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Biotech / Medical : CollaGenex (CGPI) FDA PENDING -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nigel bates who wrote (110)	10/28/2004 6:36:14 AM
From: Luke	Respond to of 142

sorry if its off topic because i only skimmed it, but is the following in the same area or the same principle as Periostat & co? Serono (SRA) And Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In Partnership To Develop A Novel Oral Treatment For Multiple Sclerosis GENEVA, Switzerland and BOSTON, Massachusetts, October 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Serono (virt-x: SEO and NYSE: SRA) and Paratek Pharmaceuticals , Inc. announced today that they have entered into an agreement to discover, develop and commercialize an orally-available disease modifying treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). During the initial phase of their collaboration, Paratek and Serono will seek to identify for clinical development novel tetracycline derivatives from a library of non-antibiotic lead compounds discovered by Paratek chemists. Orally administered minocycline (an antibiotic tetracycline) was reported in a recently published clinical study to have a therapeutic benefit in the treatment of patients with relapsing-remitting MS[1]. The favorable safety profile of the tetracycline class is well documented, with a more than 30-year track record in the marketplace. Serono will be responsible for the worldwide development and commercialization of compounds arising from the collaboration. No orally administered disease-modifying drug is currently approved for the treatment of MS. "This partnership with Paratek reflects our long-term commitment to patients with multiple sclerosis", said Tim Wells, Head of Research of Serono. "Non-antibiotic tetracycline-derived compounds represent a promising approach for the development of orally available treatments for multiple sclerosis. We are very pleased to be working with Paratek, which has considerable expertise in this area and has already identified a number of very promising compounds." "Serono's commitment to multiple sclerosis and their extensive research expertise in the fields of neurology, immunology and inflammation were very attractive to Paratek. This collaboration validates the use of our proprietary tetracycline chemistry expertise to create improved novel compounds specifically targeting promising new uses," said Thomas J. Bigger, President and CEO of Paratek Pharmaceuticals. Under the terms of the agreement, Paratek will receive an initial cash payment, a loan convertible into Paratek stock, research funding and potential milestone payments related to development progress and regulatory milestones. In addition to upfront consideration, Paratek would receive USD 38 million in milestone payments from Serono for the first product to be successfully developed and registered in MS. Additional drugs and indications developed would result in further payments to Paratek. Paratek will receive undisclosed royalties on product sales should a product reach the market. Preclinical data on three non-antibacterial tetracycline derivatives covered by this agreement will be presented today at Neuroscience 2004, the Society for Neuroscience's 34th Annual Meeting in San Diego. About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the nervous system and is the most common, non-traumatic, neurological disease in young adults. Multiple sclerosis may affect approximately two million people worldwide. While symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis include blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and coordination. The relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis are the most common.