Tuesday November 30, 10:31 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc.
TKT Awarded Broad Gene Therapy Patent for the Delivery of Erythropoietin
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TKTX - news) today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent No. 5,994,127 entitled ``In Vivo Production and Delivery of Erythropoietin or Insulinotropin for Gene Therapy.' This is a broad patent relating to the Company's proprietary gene therapy technology, Transkaryotic Therapy(TM). The patent covers the composition of cells modified by the transfection of DNA such that the cells can deliver erythropoietin to patients.
``We believe our approach to Gene Therapy is applicable to a broad range of human diseases and may offer clinical and commercial advantages over conventional treatments including safety, long-term expression, ease of administration, and cost effectiveness,' said Douglas A. Treco, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Research and Development of TKT. ``We are encouraged by the progress we have made in developing our Gene Therapy platform, particularly in our anemia, hemophilia, and diabetes programs. This patent is fundamental to our strategy of building a strong patent position to protect our technology, and we intend to continue expanding our Gene Therapy intellectual property portfolio,' Dr. Treco added.
In Transkaryotic Therapy, a small sample of a patient's cells are removed in an outpatient procedure and sent to the Company's manufacturing facility where the cells are genetically-engineered to produce the desired protein for extended periods of time. After the cells and the protein have been tested to ensure both safety and functionality, an appropriate number of genetically- engineered cells are returned to the physician and injected back into the patient. In November 1998, TKT began the first ever hemophilia gene therapy clinical trial focused on the delivery of Factor VIII to patients with hemophilia A. The Phase I safety study is progressing as planned at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston with several patients beginning the two-year follow-up period.
Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. (TKT) is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of products based on its three proprietary development platforms: Gene-Activated(TM) proteins, Niche Protein(TM) products, and Gene Therapy. The Company's gene activation technology is a proprietary approach to the large-scale production of therapeutic proteins, which does not require the cloning of genes and their subsequent insertion into non-human cell lines. TKT's Niche Protein product platform is based on protein replacement for the treatment of rare genetic diseases, a group of disorders characterized by the absence of certain metabolic enzymes. The Company's Gene Therapy technology, known as Transkaryotic Therapy(TM), is focused on the commercialization of non-viral, ex vivo gene therapy products for the long-term treatment of chronic protein deficiency states.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward- looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words, ``believes,' ``anticipates,' ``plans,' ``expects,' ``intends,' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations described in these forward-looking statements are set forth under the caption ``Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results' in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 1999 which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and incorporated herein by reference. These important factors include risks as to whether TKT's products will advance in the clinical trials process, the timing of such clinical trials, whether the clinical trial results will warrant continued product development, and whether the Company's products will receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or equivalent regulatory agencies, and, if such products receive approval, whether they will be successfully marketed.
GA-EPO(TM), Gene-Activated(TM), Niche Protein(TM), and Transkaryotic Therapy(TM) are trademarks of Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc.
SOURCE: Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. |
