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Biotech / Medical : Akorn Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (86)	3/5/2000 9:44:00 PM
From: par284	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 101

Richard, Found this info thought you might be interested. par284 ARMD stands for age-related macular degeneration. It is a disease which leads to blindness. Tends to affect only seniors. Right now it is incurable. QTLI has a first generation product nearing market release. It works using photcoagulation to clot up capillaries in the eye which, growing uncontrolled, cause ARMD. AKRN is working on a second generation cure for ARMD which it believes has the potential to be a considerable more effective--i.e. longer-lasting and easier to administer--than QTLI's solution. But AKRN is further behind in terms of when it will bring its product to market; the company says it's four years away though it could be as little as two years away. AKRN claims its treatment for ARMD could be more effective because instead of blocking uncontrolled capillary growth at the capillary level, it will shut down the feeder blood vessels which supply the capillaries. Thus instead of having to frequently redo the procedure the way QTLI's drug would, AKRN would have a longer lasting cure. Given that the disease is currently incurable and given the continuing growth in the number of older seniors, ARMD is a large market opportunity. Hence QTLI's market cap, even though they only have a first generation product, has recently been over $4 billion! As I've mentioned in previous postings, one of the reasons I'm hopeful about AKRN's time to market with this product is that the compound, IC Green, is already well known to the FDA. It has been used for a long time as a diagnostic agent in the eye. The new application for it would be as a therapeutic drug, in connection with a laser which would cause photcoagulation of the infringing blood vessels. I believe that AKRN's version of ICG has already been the subject of at least 100 human clinical trials at sites around Baltimore associated with Johns Hopkins. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (86)	4/12/2000 12:18:00 PM
From: scaram(o)uche	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 101

Wednesday April 12, 9:30 am Eastern Time Company Press Release SOURCE: Photogen Technologies, Inc. Photogen Issued Patent For Its Two-Photon Excitation Technology; Advanced Technology Used to Destroy Cancerous Tissue KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Photogen Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: PHGN - news) today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent covering Photogen's apparatus for treatment using Two-Photon Excitation (TPE) for activation of photoactive agents. This is another application in a series that gives the company extensive coverage for therapeutic use of its proprietary Two-Photon Excitation technology in medicine. Photogen, an emerging biotechnology company that develops advanced non- and minimally invasive diagnostics and therapeutics, was issued divisional patent (U.S. 6,042,603) for apparatus claims contained in its original application (U.S. 5,829,448) for therapeutic uses of Two-Photon Excitation. TPE is an advanced, light-based technology that uses ultrashort, pulsed bursts of long-wavelength light to destroy cancerous and diseased tissue. It also can be used for various diagnostic applications. TPE is in various stages of pre-clinical research for use in indications such as melanoma treatment, hair removal and biomedical research and clinical diagnostics. ``Securing rights for devices that deliver our TPE technology is a significant milestone in our patent strategy,' said President and CEO Timothy Scott. ``TPE is one of the original technologies on which we founded the company. Using it as a foundation, we are beginning to pursue related non- and minimally invasive procedures for various indications. ``We are pleased to have coverage, including methods for producing activated agents and details of devices used for effecting TPE in medicine. Eventually, we believe that physicians and the medical marketplace will benefit from treatment packages that we develop for cancer and other medical conditions.' Walter G. Fisher, Ph.D., Eric A. Wachter, Ph.D., and Craig Dees, Ph.D., all senior scientists at Photogen, developed the invention. About Photogen Photogen Technologies, Inc. is a development-stage company focused on creating therapeutic and diagnostic products based on its proprietary multi-photon and other related technologies. The company has discovered new methods for using energy from lasers, X-rays or other sources to activate photoactive agents within tissue sufficient to produce a range of beneficial therapeutic and diagnostic outcomes. These technologies involve methods, materials and devices that may be used to produce light or other energy and photoactive agents and to destroy diseased cells, remove tissue or identify and diagnose disease. Photogen has U.S. patents and additional pending applications in the U.S. and elsewhere for certain of its proprietary technology. Statements in this release that are not strictly historical are ``forward-looking' statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, which may cause the company's actual results in the future to differ materially from expected results. These risks and uncertainties include: the ability of the company to develop a product and obtain regulatory approval for its use; the ability of the company to successfully market and sell any products and equipment; the company's ability to manufacture products in sufficient quantities; the company's ability to maintain intellectual property protection for its proprietary products, to defend its existing intellectual property rights from challenges by third parties, and to avoid infringing intellectual property rights of third parties; unforeseen operating risks; the company's ability to secure collaborative agreements with third parties for various research, development, manufacturing, marketing and other functions; competition; risks associated with the dependence on manufacturers of the company's proposed products; the availability of capital to finance planned activities; and the extent to which the clinicians performing the procedures are able to obtain third-party reimbursement. These risks are qualified in their entirety by cautionary language and risk factors set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Media Contacts: Joan Murray or Hilary Kaye at Hilary Kaye Associates (714) 426-0444 (PST) or jmurray@hkamarcom.com. Investor Relations Contact: Jonathan Fassberg or Isabel Cordova at The Trout Group (212) 477-9007 (EST) or jonathan@troutgroup.com. SOURCE: Photogen Technologies, Inc.