Shire US

Pfizer, founded in 1849, is one of the largest research-based pharmaceuticals companies in the United States. The company s areas of expertise include human and animal health, and consumer health care products. Its human health segment offers medicines for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, central nervous system disorders, arthritis and pain, infectious and respiratory diseases, urogenital conditions, cancer, eye diseases and allergies. The consumer health care segment produces and markets various medications for oral care, upper respiratory and gastrointestinal health, tobacco dependence, skin and eye care, and hair growth. The company s animal health division develops products for the prevention and treatment of diseases in livestock and companion animals. The products offered by the division include parasiticides, anti-inflammatories, vaccines, and antibiotics. The company s well-known brands include Sudafed, Listerine, Benadryl, Lipitor, Diflucan, Zithromax, Viagra and Celebrex. It also produces pharmaceutical chemicals and gelatin capsules, and offers contract-manufacturing services. Pfizer has various subsidiaries, including Warner-Lambert, Parke-Davis, and Goedecke, and is headquartered in New York City.

Sandoz, a Novartis company, with global headquarters in Vienna, Austria, is a world leader in generic pharmaceuticals and develops, manufactures and markets these medicines as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnological active ingredients. Decades of experience make Sandoz a renowned partner in pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals and anti-infectives. Sandoz reported sales in 2004 were $3 billion and employed approximately 13,400 people in more than 110 countries. Sandoz is a leading global supplier of high-quality generic pharmaceuticals. A generic pharmaceutical product is the bioequivalent of a brand name pharmaceutical. This includes dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use. Generic pharmaceuticals are held to the same rigid standards as the innovator product, as dictated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies throughout the world. Although generic pharmaceuticals are chemically identical to their branded counterparts, they traditionally cost consumers less than the brand product.

Palatin Technologies is a biopharmaceutical research and development company with a focus on developing melanocortin-based therapeutics. Additionally, the company has a pipeline of product opportunities in development. The company s internal research and development capability, anchored by its proprietary MIDAS drug-discovery technology platform, is the core of its new product development program. Palatin s strategy is to develop products and then form marketing collaborations with industry leaders in order to maximize its commercial potential. The company's flagship proprietary product is Bremelanotide, an intranasally administered melanocortin receptor agonist in development for the treatment of both male and female sexual dysfunction. Palatin Technologies has formed a strategic alliance with King Pharmaceuticals to jointly develop and commercialize Bremelanotide. Palatin Technologies maintains its corporate headquarters in Cranbury, N.J.