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MELBOURNE, Australia

Starpharma Holdings Ltd (ASX:SPL) (OTCQX:SPHRY) and Ansell Limited (ASX:ANN) today proudly announce that the Australian Olympic team will be provided with antiviral Dual Protect™ VivaGel^® condoms for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Dual Protect™ is the world’s only antiviral condom, which is currently marketed by Ansell in Australia. While the physical barrier of the condom provides primary protection, the condom lubricant contains VivaGel^®, an antiviral agent that has been proven in laboratory studies to inactivate HIV, HSV (genital herpes) and HPV (human papillomavirus), which are viruses that cause sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Starpharma has also recently announced that the antiviral active, VivaGel^®, showed near-complete antiviral protection against Zika virus in laboratory studies at levels significantly below the concentration in the Dual Protect™ condom. It is now known that Zika virus can be sexually transmitted.

VivaGel^® is an Australian innovation developed by Starpharma, who has teamed up with Ansell to create the Dual Protect™ condom. This world-first innovation, also developed and first available in Australia, is currently in the process of being rolled-out to other countries around the world.

“Starpharma is delighted to play a role in supporting Australian athletes as they compete on the world-stage at the Olympic Games in Rio,” said Starpharma Chief Executive Officer, Dr Jackie Fairley. “Given sexual transmission of Zika virus is of increasing importance the potent activity of Starpharma’s VivaGel^® against Zika could prove very significant.”

“As a global leader in protection solutions, Ansell is proud to support the Australian Olympic team during the Olympic Games in Brazil,” said Jeyan Heper, President and General Manager, Sexual Wellness Global Business Unit at Ansell.

“Ansell’s mission is to provide innovative solutions for safety, well-being and peace of mind, no matter who or where you are, and our LifeStyles^® Dual Protect™ condoms, developed in cooperation with Starpharma, combines a high-quality condom with patented anti-viral technology.”

The Chef de Mission of the 2016 Australian Olympic Team, Kitty Chiller said “the health and wellbeing of the Team comes first and our association with Starpharma will provide extra protection for everyone on the Team, and is a common sense approach to a very serious problem we are facing in Rio”.

For more information on Dual Protect™ VivaGel^® condoms, see: http://www.ansellcondoms.com.au/products/lifestyles-dual-protect-condoms

For more information on VivaGel^®, see: http://www.starpharma.com/the_vivagel_condom

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160515005051/en/