Collagen : granted Australian Divisional Patent for Pericardium

Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics has been granted divisional patent coverage from the Australian Patent Office for the use of their novel ultra-thin processed pericardium material, which can be used for heart valve replacement medical devices and other applications. Patent coverage has also been established in New Zealand and USA.

Despite the potential to source from other geographies, New Zealand and Australia remain the sourcing countries of choice for animal-based biomaterials. The reasons for this preferential sourcing include:

• Decades of precedent use of these materials in millions of implanted devices
• Notified Body familiarity of the sourcing locations and documentation packages
• Strict barrier-to-entry requirements imposed by the national regulatory bodies DAWR (Australia) and MPI (New Zealand), who control export certifications
• Open and transparent supply chain which is auditable by customers
• Provision of materials which are globally accepted for use in medical applications

The granting of this divisional patent will ensure the Company's ability to not only continue to source materials from within Australia but also to protect its proprietary knowledge in this territory as it relates to its growing business in the supply and development of pericardium-based tissues.

Commenting on the approval, Jamal Rushdy, CEO of Collagen Solutions said: "Our pericardium tissue business has been growing and has promising potential in cardiovascular and other markets including general surgery, orthopaedics, wounds, and dental. This recent patent further strengthens our position in sourcing tissue in Australia in a novel way. We believe the additional processing covered in this patent will be of significant interest to our existing customer base and value adding to our own medical device development program".

About Collagen Solutions:
Collagen Solutions Plc is a global supplier, developer, and manufacturer of medical grade collagen, tissues, and related medical devices and components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics and research. The Company is also expanding its range of biomaterials-based finished medical devices based on its internal and acquired intellectual property for commercialisation with partners via licensing and distribution arrangements, including ChondroMimetic, an osteochondral scaffold for repairing cartilage defects in the knee. The Company's products are used in a wide variety of applications including orthopaedics, cardiovascular, dental, plastic surgery, wound healing, neurology and urology.

For additional information on Collagen Solutions, please visit: www.collagensolutions.com

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