Peplin was founded in 1998 to advance promising research undertaken by its founder Dr Jim Aylward. Dr Aylward, utilizing facilities at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), was interested in evaluating the anti-cancer properties of natural products sourced from non-indigenous plants of the genus Euphorbiaceae. In particular Dr Aylward was interested in the science behind the observation that the sap of Euphorbia peplus had enjoyed a history of community use as a treatment for skin cancer conditions.

Peplin secured private funding and a government grant to pursue the early development of this science and funded a pilot clinical study at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland in 1999. This trial was a pilot human clinical study into the effect of the crude sap of E. peplus on non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and actinic (solar) keratosis (AK). The promising early observations in this study supported an initial public offering for Peplin in September 2000.

In November 2002 Peplin signed a development collaboration and licence agreement with Allergan, Inc. of Irvine California. Allergan licensed the right to develop and commercialize Peplin's lead compound PEP005 (ingenol mebutate) in a topical formulation for the treatment of AK and NMSC in territories comprising North and South America. The structure of the collaboration contemplated Peplin undertaking the pre-clinical development and Allergan the clinical development and commercialization of the drug. In June 2004 Allergan filed two INDs with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the clinical development of PEP005 for AK and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). This program entered clinical development in August 2004 and results of the phase I AK trial were reported in January 2005.

The collaboration with Allergan was terminated in October 2004 when Peplin came to the view that Allergan could not commit unequivocally the resources required to keep PEP005 on its development schedule. Allergan confirmed publicly that its decision had not been made on the basis of any safety or efficacy concerns. Termination of the collaboration with Allergan returned to Peplin sole rights to develop and market PEP005 Topical.

Peplin initiated a comprehensive phase II clinical program for PEP005 (ingenol mebutate) Gel for AK and BCC in March 2005. The first of these phase IIa trials was reported in November 2005. In May 2006, Peplin secured the support of international investors through a $40 million capital raising led by MPM Capital.

For further information and results of trials, please refer to the clinical development section under "Products and Technology" on this website.