gsk - novamin & obj, page-5

I take the messages from the most recent GSK related OBJ announcement (shareholder update – 18/08/2012) to mean they are looking at using “key oral health ingredients” to effectively deliver “key compounds” via the use of “a toothbrush-styled applicator incorporating OBJ’s FIM technology” to treat both hypersensitivity and tooth enamel demineralisation. One can safely assume that this ingredient/compound is Novamin, unless of course GSK has a new, even better compound.

To add to this, regarding GSK, my understanding based on my research is that GSK Oral Health is focussed primarily on comsumer products, currently offering a suite of products which are all available OTC. These include Aquafresh, Biotene, Gly-Oxide, Polident, Poligrip, PolyCare, Sensodyne, Pronamel, Macleans etc. However as mentioned by CMK, there are professional products also. To consider developing a product using such a Blockbuster ingredient and restricting it’s availability solely through dental professionals would not make commercial sense, IMO. Taking a global view, specifically considering third world countries where dental professionals may not be available in numbers similar to the West, this would restrict sales even further.

If my comprehension of the recent OBJ shareholder update is correct, then the “toothbrush styled applicator”, as a delivery system, sounds more like a disposable consumer product as opposed to something to be marketed solely to the dental profession.

MG - To suggest that such a product would “ruin Sensodyne sales” seems odd, and it would be good if you could explain your concern a little further. From what I can tell, the purpose of the proposed “applicator” is to improve the enamel of the teeth, whereas Sensodyne, being a toothpaste, forms part of people’s daily oral hygiene regime. An applicator may solve the issue of demineralisation, however people will still need to keep their teeth clean on a day to day basis, with Sensodyne

Discussions like this, depending on what research is done, will always be a matter of opinion until an actual product is developed and released to the (OTC or professional) market. Given the “mixed messages” we receive from OBJ management from one announcement to the next, it’s difficult to keep track of exactly what we’re working on and the stage any particular area of research is at, let alone when we expect to have a product utilising OBJ technology at commercial stage.