Bioxel Pharma Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier of taxane active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and developer of targeted oncology has filed a new patent covering the manufacturing of paclitaxel and docetaxel APIs by semi-synthesis.

"This new intellectual property serves clear commercial objectives, said Pascal Delmas, President and CEO of Bioxel. "First, it will broaden our product line; an objective Bioxel established in its 2005 road map. Second, it will satisfy the demand of our pharmaceutical partners that are seeking semi-synthetic taxanes manufactured using highly efficient processes with guarantied freedom to operate". Mr Delmas added, "These patents not only strengthen Bioxel's market position for paclitaxel, they also allows us to develop our new docetaxel product, for which there is a significant market opportunity".

Bioxel filed a patent that protects complete synthetic routes to these two commercial taxane ingredients. It strengthens and extends the patent previously filed by the Corporation in March of 2005 on synthetic taxane intermediates. "This patent protects novel side chain precursors that take advantage of chiral auxiliaries in the synthesis of commercial taxanes," Dr. Gaetan Caron, Vice President, Research and Development of Bioxel Pharma said adding, "It covers composition of matter on the auxiliaries, the corresponding taxane intermediates and processing methods used to manufacture paclitaxel and docetaxel starting from the naturally occurring intermediates 10-DAB or 9-DHB".

Docetaxel is the active pharmaceutical ingredient manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis and marketed under the trade name Taxotere. Today, Taxotere generates annual worldwide revenues of about US $2 billion. Generic drug product manufacturers are positioning themselves now to take advantage of patent expiration on docetaxel composition of matter which begins in 2007.

Bioxel now has a complete taxanes product line including natural and semi-synthetic paclitaxel, docetaxel, 9-DHB and 10-DAB. The Corporation is ideally positioned to grow sales in every segments of the taxane APIs market.