Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced that sales of Uracyst had commenced in the United Kingdom through G. Pohl-Boskamp GmbH, Stellar's exclusive Pan-European licensee for this product. Stellar expects to realize sales royalties beginning this month.

Uracyst is formulated to treat interstitial cystitis, an inflammatory disease of the urinary wall whose most common symptom is the need to urgently and frequently urinate. There is no known cure for IC, nor is there a dominant treatment in the market.

G. Pohl-Boskamp GmbH commenced sales of Uracyst in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Scandinavia in December 2003. Product sales in these countries have doubled, on a quarter-over-quarter basis, since their launch. Sales in France through G. Pohl-Boskamp GmbH are expected to commence by the third quarter of 2005, a company release said here.

Peter Riehl, president and CEO of Stellar, commented, "The United Kingdom is one of Europe's largest pharmaceutical markets, as well as one of the most sophisticated in terms of IC awareness. We believe that the incidence of IC in the United Kingdom is similar in scope to the United States, where at least 700,000 people are afflicted."

Uracyst is a 2.0 per cent sodium chondroitin sulfate solution that supplements and replenishes deficiencies in the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) lining of the bladder wall. The GAG lining acts as protective barrier against irritants and toxins in the urine, and defends against bacterial adherence.