Curis Issued U.S. Patent Covering Hedgehog Pathway Agonists
Tuesday January 27, 8:42 am ET
Compounds under therapeutic development for the treatment of neurological disorders, alopecia, and cardiovascular disease
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2004-- Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS - News) today announced that it has been issued U.S. patent 6,683,192, entitled "Small Organic Molecule Regulators of Cell Proliferation." The claims of this patent cover specific small molecule compounds that are activators (agonists) of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, one of the major regulatory mechanisms the body uses to develop and maintain various tissues. These compounds are under development as novel drugs for the treatment of neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, and alopecia.
On January 12, Curis licensed this patent and other related patents and patent applications associated with Hedgehog pathway activation to Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE - News), for therapeutic applications in the treatment of neurological and certain other disorders. As part of the agreement, Curis has retained development and licensing options for selective therapeutic applications of the Hedgehog activator technologies, including topical applications for hair growth, local delivery applications for treatment of cardiovascular disease, and those applications that qualify as orphan drug indications, such as spinal cord injury or ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Wyeth has an option to acquire the cardiovascular application and the orphan drug indications, pending particular success criteria.
Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis' Chief Scientific Officer, said, "The development of the small molecule Hedgehog pathway agonists has been one of Curis' most important scientific advances and one of our most significant drug candidate developments. Many of these small molecule agonists are orally available and can enter into the brain, thus making them a very attractive new class of drug development candidates for neurological and other disorders. At the same time, we are also continuing research efforts to identify other compounds and methods of activating this important regulatory pathway."
Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "The potential therapeutic applications of these small molecule agonists in the fields of neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, and alopecia represent substantial pharmaceutical markets. The partnership with Wyeth will ensure that the neurological aspects of these compounds are fully evaluated. At the same, we will continue to assess the therapeutic potential of these agonists for the treatment of alopecia and for cardiovascular indications."
About Curis, Inc.
Curis, Inc. is a therapeutic drug development company. The Company's technology focus is on regulatory pathways that control repair and regeneration. Curis' product development involves the use of proteins or small molecules to modulate these pathways. Curis has successfully used this technology and product development approach to produce several promising drug product candidates in the fields of kidney disease, neurological disorders, cancer, alopecia, and cardiovascular disease. For more information, please visit the Curis web site at www.curis.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements concerning Curis' or management's intentions, plans, expectations or predictions of future events. 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.
Contact:
For Curis, Inc.
Michael Gray, 617-503-6632
Marc Charette, Ph.D., 617-503-6629
Source: Curis, Inc.
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