BUSINESS

      We are a developmental stage pharmaceutical company involved in the development and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of cancer. We are presently engaged in the clinical development of a drug candidate called phenoxodiol, which we believe may have broad application against a wide range of cancers. Phenoxodiol appears to target a number of key components involved in cancer cell survival and proliferation based on the emerging field of signal transduction regulation, with little or no effect on normal cells. We have attached as Annex A, a glossary of technical and scientific terms that we use in this prospectus.

Scientific Overview

      Phenoxodiol belongs to a class of drugs that we refer to as Multiple Signal Transduction Regulators (MSTRs).

      Signal transduction refers to the means by which cells respond to chemical signals that come from within the cell itself, from neighboring cells, and from elsewhere in the body. These signals regulate such vital functions as the growth and survival of the cell. It is now thought that malfunctions in key components of the signal transduction process are fundamental to degenerative diseases such as cancer, where cells respond abnormally to normal levels of signals, typically by over-responding to them with increased cell growth and survival.

      Identifying such malfunctions and then designing drugs to block or correct them has become an important strategy for the development of the next generation of anti-cancer drugs. These drugs have become known as signal transduction inhibitors. These drugs are the result of rational drug design, being designed to target a specific signaling pathway which typically is over-active in a tumor cell, and by blocking its progression, so to prevent or reduce the ability of the tumor cell to divide or to survive. Signal transduction inhibitors, while displaying anti-tumor activity against a small number of different types of cancer, generally have failed to provide more than modest prolongation of survival of cancer patients. This is thought to be because most human cancers involve errors of multiple signaling pathways, and inhibition of a single pathway by any one drug alone cannot reasonably be expected to provide more than a temporary halt to cancer progression.

      We believe phenoxodiol increases the potency of signal transduction inhibitors by targeting multiple signaling pathways, and in particular, those pathways vital to the survival of most, if not all, human cancer cells. In the term MSTR, “multiple” refers to the fact that more than one signaling pathway is targeted by the drug, and “regulator” refers to the fact that while the drug predominantly inhibits errant signaling pathways, other signaling pathways (e.g., anti-survival pathways) can be activated.

      Phenoxodiol targets a number of key components involved in cancer cell survival and proliferation signal transduction processes. Kinases (e.g., sphingosine kinase and growth factor receptor-associated protein tyrosine kinases) appear to be key targets of phenoxodiol, with inhibition of these targets resulting in cancer cell cytotoxicity (death) and cytostasis (blocking cell division).

      This disrupting effect of phenoxodiol is restricted to tumor cells, with non-tumor cells remaining unaffected. A potential explanation for this selective anti-tumor effect was provided by a recent discovery of a research team at Purdue University. The research team discovered that phenoxodiol targets a particular member of the ECTO-NOX family of proteins. This family of proteins regulates fundamental biological processes at the cell surface that are vital to the survival and growth of all living matter. One of these proteins, known as constitutive NADH oxidase (CNOX) is a fundamental source of hydrogen ions for all living cells. The Purdue University studies have now shown that all forms of human cancer express a variant form of CNOX, known as tNOX. The presence of tNOX disrupts the normal pattern of behavior of the cell, contributing to the unregulated cell growth and survival that characterizes tumor cells. This makes tNOX the first pan-cancer expressed protein, identifying it as a potentially important new target for anti-cancer drug development. Phenoxodiol appears to specifically block the action of tNOX, with the resulting inhibition of H+ influx into the cell, leading to extensive disruption to signaling pathways and to

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      Laboratory studies at Yale University also have revealed that the killing effect of phenoxodiol of cancer cells occurs through the caspase enzyme pathway, and that key triggers of this proteolytic pathway are the up-regulation of production in the cancer cell of pro-apoptotic factors such as Bax and the increased degradation of anti-apoptotic factors such as c-FLIP and XIAP. The latter effect facilitates death of cancer cells via either the Fas or TRAIL death receptor mechanisms. Some aspects of this function were published recently in the Nature journal, Oncogene .

      Recent laboratory studies conducted by Novogen and Yale University studies have revealed that phenoxodiol interacts well with a number of standard anti-cancer drugs such as cisplatin, gemcitabine and taxanes. In one aspect of this effect, phenoxodiol appears to restore sensitivity to these drugs in cells such as ovarian cells that have acquired resistance to such drugs. In another aspect, pretreatment of tumor cells with phenoxodiol considerably increases the sensitivity of virgin tumor cells to the cytotoxic effects of standard chemotoxic drugs. Both of these effects are achieved without increasing the toxicity of the standard chemotoxic drugs to non-tumor cells.

Market Opportunity

      The American Cancer Society, or ACS, has reported that, in the year 2003, approximately 1,344,100 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United States and that since 1990, approximately 17 million new cancer cases have been diagnosed. The ACS has also reported that 556,500 people in the United States are expected to die from cancer this year.

      The primary focus in the development of phenoxodiol is currently in connection with ovarian cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, or SCC of the cervix, vagina, vulva and skin, and prostate cancer. Subject to further successful clinical research and development, we believe that phenoxodiol may have potential uses in other forms of human cancers as well as in combinational therapy with other anti-cancer drugs.

      The cancers for which phenoxodiol is intended to be used are relatively common and we believe, in general, are poorly managed with current therapeutics.

      The ACS has estimated that in 2003 there will be 220,900 new cases of prostate cancer and 28,900 people will die as result of this cancer in the United States. The treatment of prostate cancer depends on age, stage of the cancer, and other medical conditions of the patient. Current treatment options include surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy or chemotherapy (or a combination of these treatments) depending on the stage of the disease. Survival rates also depend on the stage of the disease. However, there is a low survival rate associated with advanced disease.

      The ACS has also estimated that in 2003 there will be 25,400 new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed and 14,300 will die as a result of this cancer in the United States. Treatment options for ovarian cancer include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Treatment in advanced cases is associated with low survival rates.

      SCC is a common type of cancer found in the skin and mucous membranes of the body. Cancers of the cervix, vagina and vulva are mostly of the SCC type and are recognized for their poor response to standard chemotherapy. Surgery remains the treatment of choice for these cancers and treatment in advanced cases is associated with low survival rates. For cancers of the cervix, vagina and vulva the ACS estimates that in the year 2003, there will be 18,600 new cases diagnosed and that there will be 5,700 deaths caused by these cancers in the United States. Cutaneous SCC is a relatively common form of skin cancer. It is most common in sun-exposed areas and if left untreated can invade locally, requiring extensive surgery. The ACS estimates that 2,200 deaths will occur in the United States as a result of these cancers.

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Overall Clinical Development Strategy

      We believe that based on its mode of action, phenoxodiol has the potential ultimately to become a treatment option for a wide range of human cancers, and to be employed at various stages of cancer development ranging from early stage cancer through to late-stage cancer.

      The immediate priority, is to focus on those therapeutic indications that will expedite drug marketing approval of phenoxodiol by regulatory bodies. To this end, we will continue our work in late-stage chemo-resistant cancers including completing our current intravenous monotherapy ovarian cancer clinical trial currently underway at Yale University. Pending the outcome of this trial we intend to expend our intravenous program to include combinational therapy using phenoxodiol in combination with standard chemotherapy drugs in cancers which have become chemo-resistant. In chemo-resistant cancers we hope to show that phenoxodiol will provide in humans what it has demonstrated in the laboratory and in animal models, that is, the restoration of chemo-sensitivity to standard chemotoxic agents. In this way, phenoxodiol will be used to “condition” the tumor cells to the more destructive effects of drugs such as cisplatin, gemcitabine and taxanes, with the combined effects of all drugs providing a potent force able to attack well-established and extensive cancer disease. In the next stage of our clinical development program for phenoxodiol in the area of chemo-resistant cancers, it is possible that other forms of cancer (such as renal carcinoma, head and neck cancer), generally regarded as unresponsive to standard drugs, will be added to this program in due course in order to maximize the opportunity for treating chemo-resistant cancers.

      A secondary priority is to develop phenoxodiol for use in earlier-stage cancers. This is the basis of the planned clinical program involving oral phenoxodiol in SCC of the cervix, vagina, vulva including our planned adjuvant trial at Yale University and skin, and prostate cancer. These are all forms of cancer for which early diagnosis is commonly available, and for which a non-invasive, non-surgical drug option might be an attractive therapeutic option. In this strategy, phenoxodiol is being studied in the first instance as an oral monotherapy in the expectation that phenoxodiol alone will provide an adequate anti-cancer effect.

Specific Objectives

      Our current objectives are to:

	•	complete the Phase Ib/IIa and Phase II clinical programs for phenoxodiol as a monotherapy currently being undertaken;
	•	commence a Phase II study in patients with late-stage, chemoresistant ovarian cancer that will use phenoxodiol in combination with standard anti-cancer drugs.
	•	commence Phase II studies for phenoxodiol as a monotherapy, targeting early-stage cancer of the cervix, vagina and vulva, and prostate cancer;

      We anticipate that with the proceeds of this offering we will have sufficient funds for these activities. The success and timing of the clinical trials could vary significantly from current estimates. A delay in any one phase of trials is likely to delay following phases. Our long-term objectives will be to:

	•	commence Phase III clinical trials for phenoxodiol as both a monotherapy for early-stage cancers and for use in combinational therapy for later-stage cancers;
	•	seek to develop relationships with strategic partners for the development, marketing and distribution of phenoxodiol as a treatment for those cancer indications for which regulatory approval is obtained;
	•	potentially expand the uses of phenoxodiol to treat other cancers; and
	•	pursue appropriate opportunities to develop and commercialize other anti-cancer compounds.

      We will require additional funding in order to undertake our long-term objectives.

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History of Phenoxodiol Development

      In 1995, phenoxodiol was identified as a potential putative metabolite of daidzein, or naturally occurring isoflavore. To date, phenoxodiol has not appeared to have been isolated or identified in mammals.

      Novogen scientists first synthesized phenoxodiol in 1997 as part of a program of synthesis of compounds based on an isoflavonoid ring chemical structure. When screened for anti-cancer action against human cancer cells in vitro , phenoxodiol was found to be cytostatic and cytotoxic against a wide range of human cancer cells, but without toxicity against non-tumor cells. In vivo studies in laboratory animals subsequently showed that phenoxodiol administered either orally or systemically was adequately bioavailable and significantly retarded tumor development, in particular in athymic mice bearing xenografts of human prostate cancer. Such anti-cancer effects in animals were achieved without evidence of toxicity, and thus phenoxodiol was selected for development as a human anti-cancer drug.

      Subsequent pre-clinical studies identified a range of molecular targets of phenoxodiol within human cancer cells, prompting us to classify the drug as a Multiple Signal Transduction Regulator.

      The broad anti-cancer action of phenoxodiol against an extensive library of different human cancer cell lines (prostate, breast, ovarian, lung and cervical cancer, mesothelioma, melanoma, glioma and rhabdomyosarcoma), suggested potential clinical application against a wide range of types of human cancer. Further pre-clinical studies showed that phenoxodiol has a number of indirect anti-cancer effects (a potent ability as an anti-androgen and an ability to induce apoptosis of hyperplastic prostate smooth muscle cells) that suggested prostate cancer as a particularly suitable clinical target, leading to this form of cancer being identified early as a prime potential clinical target for the drug. However, with a view to allowing further time to identify the most sensitive types of cancer to phenoxodiol, the strategy adopted was to conduct Phase I studies in patients with a wide selection of solid tumors in order to gain tentative evidence of efficacy across a range of different tumor types.

      Phase Ia pharmacokinetic studies conducted in cancer patients in May 2000 showed that phenoxodiol behaved similarly to steroidal hormones and was prone to conjugation (glucuronide and sulfates) within the body. These conjugated forms are the means by which a water-insoluble drug such as phenoxodiol is transported within the body. Conversion of these drugs to the active form requires deconjugation by relevant enzymes within end tissues to yield the bioactive (unconjugated) drug form. Bioequivalence studies showed that phenoxodiol is considerably more prone to conjugation when administered orally (greater than 99%) compared to intravenously (approximately 85%). Therefore, in the absence of definitive data on the rates of expression of deconjugating enzymes by different tumor types, it was decided to commence clinical studies with an intravenous dosage form of phenoxodiol because of the certainty of obtaining levels of unconjugated phenoxodiol in the plasma that were known in the laboratory to be highly cytotoxic to cancer cells.

      A Phase Ib toxicity study was commenced in Australia in November 2000 and finished in March 2002. Twenty-one patients with late-stage solid cancers (any type) were given phenoxodiol by weekly bolus injections for 12 weeks. This was a dose-escalating study, with inter-patient escalation from 1 to 30 mg/kg/dose. No dose-limiting toxicity was reached and no significant toxicities other than some hypersensitivities to the drug vehicle (cyclodextrin) were encountered.

      A second Phase Ib toxicity study commenced in Australia in April 2001 and concluded in 2002. Twenty-one patients with late-stage solid cancers (any type) were given phenoxodiol by continuous intravenous infusion. This was a dose-escalating study, with inter-patient escalation from 1 to 40 mg/kg/day. No dose-limiting toxicity was reached and no significant toxicities were encountered.

      The intravenous dosage form of phenoxodiol was granted IND status by the FDA in January 2001, allowing a third Phase Ib toxicity study to commence at The Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, in August 2001. This study concluded in 2002. Nineteen patients with late-stage solid cancers (any type) were given phenoxodiol by continuous intravenous infusion. This was a dose-escalating study, with inter-patient

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      Concurrent with the Phase I clinical trial program outlined above, pre-clinical studies continued with a view to better understanding the molecular targets of phenoxodiol and the most appropriate tumor types for therapy. In terms of molecular targets, a number of important actions were identified:

	•	that phenoxodiol has broad inhibitory activity against kinase enzymes, resulting in disruption to a wide range of signaling pathways involved in cell survival and growth;
	•	that phenoxodiol-induced apoptosis occurred via the caspase cascade;
	•	that phenoxodiol-induced apoptosis was initiated as a result of activation of death receptor (Fas, TRAIL) mechanisms and down-regulation of death receptor blockers (c-FLIP, XIAP); and
	•	that a key molecular target is the receptor protein, tNOX, whose inhibition leads to extensive disruption of pro-survival mechanisms.

      A further key pre-clinical finding was that phenoxodiol was particularly effective against ovarian cancer, melanoma and mesothelioma cell lines that were resistant to all standard chemotoxic anti-cancer drugs, pointing to the usefulness of phenoxodiol at least in patients with these cancers who had failed all other forms of chemotherapy.

      The selection of specific tumor types in which to test phenoxodiol in Phase II clinical trials was based on a number of factors. First, the known relevance of certain actions of phenoxodiol (e.g., the targeting of death receptor activity) to the survival of certain cancer cell types; second, pre-clinical experience with the use of phenoxodiol in animals bearing human tumor xenografts; and third, observations of clinical responses in patients treated with phenoxodiol. The particular tumor types selected are ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and SCC of skin and mucosal surfaces. Renal cancer, breast and pancreatic cancer also have been identified as potential clinical targets, and may be studied in due course. A feature of this entire group of cancers that underlies their selection from a strategic point of view is their aggressiveness and generally low sensitivity to standard chemotoxic drugs.

      A team of scientists at Yale University School of Medicine commenced a Phase II study in October 2002 of the intravenous dosage form of phenoxodiol in 40 patients with ovarian cancer. We expect that we will receive interim results from this study by the end of this year.

      Novogen decided to pursue the clinical applications in prostate cancer and SCC using the oral dosage form of the drug. This followed the trial use of the oral dosage form in a number of patients who had completed the Phase I trials of the intravenous dosage form of phenoxodiol. The oral dosage form was found capable of prolonging survival in patients with advanced disease despite the presence of phenoxodiol in the blood in an almost completely conjugated form. It appears that certain types of tumors may have the capacity to deconjugate phenoxodiol conjugates to the active drug form. Clinical trials on the oral dosage form of phenoxodiol began in Australia in January 2002. This dosage form currently is being evaluated in Australian hospitals in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of prostate cancer and SCC.

      The oral dosage form of phenoxodiol was granted IND status by the FDA in June 2003, which cleared the way to commence a study in collaboration with Yale University School of Medicine in patients with cancer of the cervix, vulva and vagina. Phenoxodiol will be used on a monotherapy basis in patients following a primary diagnosis of cancer. Phenoxodiol will be administered daily for periods of up to 4 weeks prior to surgery or radiotherapy.

      A Phase Ib/IIa study began in early 2002 on the use of phenoxodiol in patients with hematological tumors, in an attempt to test the usefulness of phenoxodiol in non-solid tumors. However, the apparent sensitivity of certain solid tumors to phenoxodiol and the need to focus resources on those clinical opportunities mean that an application in hematological tumors is unlikely to be taken further.

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      A team of scientists at Yale University School of Medicine is currently conducting a Phase II clinical study. The study is fully enrolled, using 40 patients with advanced, metastatic ovarian cancer that has become unresponsive to at least two standard chemotherapies (the average number of different drug regimes used previously in these patients is five per patient). Phenoxodiol is being administered as a monotherapy by bolus intravenous injection on two consecutive days per week in rising dosages (one, three, ten and twenty mg/kg/24-hr) to four groups, each of ten women, over treatment cycles of 12 weeks. Tumor response is being assessed on the basis of tumor mass, levels of the tumor marker (CA125) in the blood, survival over 12 months, and quality of life.

      This clinical trial is based on laboratory studies at Yale University School of Medicine that showed phenoxodiol to be the most effective drug at killing ovarian cancer cells, including those that are resistant to all standard anti-cancer drugs.

      Following analysis of the data from the current Phase II study, currently projected to be completed by December 2003, a decision will be made concerning the next stage.

      A recent pre-clinical study also extended these findings by showing that phenoxodiol proved highly effective at restoring ovarian cancer cells’ sensitivity to standard anti-cancer drugs such as cisplatin. Cisplatin is a standard drug used in the treatment of ovarian cancer, but patients’ tumors commonly become resistant to this drug after some months. A combination of phenoxodiol and cisplatin proved highly effective in stopping human ovarian cancer growth in animals with doses of phenoxodiol and cisplatin that alone were ineffective. This raises the prospect of obtaining an enhanced clinical response of phenoxodiol by combining it with standard chemotherapies, and the opportunity to conduct a combinational drug trial in ovarian cancer patients is under review currently.

      Two Australian hospitals are currently conducting a study testing the effect of oral phenoxodiol therapy in patients with late-stage prostate cancer that has become unresponsive to hormonal therapy. Phenoxodiol is being administered orally three times per day on a daily basis over treatment cycles of 12 weeks. There will be 24 patients in this trial, with patients being allocated to seven different dose levels (from 0.72 to 9.0 mg per 24-hr). The study currently has 18 patients enrolled.

      The potential for phenoxodiol in the treatment of cutaneous SCC arose from the observation that in patients being treated for other forms of cancer who coincidentally had aggressive, malignant SCC of the skin, the SCC tumors showed objective responses within several weeks. A Phase II trial is being conducted at an Australian hospital in 30 patients with malignant SCC of the skin. Phenoxodiol is being administered orally, three times daily for a period of three months. We anticipate this study being completed by the third quarter of 2004.

Competition

      The clinical development and commercialization of new anti-cancer drugs is highly competitive. As a developmental stage pharmaceutical company, we compete with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic and scientific institutions, governmental agencies and public and private research organizations.

      Many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have products or drug candidates in various stages of pre-clinical or clinical development to treat prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, SCC and other cancers. Some of these potentially competitive drugs are further advanced in development and may receive FDA or other regulatory approval and may be commercialized earlier than phenoxodiol. Some of these drugs may be directly competitive with phenoxodiol to the extent that they would obviate the need for phenoxodiol.

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      Many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are developing drugs specifically in the area of signal transduction inhibition. Several such drugs have received marketing approval over the past five years. While much of the activity in this field is based on rational drug design, meaning that the nature of action of such drugs is overwhelmingly focused on individual signaling targets, it would be reasonable to expect that attention will be drawn increasingly to the development of drugs like phenoxodiol that have activity against multiple targets.

      The most significant competition potentially might arise from the development of drugs with a related chemical heritage to phenoxodiol. Two chemicals with a related chemical heritage of an underlying flavonoid chemical structure that we are aware of undergoing clinical development as anti-cancer agents are genistein and flavopiridol ^TM . Our understanding is that genistein is in Phase II clinical studies, while flavopiridol ^TM is in Phase III clinical studies.

      Our competitors may develop and commercialize products that are safer, less costly and more efficacious in the treatment of cancers. In addition, we face and will continue to face competition from companies, institutions, agencies and organizations, including those in fields unrelated to drug development, to recruit qualified personnel, attract partners for joint ventures and license competitive technologies.

      Many of our competitors have significantly greater capital resources, larger research and development staffs and facilities and greater experience in drug development, regulation, manufacturing and marketing than we do at present. In this respect, they may be able to more easily develop technologies and products that would render our technologies or our drug candidates obsolete or non-competitive.

Intellectual Property

      Novogen has been granted patents and has additional patents pending in a number of countries which cover a family of chemically related compounds with potentially broad ranging and complementary anti-cancer effects. Novogen has granted to us an exclusive license with respect to its patent rights and intellectual property know-how to develop, market and distribute one of these compounds, phenoxodiol as an anti-cancer agent, except in topical form.

      See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” for more information regarding our agreements with Novogen.

      We have licensed from Novogen the rights to the Novogen patents and applications as they relate to phenoxodiol as an anti-cancer agent. Excluded from these rights is phenoxodiol in a topical formulation. The patent rights we have licensed from Novogen can be largely classified into two broad groups: patent rights relating to phenoxodiol used as an anti-cancer agent, which we refer to as “product patent rights”, and patent rights relating to the manufacture of phenoxodiol for anti-cancer purposes, which we refer to as “manufacturing patent rights”. The pending and issued Novogen patent rights can be further broken down into four families, three families belonging to the product patent rights and one family belonging to the manufacturing patent rights: The three families in the product patent rights comprise phenoxodiol for the treatment of cancer (17 pending; six issued); compositions and methods for protecting skin from ultraviolet induced immunosuppression and skin damage including phenoxodiol (10 pending; three issued); therapeutic methods and compositions involving isoflav-3-ene and isoflavan structure including phenoxodiol (PCT pending). The family relating to the manufacturing patent rights relate to the production of isoflavone derivatives including phenoxodiol (17 pending). Novogen has recently received a notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) related to phenoxodiol to treat a variety of cancers.

      As patent applications in the United States are maintained in secrecy until published or patents issue and as publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that Novogen was the first to make the inventions covered by each Moreover, pursuant to the terms of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, patents filed on or after June 8,

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      In order to protect the confidentiality of our technology, including trade secrets and know-how and other proprietary technical and business information, we require all of our consultants, advisors and collaborators to enter into confidentiality agreements that prohibit the use or disclosure of information that is deemed confidential. The agreements also oblige our consultants, advisors and collaborators to assign to us developments, discoveries and inventions made by such persons in connection with their work with us. We cannot be sure that confidentiality will be maintained or disclosure prevented by these agreements or that our proprietary information or intellectual property will be protected thereby or that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information or intellectual property.

      The pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive and patents have been applied for by, and issued to, other parties relating to products competitive with phenoxodiol. Therefore, phenoxodiol and any other drug candidates may give rise to claims that they infringe the patents or proprietary rights of other parties existing now and in the future. An adverse claim could subject us to significant liabilities to such other parties and/or require disputed rights to be licensed from such other parties. We cannot be sure that any license required under any such patents or proprietary rights would be made available on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we do not obtain such licenses, we may encounter delays in product market introductions, or may find that the development, manufacture or sale of products requiring such licenses may be precluded. We have not conducted any searches or made any independent investigations of the existence of any patents or proprietary rights of other parties.

Relationship with Novogen

      Novogen has been granted patents and has additional patent applications pending in a number of countries pertaining to phenoxodiol’s family of compounds and to phenoxodiol itself and their use in anti-cancer therapeutics. Novogen has granted us an exclusive license under its patent rights and the intellectual property rights in its relevant know-how to develop, market and distribute all forms of administering phenoxodiol for anti-cancer applications, except topical applications.

      Novogen is active in the discovery and development of new drugs based on the emerging field of signal transduction regulation. Signal transduction regulators offer the potential for effective, well-tolerated treatment of common degenerative diseases including cancer and heart disease. Novogen has developed a family of chemically related compounds with potentially broad ranging and complementary anti-cancer effects.

      We have entered into certain key agreements with Novogen. These agreements are discussed briefly below. Investors should also read the detailed summary of these documents set out in “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

      Under an amended and restated license agreement, Novogen granted us an exclusive world-wide, non-transferable license, under the Novogen patent rights, to conduct clinical trials and commercialize and

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      Under an amended and restated manufacturing license and supply agreement, Novogen assumes responsibility for the supply of phenoxodiol in its primary manufactured form for both the research and development program and phenoxodiol’s ultimate commercial use. Novogen has a pilot phenoxodiol manufacturing plant which we believe has sufficient capacity to meet the projected amount of phenoxodiol required to complete the proposed clinical program.

      Under an amended and restated license option deed, Novogen granted us an exclusive first right to accept and an exclusive last right to match any proposed dealing by Novogen with its intellectual property rights in other synthetic compounds developed by Novogen that have known or potential anti-cancer applications in all forms other than topical applications.

      Pursuant to an amended and restated services agreement, Novogen will provide services reasonably required by us relating to the development and commercialization of phenoxodiol. We do not currently intend to directly employ any staff and are reliant on Novogen for the provision of resources to conduct our business.

Commercialization

      Commercialization of a drug requires approval from the regulatory body of each country in which the drug is to be marketed. Following the completion of Phase III studies, the data gathered from the clinical trial program must be collated for presentation to the appropriate regulatory authorities in each territory in a form acceptable to each authority, in order to obtain the relevant regulatory approvals to market the drug in that territory. Approval usually is granted for those specific cancer indications for which the clinical data supports efficacy.

      We may choose to seek regulatory approval in our own right in any or all territories. Alternatively, we may seek to establish a strategic partnership with another pharmaceutical company to market phenoxodiol in certain territories, in which case that partner may take responsibility for application for regulatory approval.

      Successful commercialization requires high quality marketing campaigns and distribution arrangements in order to gain market share as fast as possible. Global pharmaceutical companies have large and professional marketing and distribution functions that regularly introduce new drugs throughout the world. For that reason, we are likely to choose to seek a strategic partnership in any or all territories in which phenoxodiol is to be marketed.

      Decisions on both the appropriate territories in which regulatory approval will be sought and the nature of commercialization in those territories will be made by the board of directors at the appropriate time and with due regard to maximizing the commercial benefit to us.

      The most significant market for phenoxodiol is the United States market. Before a drug is granted regulatory approval to be marketed and commercialized in the United States, the drug must gain approval to be tested in humans. In the United States, this requires the FDA to grant the drug IND status. See “— Regulation-U.S. Regulatory Requirements.” Phenoxodiol has achieved this status and has commenced clinical trials in the United States.

Research and Development

      The objective of our research and development program is the generation of data sufficient to achieve regulatory approval of phenoxodiol in one or more dosage forms in major markets such as the United States, and/or to allow us to enter into a commercial relationship with another party. The data is generated by our clinical trial programs.

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      The key aspects of this program are to provide more complete characterization of the following:

	•	the relevant molecular targets of action of phenoxodiol;
	•	the relative therapeutic indications of different dosage forms of phenoxodiol;
	•	the relative therapeutic benefits and indications of phenoxodiol as a monotherapy or as part of combinational therapy with other chemotoxics; and
	•	the most appropriate cancer targets for phenoxodiol.

Regulation

      The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and comparable regulatory agencies in foreign countries regulate and impose substantial requirements upon the research, development, preclinical and clinical testing, labeling, manufacture, quality control, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, marketing, distribution, and export of pharmaceutical products, including biologics, as well as significant reporting and record-keeping obligations. State governments may also impose obligations in these areas.

      In the United States, pharmaceutical products are regulated by the FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and other laws, including in the case of biologics, the Public Health Service Act. We believe, but cannot be certain, that our products will be regulated as biologics and drugs by the FDA. The process required by the FDA before biologics or drugs may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:

	•	preclinical laboratory evaluations, including formulation and stability testing, and animal tests performed under the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practices regulations to assess potential safety and effectiveness;
	•	submission and approval of an IND, including results of preclinical tests and protocols for clinical tests, which must become effective before clinical trials may begin in the United States;
	•	obtaining approval of Institutional Review Boards to administer the products to human subjects in clinical trials;
	•	adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the product for the product’s intended use;
	•	development of manufacturing processes which conform to FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMPs, as confirmed by FDA inspection;
	•	submission of preclinical and clinical test results, and chemistry, manufacture and control information on the product to the FDA in a New Drug Approval Application, or NDA; and
	•	FDA review and approval of an NDA, prior to any commercial sale or shipment of a product.

      The testing and approval process requires substantial time, effort, and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, if at all.

      The results of the preclinical tests, together with initial specified manufacturing information, the proposed clinical trial protocol, and information about the participating investigators, are submitted to the FDA as part of an IND, which must be approved before we may begin human clinical trials. Additionally, an independent Institutional Review Board at each clinical trial site proposing to conduct the clinical trials must review and approve each study protocol and oversee conduct of the trial. An IND becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day period, raises concerns or questions about the conduct of the trials as outlined in the IND and imposes a clinical hold. If the FDA imposes a clinical hold, the IND sponsor must resolve the FDA’s concerns before clinical trials can begin. Pre-clinical tests and studies can take several years to complete, and there is no guarantee that an IND we submit based on such tests and studies will become effective within any specific time period, if at all.

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      Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap:

	•	Phase I: The drug is initially introduced into healthy human subjects or patients and tested for safety and dosage tolerance. Absorption, metabolism, distribution, and excretion testing is generally performed at this stage.
	•	Phase II: The drug is studied in controlled, exploratory therapeutic trials in a limited number of subjects with the disease or medical condition for which the new drug is intended to be used in order to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to determine the preliminary or potential efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases or medical conditions, and to determine dosage tolerance and the optimal effective dose.
	•	Phase III: When Phase II studies demonstrate that a specific dosage range of the drug is likely to be effective and the drug has an acceptable safety profile, controlled, large-scale therapeutic Phase III trials are undertaken at multiple study sites to demonstrate clinical efficacy and to further test for safety in an expanded patient population.

      We cannot be certain in that we will successfully complete Phase I, Phase II, or Phase III testing of our products within any specific time period, if at all. Furthermore, the FDA, the Institutional Review Board or we may suspend or terminate clinical trials at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk.

      Results of pre-clinical studies and trials, as well as detailed information about the manufacturing process, quality control methods, and product composition, among other things, are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA seeking approval to market and commercially distribute the product on the basis of a determination that the product is safe and effective for its intended use. NDAs are used for products that are regulated as drugs, such as synthetic chemicals. Before approving an NDA, the FDA will inspect the facilities at which the product is manufactured and will not approve the product unless cGMP compliance is satisfactory. If applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied, the FDA may deny the NDA or require additional testing or information. As a condition of approval, the FDA also may require post-marketing testing or surveillance to monitor the product’s safety or efficacy. Even after an NDA is approved, the FDA may impose additional obligations or restrictions (such as labeling changes), or even suspend or withdraw a product approval on the basis of data that arise after the product reaches the market, or if compliance with regulatory standards is not maintained. We cannot be certain that any NDA we submit will be approved by the FDA on a timely basis, if at all. Also, any such approval may limit the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed. Any refusal to approve, delay in approval, suspension or withdrawal of approval, or restrictions on indicated uses could have a material adverse impact on our business prospects.

      Each NDA must be accompanied by a user fee, pursuant to the requirements of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, and its amendments. According to the FDA’s fee schedule, effective on October 1, 2003 for the fiscal year 2004, the user fee for an application requiring clinical data, such as an NDA, is $573,500. The FDA adjusts the PDUFA user fees on an annual basis. PDUFA also imposes an annual product fee for prescription drugs and biologics ($36,080 for the fiscal year 2004), and an annual establishment fee ($226,800) on facilities used to manufacture prescription drugs and biologics. We are not at the stage of development with our products where we are subject to these fees, but they are significant expenditures that will be incurred in the future and must be paid at the time of application submission to the FDA.

      Satisfaction of FDA requirements typically takes several years. The actual time required varies substantially, based upon the type, complexity, and novelty of the pharmaceutical product, among other things. Government regulation imposes costly and time-consuming requirements and restrictions throughout the product life cycle and may delay product marketing for a considerable period of time, limit product marketing, or prevent marketing altogether. Success in pre-clinical or early stage clinical trials does not assure success in later stage clinical trials. Data obtained from preclinical and clinical activities is not always conclusive and may be susceptible to varying interpretations that could delay, limit, or prevent

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      After product approval, there are continuing significant regulatory requirements imposed by the FDA, including record-keeping requirements, obligations to report adverse experiences, and restrictions on advertising and promotional activities. Quality control and manufacturing procedures must continue to conform to cGMPs, and the FDA periodically inspects facilities to assess cGMP compliance. Additionally, post-approval changes in product indications, manufacturing processes or facilities, product labeling, or other areas may require submission of an NDA Supplement to the FDA for review and approval. Failure to comply with FDA regulatory requirements may result in an enforcement action by the FDA, including Warning Letters, product recalls, suspension or revocation of product approval, seizure of product to prevent distribution, impositions of injunctions prohibiting product manufacture or distribution, and civil and criminal penalties. Maintaining compliance is costly and time-consuming. Nonetheless, we cannot be certain that we, or our present or future suppliers or third-party manufacturers, will be able to comply with all FDA regulatory requirements, and potential consequences of noncompliance could have a material adverse impact on our business prospects.

      The FDA’s policies may change, and additional governmental regulations may be enacted that could delay, limit, or prevent regulatory approval of our products or affect our ability to manufacture, market, or distribute our products after approval. Moreover, increased attention to the containment of healthcare costs in the United States and in foreign markets could result in new government regulations that could have a material adverse effect on our business. Our failure to obtain coverage, an adequate level of reimbursement, or acceptable prices for our future products could diminish any revenues we may be able to generate. Our ability to commercialize future products will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and reimbursement for the products will be available from government and health administration authorities, private health insurers, and other third-party payors. European Union and U.S. government and other third-party payors increasingly are attempting to contain healthcare costs by consideration of new laws and regulations limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement for new drugs. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of adverse governmental regulation that might arise from future legislative or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad.

      Our activities also may be subject to state laws and regulations that affect our ability to develop and sell our products. We are also subject to numerous federal, state, and local laws relating to such matters as safe working conditions, clinical, laboratory, and manufacturing practices, environmental protection, fire hazard control, and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances. We may incur significant costs to comply with such laws and regulations now or in the future, and the failure to comply may have a material adverse impact on our business prospects.

      The Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 , or 1989 Act, sets out the legal requirements for the import, export, manufacture and supply of pharmaceutical products in Australia. The 1989 Act requires that all pharmaceutical products to be imported into, supplied in, or exported from Australia be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, or ARTG, unless specifically exempted under the Act.

      In order to ensure that a product can be included in the ARTG, a sponsoring company must make an application to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, or TGA. The application usually consists of a form accompanied by data (based on the European Union requirements) to support the quality, safety and efficacy of the drug. In the case of drugs for important medical conditions the TGA will accept either European or American dossier format in an attempt to expedite the registration process.

      The first phase of evaluation, known as the Application Entry Process, is usually a short period during which an application is assessed on an administrative level to ensure that it complies with the basic

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      Once an application is accepted for evaluation, aspects of the data provided are allocated to evaluators, who prepare evaluation reports. Following this evaluation, the chemistry and quality control aspects of a product may be referred to a sub-committee of the Australian Drug and Evaluation Committee, or ADEC to review the evaluation reports. The evaluation reports are then sent to the sponsoring company who then has the opportunity to comment on the views expressed within the evaluation report and to submit supplementary data to address any issues raised in the evaluation reports.

      Once the evaluations are complete, the TGA prepares a summary document on the key issues on which advice will be sought from the ADEC. This summary is sent to the sponsoring company which is able to submit a response to the ADEC dealing with issues raised in the summary and those not previously addressed in the evaluation report. The ADEC provides advice on the quality, risk-benefit, effectiveness and access of the drug and conduct medical and scientific evaluations of the application. The ADEC’s resolutions are provided to the sponsoring company after 5 working days.

      The TGA takes into account the advice of the ADEC in reaching a decision to approve or reject a product. Any approval for registration on the ARTG may have conditions associated with it.

      From the time that the TGA accepts the initial application for evaluation, the TGA must complete the evaluation and make a decision on the registration of the product within 255 working days. The TGA also has a system of priority evaluation for products that meet certain criteria, including where the product is a new chemical entity that it is not otherwise available on the market as an approved product, and is for the treatment of a serious, life-threatening illness for which other therapies are either ineffective or not available.

      Outside the United States, our ability to market our products will also be contingent upon receiving marketing authorizations from the appropriate regulatory authorities and compliance with applicable post-approval regulatory requirements. Although the specific requirements and restrictions vary from country to country, as a general matter, foreign regulatory systems include risks similar to those associated with FDA regulation, described above. Under EU regulatory systems, marketing authorizations may be submitted either under a centralized or decentralized procedure. Under the centralized procedure, a single application to the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) lead to an approval granted by the European Commission which permits the marketing of the product throughout the EU. We assume that the centralized procedure will apply to our products that are developed by means of a biotechnology process. The decentralized procedure provides for mutual recognition of nationally approved decisions and is used for products that do not qualify under the centralized procedure. Under the decentralized procedure, the holders of a national marketing authorization may submit further applications to the competent authorities of the remaining members states which will then be requested to recognize the original authorization based upon an assessment report prepared by the original authorizing competent authority. The recognition process should take no longer than 90 days, but if one member state makes an objection, which under the legislation can only be based on a possible risk to human health, we have the option to withdraw the application from that country or take the application to arbitration by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) of the EMEA. If a referral for arbitration is made, the procedure is suspended, and in the intervening time, the only EU country in which the product can be marketed will be the country where the original authorization has been granted, even if all the other designated countries are ready to recognize the product. The opinion of the CPMP, which is binding, could support or reject the objection or alternatively could reach a compromise position acceptable to all EU countries concerned. Arbitration can be avoided if the application is withdrawn in the objecting country, but once the application has been referred to arbitration, it cannot be withdrawn. The arbitration procedure may take an additional year before a final decision is reached and may require the delivery of additional data.

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      As with FDA approval, we may not be able to secure regulatory approvals in Europe in a timely manner, if at all. Additionally, as in the United States, post-approval regulatory requirements, such as those regarding product manufacture, marketing, or distribution, would apply to any product that is approved in Europe, and failure to comply with such obligations could have a material adverse effect on our ability to successfully commercialize any product.

      There has recently been introduced in Europe new legislation designed to harmonise the regulation of clinical trials across the EU and that legislation is currently being implemented on a country by country basis. In addition, new proposals are under advanced consideration which, if brought into law, will effect substantial and material changes to the regulation of medicinal products in Europe. Accordingly, there is a marked degree of change and uncertainty both in the regulation of clinical trials and in respect of marketing authorisations which face us in seeking for our products in Europe.

Government Funding

      Novogen received financial support for the phenoxodiol drug program from the Australian government under what is known as the START Program. The START Program is a merit-based program designed to encourage and assist Australian companies to undertake research and development and commercialization through a range of grants and loans. The START Program is administered by the Industry Research and Development, or IR&D Board. The IR&D Board is made up of private sector and academic members with expertise and experience in research and development and commercialization. In 1998, the Australian government agreed to provide A$2.7 million (approximately U.S. $1.8 million) enabling Novogen to expedite phenoxodiol into clinical trials, provided that the grant money was matched by an equal expenditure by Novogen. The START grant was awarded after the government’s review of the pertinent research results, the intellectual property driving the program, and the likelihood and potential for commercial success of the drug.

      The terms of the grant require Novogen to obtain the consent of the Australian government to deal with the intellectual property rights which have arisen through the program conducted to date. Novogen has obtained the consent of the Australian government to the grant of the license to us and to the other arrangements between us and Novogen concerning the development and commercialization of phenoxodiol.

      Novogen believes that it has fulfilled all of its obligations under the terms of the START Program and expects to continue to do so in the future. For additional information on the consequences to us in the event Novogen fails to comply with its obligations under the START Program, see the “Intellectual Property” and “Risk Factors” sections of this prospectus.

Employees

      We do not have any employees. Novogen provides us with staff and other financial and administrative services under our service agreement with Novogen.

Facilities

      We do not own or lease any facility. Novogen provides us with space for our corporate headquarters.

Legal proceedings

      We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings.

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