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Biotech / Medical : CRIS, Curis (formerly CBMI) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tom r. phillips who wrote (351)	12/21/2000 9:31:15 PM
From: Edwin S. Fujinaka	Respond to of 668

Doros answers a question about products in the pipeline and also mentions a mid teens percentage for OP-1 Curis, Inc. (Nasdaq:CRIS) Question: Could you tell us about some of the other products in the pipeline? Answer: We have over a dozen products and product opportunities. As I mentioned, the most advanced is OP-1, which stimulates bone re-growth and regeneration. OP-1 is partnered with Stryker in all orthopedic indications, including non-union fractures, spinal fusion, fresh fractures, and periodontal indications. The OP-1 product will be one of the first regenerative products on the market and represents greater than a billion dollar product opportunity across all indications. Curis will receive mid-teen royalties from worldwide sales. The next most advanced product is a product called Chondrogel, a tissue engineered product comprised of a biomatrix seeded with cells that produce cartilage. Its initial indication is vesicoureteral reflux, or VUR, a pediatric urological disorder. In VUR, the valve that keeps urine from backing up from the bladder into the kidneys is either missing or not functioning. We can repair or replace that valve with living tissue. That product is in pivotal Phase III clinical trials. Enrollment in those trials was completed in September. Chondrogel has received orphan drug designation, and we anticipate having the one-year data necessary for filing the BLA late next year. A third product, behind Chondrogel, is Vascugel, which has large market potential. Unlike Chondrogel, we will need to find a marketing partner for Vascugel. Vascugel is being developed to inhibit restenosis after coronary artery bypass graft or angioplasty. It is a biodegradable implant containing human endothelial cells in a special matrix. Another product under development is called Neo-Bladder, which we believe is one of the first products involving complete organ regeneration. As I said earlier, the focus of Curis is regenerative medicine. People who lose their bladder to trauma, cancer or infection, now have only two principal choices: either a plastic bag on the outside of their bodies, or rebuilding a bladder internally with bowel tissue. With Neo-Bladder, we can now rebuild a bladder out of real bladder tissue. Another product candidate is in pre-clinical development to treat damage to the lining of the nerves, or the myelin sheath. This product candidate is based on the so-called hedgehog molecule. Target diseases for such a therapy would be diabetic neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, and chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. Another potential product opportunity targets Type 1 diabetes. We have identified the adult stem cells that can make the islet cells that produce insulin. For Type II diabetes, another product in pre-clinical research is a small peptide factor that may restore normal islet cell function. This represents a potentially significant partnering opportunity due to its large market opportunity. Another exciting pre-clinical product candidate, also based on our knowledge of developmental biology, is an inhibitor of a pathway called WNT that has been shown to play a key role in the bulk of colon cancer. Dr. Doros Platika, CEO of Curis, Inc. Question From: TWST CEO Interview Media New York