Pivotal Therapeutics, a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on Omega-3 therapies for CVD and overall health, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to create a Joint Venture Distribution Agreement with ACGT Corporation  (ACGT) and associates.   A leader in Canada's DNA services industry with extensive ties to China, ACGT will identify and introduce Pivotal to potential partners for the commercialisation of its products in China.

ACGT was founded by Dr. Hai Shiene Chen in 1995 and is a privately owned provider of oligonucleotide synthesis and DNA sequencing services to customers in the Greater Toronto Area and across Canada.  ACGT is considered to be one of the prominent Canadian providers of DNA services. ACGT has consistently been selected as the primary service supplier with superior quality control and fast delivery time for many well-known medical institutions.

"Business in the life sciences and healthcare sector in China is growing increasingly robust," said Dr. Chen, ACGT's president and chief executive officer, "ACGT understands the challenges of navigating the route for the Chinese marketplace.  With China expected to move to a new phase as the world's largest market within this decade, we have relationships with the right partners to help capitalise on the many opportunities in China now and into the future."

"With ACGT's track record for success and its strong relationships with pharmaceutical companies and other strategic partners in China, we believe it is the ideal partner to explore commercial partnership opportunities for our products in this important market," said Mr. Eugene Bortoluzzi, Pivotal's chief executive officer, and CFO.

Pivotal Therapeutics is a publicly traded specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on cardiovascular disease and overall health. Pivotal Therapeutics' lead product VASCAZEN is a prescription only medical food formulated to meet the dietary Omega-3 deficient needs of patients with cardiovascular disease through elevating Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to levels associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular complications. OMAZEN is a pharmaceutical grade Omega-3 providing over 90per cent pure Omega-3 in each capsule for the maintenance of good health. OMAZEN is a patented product available for sale and distribution in Canada.

VASCAZEN is currently available in the US as a prescription only Medical Food specifically formulated for the dietary management of an Omega-3 deficiency in cardiovascular patients. VASCAZEN is a >90per cent pure Omega-3 with a proprietary 6:1 EPA: DHA fatty acid formulation, protected by a series of both US and foreign patents.

VASCAZEN has been clinically shown to correct an Omega-3 deficiency within eight weeks of treatment with positive concomitant effects on the lipid profiles, mainly a 48per cent reduction of triglycerides and an increase of HDL without negative impact on the LDL-C lipid profile.   VASCAZEN's results were achieved with a dose of 3 grams of EPA and DHA per day of a prescription grade, high purity Omega-3.