Curis Compound, BMP-7, May Prevent Bone and Vascular Complications Associated With Chronic Kidney Disease
Monday November 4, 8:01 am ET
Results of Preclinical Studies are the Subject of Several Presentations at Annual Kidney Medical Conference Held in Philadelphia
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Curis, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRIS - News) -- announced today its proprietary compound, BMP-7, has shown effectiveness for the prevention of several serious complications of chronic kidney disease in animal models of these disorders. In a series of presentations at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nephrology, BMP-7 is reported to be effective in the prevention of metabolic bone diseases (renal osteodystrophies) and hardening of the blood vessels (vascular calcifications) that are associated with chronic kidney disease. Vascular calcification is the leading cause of death in the kidney dialysis patient population.
These BMP-7 presentations are the result of pioneering research in the laboratory of Dr. Keith Hruska, a Professor of Pediatric Nephrology at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Hruska will be discussing this kidney disease research in a presentation entitled "The Pathophysiological Links between Renal Osteodystrophy, Vascular Calcification, and their Therapies," at the American Society for Nephrology conference on Monday, November 4, at 10 AM, at the Philadelphia Convention Center.
"Kidney failure patients on dialysis experience a number of serious metabolic side effects, including anemia, calcium imbalance, metabolic bone diseases, and calcification of blood vessels," said Daniel R. Passeri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Curis. "Two prominent biopharmaceutical drugs, erythropoeitin (EPO) and calcitriol (Vitamin D), are effective for the anemia and calcium imbalance, but the bone and blood vessel disorders in the dialysis patient population remain significant and, in the instance of vascular calcification, life-threatening problems. The prospect that BMP-7 may prevent the development of these bone and blood vessel complications is very exciting news for Curis as a company and for the hundreds of thousands of dialysis patients who may one day benefit from BMP-7 based treatments."
About Curis, Inc.
Curis, Inc. is generating therapies that regulate the pathways used by the body to maintain and restore health. The company focuses on signaling pathways that govern the proliferation and differentiation of cells. These same pathways control maintenance, repair, and regeneration of tissues and organs from infancy through old age. This approach has created an approved product for bone regeneration and enables Curis to build a portfolio of product candidates in neurology, kidney disease, and cancer. For more information, please visit the Curis web site at curis.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements concerning Curis' or management's intentions, plans, expectations or predictions of future events are forward-looking statements. Such statements may contain the words "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Actual results can be affected by, among other things, uncertainties relating to product development, clinical trials, regulatory actions or delays, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, changes in or an inability to execute Curis' realigned business strategy and other risk factors identified in Curis' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Curis disclaims any intention or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
Contacts for Curis:
Henry W. McCusker Christopher U. Missling, PhD
Vice President Strategic Planning Chief Financial Officer
(617-503-6641) (617-503-6587) |
