Local bio-pharm firm will consider merger

MANATEE COUNTY — Lakewood-Amedex, a University Park-based biopharmaceutical company that develops anti-bacterial compounds to treat acute diseases and conditions, signed a strategic advisory deal with New York investment bank H.C. Wainwright & Co.

Wainwright, according to a release, will assist Lakewood-Amedex with merger and acquisition opportunities, in addition to potential licensing. The agreement includes both existing pipeline products and the company's platform technology.

“We are excited to be working with H.C. Wainwright & Co., a well-known and highly respected New York investment bank,” Lakewood-Amedex President and CEO Steve Parkinson says in the statement. “As we prepare to advance our lead bisphosphocin, Nu-2, into clinical trials, we believe that this is an opportune time to engage experienced advisers to help us explore and maximize the value of potential collaborations and relationships with other firms and potential investors in the space.”

Lakewood-Amedex has 40 patents for its products and technology, and another 25 patents are pending. H.C. Wainwright was founded in 1868.