deals, Life Sciences, Consumer Products

Pure Gets Global Marketing Partner for Germ-Killing Compound

Bruce V. Bigelow 12/2/08

San Diego’s Pure Bioscience, (NASDAQ: PURE) a 25-employee company, has gained a global partner for its silver-based compound that acts as a germ-killing alternative to chlorine and other chemicals.

Pure gave exclusive marketing rights to Switzerland’s Ciba for silver dihydrogen citrate, or SDC, in Ciba personal care products worldwide. The deal also gave non-exclusive rights to Ciba for selling SDC as an antimicrobial agent and prerservative in household and industrial products.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The agreement represents a stamp of approval for Pure by a specialty chemicals giant that makes additives to improve the quality, color, strength, and other factors of consumer products. For exmple, Ciba makes the “sun protection factor” ingredient used in many sunscreen products.

Under the agreement, Ciba will be able to offer its customers Pure’s SDC as an alternative antimicrobial ingredient in soaps, lotions, and other personal products. Some consumers and environmentalists are critical about the current use in such products of formaldehyde, triclosan, and other compounds. Pure says its patented compound generates silver ions that act as a natural, less-toxic disinfectant.

In a statement, Pure CEO Michael Krall says, “Although Ciba’s focus is on only one segment of SDC’s platform technology potential, these markets are significant and fast growing.”

Bruce V. Bigelow is the editor of Xconomy San Diego. You can e-mail him at bbigelow@xconomy.com or call 858-202-0492