Pro Bono Bio^®, the global leader in nano-physical healthcare products, announces the UK national launch of FLEXISEQ^™, the innovative drug-free, safe treatment for joint pain associated with osteoarthritis1 (OA) following the successful conclusion of the pioneering 2 month Charity partnership phase for the benefit of Arthritis Research UK. The contribution in products that are sold through the Arthritis Research UK website and through Lloyds Pharmacy has raised over £400,000 for the medical research charity. Sufferers haveenthusiastically welcomed the new, effective and safe product that they can self-medicate and it is now going on sale through all leading pharmacies in the UK. FLEXISEQ comes with significant advantages as the product has no contra-indications, contains no drugs so cannot cause drug-to-drug interactions and so is safer than the existing drug treatments.

Commenting on the launch the Prime Minister David Cameron said “It was great to launch Pro Bono Bio during my trade mission to Moscow in 2011. And it is great that less than three years later this innovative treatment for osteoarthritis sufferers has now arrived in the UK. This demonstrates how UK- Russia collaboration at the cutting edge of R&D can help British businesses to expand into new areas, creating jobs and growth here in the UK.”

National Launch

John Mayo CBE, Chairman and Chief Executive of Pro Bono Bio said “FLEXISEQ is now available through good pharmacists nationwide and we will apply for it to be available from the NHS on prescription during 2014.”

Michael Earl, Chief Operating Officer of Pro Bono Bio said, “The proven physical mode of action and the lack of an active pharmaceutical ingredient give FLEXISEQ the best of both worlds: it works and it’s safe. The lack of systemic side effects that have been recorded when drugs are used chronically, such as gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney failure, heart attack and stroke, together with a lack of drug interactions makes FLEXISEQ a particularly suitable option for many OA patients, who are elderly and may be suffering from other conditions and taking other medications, which complicate the choice of therapy for their painful joints. The problems with using older medications such as the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in these patients are becoming increasingly well recognised following the research published in the Lancet2 earlier this year, and so we believe that FLEXISEQ is a very valuable addition to the treatment options available.”

FLEXISEQ: Charitable contribution

Liam O’Toole, CEO of Arthritis Research UK, the largest funder of research into arthritis in the UK said: “We know that nearly nine million people in the UK have sought treatment for osteoarthritis, which is a painful and extremely debilitating condition. Current approaches to treating this chronic pain are inadequate, and we are interested in the potential of this new drug-free approach.

During the Charity period FLEXISEQ, via Pro Bono Bio and Lloyds Pharmacy, has contributed over£400,000 to help us in the fight against arthritis and FLEXISEQ has also driven a significant increase in visitor numbers to our website www.arthritisresearchuk.org. Going forward, patients can continue to order the product from our website.”

The UK Patient Need

Dr John Dickson, co-founder of the Primary Care Rheumatology Society commented: “It is well recognised that effectively managing chronic pain, particularly in patients with other conditions and risk factors, is a massive challenge that GPs and patients face on a daily basis. I am delighted that FLEXISEQ is being launched in the UK. This topical treatment is drug-free and seems to have an excellent safety profile. There is already a lot of interest in the UK about this exciting new treatment and indeed I am personally using it on my arthritic hand joints with success.”

Commenting on FLEXISEQ, Nitin Makadia, Lloyds Pharmacy pain expert and pharmacist, said: “Pain management is one of our key areas of focus and we recognise that osteoarthritis is a widespread issue. Since December we have seen an overwhelming response from our customers for FLEXISEQ.”

Nano-physical healthcare

RUSNANO, the Russian state-owned technology company focused on Nano-Technology is a founding investor in developing the Sequessome Technology™ which powers FLEXISEQ. Anatoly Chubais, Chairman of the Executive Board of RUSNANO said: “Here at RUSNANO, we recognize the pharmaceutical and biotech industries as being among the most promising in terms of deployment of nanotechnologies, and we consider developing such projects in
Russia one of our top priorities. With this aim in view, RUSNANO invests in technology transfer by becoming actively involved in a number of ambitious projects all over the world. The story of FLEXISEQ and its continuing success, once again, demonstrates that this strategy is sound. Right now, the UK is becoming another top European market to embrace FLEXISEQ, and we look forward to seeing Flexiseq enter the Russian market as well, the market it had received a substantial part of its founding investments from.“