contained in this press release contains forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Cosmo undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

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