Jerini Ophthalmic and PR Pharmaceuticals Sign Collaboration Agreement to Develop...
* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.
Jerini Ophthalmic and PR Pharmaceuticals Sign Collaboration Agreement to Develop
Sustained-Release Formulations for the Treatment of Eye Diseases
BERLIN and FORT COLLINS, Colo., April 10, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Jerini AG
(FSE:JI4) and PR Pharmaceuticals announced today a license and development
agreement between Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc. (JOI), a wholly-owned and
independently operated U.S. subsidiary of Jerini AG, and PR Pharmaceuticals
(PRP). The collaboration agreement focuses on the development of
sustained-release formulations (SRFs) for a range of ophthalmic indications,
including JOI's lead drug candidates for the treatment of age-related macular
degeneration (AMD): JSM 6427, an integrin antagonist, and JPE 1375, an inhibitor
of the complement cascade. Under the terms of the agreement, JOI will pay an
undisclosed upfront payment along with milestone payments for the achievement of
preclinical and clinical goals and royalties on eventual product sales. In
return, PRP agrees to cooperate exclusively with JOI on specified ophthalmic
targets and to provide the company with all sustained-release formulations
developed through the collaboration agreement.
"Our collaboration with PRP will allow us to leverage our ophthalmic drug
development expertise with PRP's proven drug delivery platform and formulation
resources, enhancing our ability to move our compounds from feasibility to
commercial products. Developing new agents and treatment paradigms for AMD is
essential, and our ophthalmic compounds offer novel therapeutic potential to
address this debilitating disease," said David Shima, Chief Scientific Officer
at JOI.
Anthony P. Adamis, CEO and President of JOI stated, "We look forward to working
with the outstanding scientific team at PRP to develop sustained-release
formulations that will effectively manage retinal disease while reducing the
treatment burden for patients."
"The opportunity to work closely with Jerini Ophthalmic on developing a
sustained-release formulation for each of its new drug candidates is very
exciting for us and represents yet another endorsement of our unique technology
platforms by an important pharmaceutical partner," said Patrick Bols, President
of PRP.
About AMD
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in
people over the age of 55. With age being the primary risk factor for AMD, its
prevalence will increase dramatically with the aging baby-boomer population.
Significant vision loss develops when afflicted eyes go on to develop advanced
AMD, which is characterized either by abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage
or by retinal atrophy.
About Jerini
AG Jerini is a pharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Germany, focusing on the
discovery, development, and commercialization of novel peptide-based drugs. The
company pursues disease indications that have limited or no treatment options
and has built a drug pipeline composed of its own programs, as well as others in
collaboration with established partners. Jerini's lead compound, Icatibant for
the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) is under regulatory review with the
EMEA and FDA and decisions from the agencies are expected in the first half of
2008. Jerini has also established several in-house development programs, which
address indications within the therapeutic areas of ophthalmology, oncology, and
inflammatory disease. For more information, please see www.jerini.com.
About PR Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
PR Pharmaceuticals (PRP) is a biopharmaceutical company developing,
manufacturing, and commercializing bioactive compounds in its injectable
sustained-release technologies. The company has a significant intellectual
property position in the encapsulation of large molecules such as proteins and
peptides as well as encapsulation of classic small molecules into biodegradable
microparticles. PRP is applying compelling and patented technology to create a
diverse range of candidate pharmaceutical products to address unmet medical
needs. For more information, please visit www.prpharm.com.
About Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc.
Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc. is an independently operated and wholly-owned subsidiary
of Jerini AG, which focuses on the rapid development of novel, highly specific
therapeutics for eye diseases and extended-release formulations for chronic eye
diseases. The company is currently conducting a Phase I clinical trial
evaluating JSM 6427 for the treatment of AMD and results are expected in the
second half of 2008. JSM 6427 is a small molecule in development to prevent the
progression of dry AMD to wet AMD, an unmet medical need affecting over 600,000
patients in the United States. For more information, please visit
www.jophth.com.
ISIN: DE0006787476
http://hugin.info/135931/R/1208427/249349.pdf
-0-
CONTACT: Jerini AG
Stacy Wiedenmann, Director, Investor Relations & Corporate
Communications
+ 49 - 30 - 97893 - 285
Fax: + 49 - 30 - 97893 - 599
Invalidenstrasse 130
10115 Berlin, Germany
wiedenmann@jerini.com
PR Pharmaceuticals
Dr. Patrick Bols, President
+ 1 - 970 - 484 - 5560
pbols@prpharm.com
1716 Heath Parkway
Fort Collins, CO 80524
USA
Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc.
Gayle Gironda, Vice President, Business Operations
+ 1- 212 - 408 - 0441
ggironda@jophth.com
111 W. 50th Street, 7th Floor: 7-422A
New York, NY 10020
USA
Comments (0)
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.



Follow Reuters