Tuesday October 21 8:31 AM EDT
Company Press Release
Cephalon and Kyowa Hakko Receive Patents for Neurotrophic Small
Molecules
WEST CHESTER, Pa. and TOKYO, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Cephalon, Inc.
(Nasdaq:CEPH) and Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. announced today that the
two companies have been issued U.S. and European composition of matter
patents and a European use patent covering a class of small molecules
being developed by Cephalon, under license from Kyowa Hakko, as
potential treatments for neurodegenerative conditions.
Cephalon is evaluating this series of molecules for potential
application in treating Alzheimer's disease. One of these molecules,
CEP-1347/KT7515, currently in preclinical studies, is orally active and
has been shown to promote survival of cholinergic and glutamatergic
neurons by inhibiting a specific signaling pathway that is activated in
dying neurons. The death of these two types of neurons occurs in people
afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. Results of preclinical studies of
CEP-1347/KT7515 have been presented at numerous neuroscience conferences
and were published recently in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
The companies received U.S. patent number 5,621,100 expiring in 2012,
and European patent number EPO 651,754B1 expiring in 2013, which claims
as compositions of matter certain derivatives of K-252a, including
CEP-1347/KT7515. K-252a is a signal transduction modulator discovered
and developed by Kyowa Hakko. The European patent also claims the use of
such K-252a derivatives in enhancing the function of cholinergic
neurons. Cephalon has exclusive marketing rights to these compounds in
the United States, and semi-exclusive marketing rights with Kyowa Hakko
in the rest of the world. The company also has an option to acquire from
Kyowa Hakko semi-exclusive marketing rights in Japan.
''We are pleased to announce the issuance of these patents which
strengthen our proprietary research programs and underscore the
importance of our collaboration with Kyowa Hakko,'' said Frank Baldino,
Jr., Ph.D., Cephalon's president and chief executive officer.
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, manufactures
and markets products in the pharmaceuticals and bio-products, liquor and
food and chemicals industries. The company conducts R&D, clinical drug
testing, manufacturing, and marketing in Asia, North America, and
Europe. At present, Kyowa Hakko's customer base spans more than 80
countries around the world.
Cephalon, Inc., headquartered in West Chester, PA, is an international
biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and markets products
to treat neurological disorders. The company is developing products for
the treatment of ALS, narcolepsy, peripheral neuropathies, Alzheimer's
disease and stroke, and currently copromotes three products in the
United States for the treatment of neurological conditions.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties. A full discussion of Cephalon's operations and
financial condition, including factors that may affect the company's
business and future prospects, is contained in documents the company
files with the SEC, such as form 10-Q and 10-K reports. These documents
identify important factors that could cause the company's actual
performance to differ from current expectations.
NOTE: Cephalon's press releases are available by fax 24 hours a day at
no charge by calling PR Newswire's Company News On-Call at 800-758-5804,
extension 134563. They are also posted on the Internet at
prnewswire.com.
SOURCE Cephalon, Inc.
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