ViroXis-TFS Sandalwood Deal for Drug Development

Under a new agreement, ViroXis Corp. (San Antonio, Texas) will source about 3 tons of East India sandalwood oil annually from TFS Corp. (Perth, Western Australia) for the development of its botanical drug, albuterpenoids, used for topical treatment of viral skin infections in children and adults. The deal is subject to regulatory approval of the drug’s commercialization. ViroXis has completed a phase II investigator sponsored clinical trial, and expects to enter phase III FDA trials in 2010.

Of the deal, TFS executive chairman, Frank Wilson, said, “The ViroXis agreement marks the company’s first commercial scale contract within the pharmaceutical industry … Passing Indian sandalwood oil through an FDA approval process is significant for TFS, and if successful, will put us on the pharmaceutical map and potentially open other opportunities in the global pharmaceutical industry.”

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