Canadian Football League Brings Attention to Player Health Through Multi-Year Marketing Partnership With Monovisc(R)

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 24, 2015) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

The Canadian Football League (CFL) announced today a three-year marketing partnership for the provision of the osteoarthritis viscosupplement Monovisc^® to the training and medical staff of CFL teams.

Through a multi-year partnership between the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Montreal based company Pendopharm, a division of Pharmascience, Inc., one of Canada's largest pharmaceutical companies, the two parties are working together to prevent further pain for CFL players, and Canadians, either former athletes or those suffering from a previous injury.

As part of the partnership, Monovisc will be further connecting with Canadians by raising awareness of the product during the CFL's largest stage, the 103^rd Grey Cup Playoffs and 103^rd Grey Cup presented by Shaw. The CFL and Monovisc^® will also provide information regarding osteoarthritis treatment information to fans via CFL.ca and in stadiums and on broadcasts for all playoff games.

Osteoarthritis affects 15% of the Canadian population over 18 years of age. Knee osteoarthritis accounts for 54% of all cases: more than 2 Million suffer from knee osteoarthritis pain. This number is on the rise as the baby boomer generation ages.

Monovisc^® is available in every province in Canada and it is administered by your doctor as a single intra-articular injection, a treatment called viscosupplementation. This next generation of viscosupplements are thought to relieve osteoarthritis pain by restoring the natural properties and viscosity of the hyaluronic acid found in the knee.

Quotes

"We are excited about our new marketing partnership with Monovisc. This partnership has the capacity to bring more awareness to the prominence of knee injuries in professional sport, and present a credible and non-surgical treatment option to our medical staff, players and fans alike. One of the objectives, is to help prevent further pain or suffering from a previous injury, and the CFL couldn't be more keen to be working with Monovisc to assist in the health and safety of our players."

- Tyler Mazereeuw, Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, Canadian Football League

"This wonderful three-year marketing partnership with the Canadian Football League is a first for us at PENDOPHARM and we are looking forward to building a strong bond and a long-lasting relationship between both organisations. Our diverse portfolio of Brands is built to address the specific needs of both patients and healthcare professionals in order to improve the quality of life of all Canadians. Monovisc® is the perfect example of this with a product profile aligned perfectly with the need for a viscosupplementation treatment of choice for professional and former athletes, Canadian consumers, or those suffering from a previous injury. The shared passion that both the CFL and Monovisc® have to allow people to enjoy their life to the fullest led to an extraordinary partnership like this one.

- François David, Senior Marketing Director, Pendopharm

About PENDOPHARM, a Division of Pharmascience Inc.

PENDOPHARM is a division of Pharmascience Inc., a Canadian privately-owned company. Established in 1983, Pharmascience Inc. is Canada's 10th largest pharmaceutical company, with a highly-skilled workforce of 1,600 people. Pharmascience commercializes over 400 products, including branded prescription, OTC and BTC products as well as generic products in Canada and with its affiliates and distributors in over 60 countries worldwide.

In Canada, Monovisc^® is indicated for the treatment of pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conservative non-pharmacologic therapy and to simple analgesics, e.g., acetaminophen¹

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