Sierra Neuropharmaceuticals Completes $21.5-Million Series A Funding Round

AURORA, Colo., July 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Sierra Neuropharmaceuticals, Inc.,
a formulator of pharmaceuticals for direct-to-the-brain treatment of
neurological diseases, announced a $21.5-million venture capital Series A
financing. Co-leads in the funding were HealthCare Ventures, Morgenthaler
Ventures, and Sequel Venture Partners. Other investors include High Country
Venture and GC&H Investments LLC.
Sierra uses a proprietary drug development process that makes use of
standard implantable pumps placed surgically under the skin which deliver
drugs directly to the fluid around the brain via a catheter. The approach aims
to help patients suffering from severe epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia and
other neurological diseases who, until now, have had to treat their conditions
by taking drugs orally. "Many current oral therapies are limited in their use
due to severe side effects and possible toxicities," says Daniel Abrams, M.D.,
Sierra's founder, Chief Scientific Officer, and Acting CEO. "For patients,
this means they may be denied access to medicines that could otherwise be of
great benefit. Even for those drugs that can safely be taken orally, patients
often have difficulty maintaining a proper pill regimen and may take only
50-80% of their required dosage. By reformulating existing pharmaceuticals and
delivering them via an implanted device, better treatment and new options can
be made available to patients."
It is estimated that more than 10 million people in the United States and
Europe suffer from severe neurological diseases not adequately treated by
current oral medications and would benefit from a new approach. "We think
Sierra's new approach offers a broad new pathway for treating neurological
diseases," he says, "and an opportunity to enhance patient lives."
To further develop therapies and win FDA approval, Abrams says Sierra will
work closely with both pump manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. The
latter, he says, could collaborate by developing life cycle regimes for
existing drugs that will now be used at different dosing levels or,
alternatively, by co-developing future CNS drugs that offer more therapeutic
and commercial potential when delivered via implantable pump. Sierra's initial
products will utilize off-patent drugs and are expected to enter clinical
trials within the next year.
About Sierra Neuropharmaceuticals
Sierra Neuropharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the
development and commercialization of centrally-administered, small molecule
therapeutics for the treatment of severe CNS diseases refractory to oral
medications. These include epilepsy, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety
disorders and major depression. The company uses a proprietary drug
development process to reformulate pharmaceuticals for direct delivery to the
brain via standard implantable pumps. www.sierraneuro.com
About HealthCare Ventures
Founded in 1985, HealthCare Ventures LLC is a leading venture capital firm
with offices in Cambridge, MA and Princeton, NJ, specializing in life science
industry investing. Over the past 23 years, HealthCare Ventures has raised
$1.6 billion in eight funds, and has invested in a total of 93 companies to
date. Notable HealthCare Ventures' investments include such companies as
Avidia, Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, Human Genome Sciences, LeukoSite, MedImmune,
Novazyme, OraSure, Replidyne, Inc., Shire Pharmaceuticals, Tolerx, Verenium
Corporation, and Vicuron Pharmaceuticals. www.hcven.com
About Morgenthaler Ventures
Founded in 1968, Morgenthaler is a leading, national venture capital firm
with offices in Menlo Park, CA (headquarters); Boston, MA; Cleveland, OH; and
Boulder, CO; and with an investment focus on life sciences and information
technology. Morgenthaler's life science investments, past and present, include
such industry-leading companies as Avidia, CardioThoracic Systems, The
Foundry, Morphotek, OncoMed, Orexigen, Perclose, and Xtent. Morgenthaler has a
total of $2.5 billion under management. Its most recent fund, capitalized at
$450 million, was raised in July of 2005. The firm (www.morgenthaler.com) has
funded more than 300 companies over its 40-year history.
About Sequel Venture Partners
Sequel Venture Partners, based in Boulder, Colorado, provides venture
funding for early stage technology businesses. Sequel manages $400 million in
capital, and specializes in Healthcare, Internet and Enterprise IT, Clean
Technology and Internet based services. http://www.sequelvc.com/
About High Country Venture
High Country Venture manages Colorado Fund I, which is a venture capital
fund that invests in seed and early stage businesses in Colorado, focusing on
Life Sciences (including biotechnology, agritechnology, and medical devices),
information technology (including software and Internet companies) and retail.
The mission of High Country Venture is to invest in the most promising and
innovative early stage Colorado companies, help build them into strong,
profitable businesses, and to capture that value creation through strategic
financial decisions. http://www.coloradofund1.com/
About GC & H Investments, LLC.
GC&H Investments, LLC, makes venture investments on behalf of lawyers with
Cooley Godward Kronish LLP. www.cooley.com
SOURCE Sierra Neuropharmaceuticals, Inc.

Dan Abrams, Acting CEO of Sierra Neuropharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-303-496-0141,
dan.abrams@sierraneuro.com; or Media, Tom Gibson of The Gibson Network,
+1-216-320-1520, tgibson1@ameritech.net, for Sierra Neuropharmaceuticals,
Inc.