Anesiva Announces Expansion of Zingo Agreement...( SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO Calif. May 1 ...)

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Anesiva, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANSV) today announced the expansion of the company's license and distribution agreement for Zingo(TM) with Sigma-Tau SpA to include additional European countries. Zingo (lidocaine hydrochloride monohydrate) powder intradermal injection system is approved in the United States to provide topical local analgesia prior to peripheral IV insertions or blood draws in children three to 18 years of age.

Under the expanded agreement, Sigma-Tau now has exclusive rights to market and distribute Zingo in all major European markets, excluding the British Isles and the Scandinavian countries. Terms of the expanded agreement include additional upfront payments to Anesiva and transfer price, as well as a milestone payment.

"The expansion of this agreement reflects enthusiasm about the global potential for Zingo to provide quick-onset, needle-free analgesia prior to peripheral venous access procedures in children," said Samantha R. Miller, Anesiva's vice president, business development. "Since the initial agreement was signed in February 2008, Sigma-Tau has made significant progress in defining the regulatory pathway to support commercialization of Zingo in the licensed countries."

About Zingo(TM)

Zingo(TM) is an easy-to-administer, single-use, needle-free system that delivers sterile lidocaine powder to provide topical, local anesthesia to reduce the pain associated with peripheral IV insertions or blood draws. Zingo's rapid onset of action allows intravenous line placement or venipuncture to begin one to three minutes after administration. Zingo is approved in the U.S. to reduce the pain associated with peripheral IV insertions or blood draws i
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