Melbourne, Australia: Starpharma (ASX: SPL, OTCQX: SPHRY) today announced that it has been granted marketing approval for the VivaGel^® condom in Europe.  

The VivaGel^® condom is a world-first product based on innovative Australian technology. It is the only condom of its type incorporating the proprietary compound, astodrimer sodium (SPL7013, VivaGel^®) in the condom lubricant. The VivaGel^® condom is also approved for sale in Japan, Canada and Australia. The European approval applies to all 28 member states of the European Union, including the United Kingdom, as well as the four member countries of the European Free Trade Association with a total population of approximately 525 million people.

Starpharma’s marketing partner in Europe, LifeStyles (formerly Ansell) will now undertake marketing preparations ahead of the launch of the VivaGel^® condom under the brand name Absolute™ DUAL PROTECTION. LifeStyles is the world’s No. 1 sexual wellness company   with prime latex brands such as LifeStyles^®, Jissbon^®, Manix^®, Unimil^®, Blowtex^®, Mates^®,  Akuel^® and others, as well as the fast-growing, highly innovative non-latex condom brand SKYN^®.

Starpharma Chief Executive Officer, Dr Jackie Fairley, said, “It’s great to have another important market approved for the VivaGel^® condom and to achieve a further commercial milestone for our VivaGel^® portfolio. The global condom market was valued at US$7.9B in 2018¹ and projected to grow by 8.5% per year[1]. Europe is a major region and our partner LifeStyles is a significant player in that market.”

Jeyan Heper, LifeStyles’ CEO, said “LifeStyles is a global leader in sexual wellness. We are committed to making safe sex fun by offering new and unique products, and we’re delighted to add the highly innovative VivaGel^® condom to the range we offer in Europe. The Absolute™ DUAL PROTECTION condom is a great example of a new and ground-breaking sexual-health product.”

About the VivaGel^® condom

The VivaGel^® condom is a world-first product based on innovative Australian technology. It is the only condom of its type, providing barrier protection and incorporating the proprietary compound, astodrimer sodium (SPL7013, VivaGel^®) in the condom lubricant. VivaGel^® has been proven in laboratory studies to inactivate up to 99.9% of HIV, HSV and HPV.

Download ASX Announcement: VivaGel® condom receives regulatory approval in Europe (PDF, 63kb)

[1] Condom Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Material Type (Latex, Non-Latex), By Product (Male Condoms, Female Condoms), By Distribution Channel (Mass Merchandizers, Drug Stores, E-Commerce), And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2026. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/condom-market