Raptor Pharmaceutical Licenses Intellectual Property Related to Malaria From McGill University
Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp.
29.05.2012 13:30
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOVATO, Calif., 2012-05-29 13:30 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. ('Raptor' or the 'Company') (Nasdaq:RPTP),
announced that the Company has acquired exclusive rights to intellectual
property related to cysteamine and related compounds in the potential treatment
of parasitic diseases, including malaria, from McGill University ('McGill') in
Montreal, Canada.
The McGill patent covers the use of cysteamine and related compounds in the
potential treatment of malaria in combination with artemisinin, the current
standard of care. Researchers at McGill reported that, in mouse models of
malaria, the combination not only significantly reduced parasite levels in red
blood cells but also improved survival rates compared to artemisinin alone.
Ted Daley, President of Raptor's Clinical Division, stated, 'The McGill
agreement provides Raptor with an entree into the area of infectious disease
that is based on what we believe are compelling and novel preclinical findings.
With this preclinical foundation and the existing safety profile of cysteamine,
we hope to advance this malaria program to a Phase 2 clinical stage quickly,
aiming to leverage the various sources of grant funds available for clinical
development of promising potential treatments for malaria. At the same time,
exclusively licensing the intellectual property rights significantly
strengthens and expands our proprietary position around cysteamine and related
compounds.'
Dr. Philippe Gros, Professor of Biochemistry at McGill, said, 'The challenge
for researchers developing malaria treatments has been the ongoing evolution of
drug-resistant parasites that necessitate the search for new drug formulations.
We were encouraged by the preclinical results so far that cysteamine and
related compounds may serve to improve the effectiveness of artemisinin when
the two compounds are used in combination.'
Dr. Patrice Rioux, Raptor's Chief Medical Officer said, 'The research done at
McGill has indicated that cysteamine may have clinical utility in malaria. As
malaria remains a difficult to treat disease, we feel this is an appropriate
and exciting therapeutic area to extend our studies of cysteamine bitartrate.
We look forward to a continued collaboration with the researchers at McGill, as
well as other malaria clinical thought leaders, as we take the program
forward.'
About Malaria
According to the World Health Organization's ('WHO') World Malaria Report 2011,
there were about 216 million cases of malaria and an estimated 655,000 deaths
from malaria in 2010. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and
vomiting. Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is
transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the
parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. If not
treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood
supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, the parasites have
developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines. The current standard of
care is treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies. According to
the WHO, resistance to antimalarial medicines is a recurring problem. While
there are likely many factors that contribute to the emergence and spread of
resistance, the use of oral artemisinins alone, as monotherapy, is thought to
be an important driver. Without a second drug given as part of a combination,
these resistant parasites survive and can be passed on to a mosquito and then
another person.
About Cysteamine and RP103
RP103 is Raptor's proprietary delayed release oral medication designed to
potentially treat the underlying metabolic cause of cystinosis. RP103 is an
enteric coated, microbead formulation of cysteamine bitartrate that has been
formulated to be sprinkled onto food for administration to patients too young
to take oral capsules.
In December 2007, Raptor obtained an exclusive, worldwide license from the
University of California, San Diego for the development of RP103 for
nephropathic cystinosis and of cysteamine for other potential indications
including Huntington's Disease currently in a Phase 2/3 clinical trial in
France and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis ('NASH') currently in a Phase 2b
clinical trial in the U.S. Raptor has been granted orphan product designation
for RP103 for the potential treatment of nephropathic cystinosis by the
European Medicines Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration ('FDA') and for
the potential treatment of Huntington's Disease by the FDA.
About Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp.
Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. (Nasdaq:RPTP) ('Raptor') seeks to research,
produce, and deliver medicines that improve life for patients with severe, rare
disorders. Raptor currently has product candidates in clinical development
designed to potentially treat nephropathic cystinosis, Non-alcoholic
Steatohepatitis ('NASH'), Huntington's Disease ('HD'), aldehyde dehydrogenase
deficiency ('ALDH2'), and thrombotic disorder.
Raptor's preclinical programs are based upon bioengineered novel drug
candidates and drug-targeting platforms derived from the human
receptor-associated protein and related proteins that are designed to target
cancer and infectious diseases.
For additional information, please visit www.raptorpharma.com.
The Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7180
About McGill
McGill University, founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, is Canada's leading
post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 11 faculties, 10 professional
schools, 300 programs of study and more than 35,000 students. McGill attracts
students from more than 150 countries around the world. For additional
information, please visit http://www.mcgill.ca/research/.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This document contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate
to future events or our future results of operation or future financial
performance, including, but not limited to the following statements: that
preclinical results using cysteamine in combination with artemisinin could be
repeated in other preclinical and clinical studies in malaria; that Raptor will
advance this malaria program to a Phase 2 clinical stage quickly; that Raptor
will leverage the various sources of grant funds available for clinical
development of promising potential treatments for malaria; that exclusively
licensing the intellectual property rights significantly strengthens and
expands Raptor's proprietary position around cysteamine and related compounds;
that cysteamine and related compounds may improve the effectiveness of
artemisinin when used in combination; that cysteamine could have clinical
utility in malaria; that Raptor will continue a collaboration with the
researchers at McGill, as well as other malaria clinical thought leaders and
take the malaria program forward; and that Raptor will be able to successfully
develop RP103 or any of its other product candidates. These statements are only
predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors, which may cause the Company's actual results to be materially
different from these forward-looking statements. Factors which may
significantly change or prevent the Company's forward looking statements from
fruition include: that Raptor may be unsuccessful in developing any products or
acquiring products; that Raptor's technology may not be validated as it
progresses further and its methods may not be accepted by the scientific
community; that Raptor is unable to retain or attract key employees whose
knowledge is essential to the development of its products; that unforeseen
scientific difficulties develop with the Company's process; that Raptor's
patents are not sufficient to protect essential aspects of its technology; that
competitors may invent better technology; that Raptor's products may not work
as well as hoped or worse, that the Company's products may harm recipients; and
that Raptor may not be able to raise sufficient funds for development or
working capital. As well, Raptor's products may never develop into useful
products and even if they do, they may not be approved for sale to the public.
Raptor cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. Certain of these
risks, uncertainties, and other factors are described in greater detail in the
Company's filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the 'SEC'), which Raptor strongly urges you to read and consider, including:
Raptor's annual report on Form 10-K, as amended by Form10-K/A, filed with the
SEC on November 11, 2011 and December 19, 2011, respectively; and Raptor's
quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on April 9, 2012; all of which
are available free of charge on the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov.
Subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Raptor
or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by
the cautionary statements set forth in Raptor's reports filed with the SEC.
Raptor expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any
forward-looking statements.
CONTACT: Trout Group (investors)
Lauren Glaser
(646) 378-2972
lglaser@troutgroup.com
EVC Group (media)
Janine McCargo
(646) 688-0425
jmccargo@evcgroup.com
News Source: NASDAQ OMX
29.05.2012 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP -
a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
DGAP's Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,
Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Language: English
Company: Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp.
United States
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Internet:
ISIN: US75382F1066
WKN:
End of Announcement DGAP News-Service
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Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp.
29.05.2012 13:30
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOVATO, Calif., 2012-05-29 13:30 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. ('Raptor' or the 'Company') (Nasdaq:RPTP),
announced that the Company has acquired exclusive rights to intellectual
property related to cysteamine and related compounds in the potential treatment
of parasitic diseases, including malaria, from McGill University ('McGill') in
Montreal, Canada.
The McGill patent covers the use of cysteamine and related compounds in the
potential treatment of malaria in combination with artemisinin, the current
standard of care. Researchers at McGill reported that, in mouse models of
malaria, the combination not only significantly reduced parasite levels in red
blood cells but also improved survival rates compared to artemisinin alone.
Ted Daley, President of Raptor's Clinical Division, stated, 'The McGill
agreement provides Raptor with an entree into the area of infectious disease
that is based on what we believe are compelling and novel preclinical findings.
With this preclinical foundation and the existing safety profile of cysteamine,
we hope to advance this malaria program to a Phase 2 clinical stage quickly,
aiming to leverage the various sources of grant funds available for clinical
development of promising potential treatments for malaria. At the same time,
exclusively licensing the intellectual property rights significantly
strengthens and expands our proprietary position around cysteamine and related
compounds.'
Dr. Philippe Gros, Professor of Biochemistry at McGill, said, 'The challenge
for researchers developing malaria treatments has been the ongoing evolution of
drug-resistant parasites that necessitate the search for new drug formulations.
We were encouraged by the preclinical results so far that cysteamine and
related compounds may serve to improve the effectiveness of artemisinin when
the two compounds are used in combination.'
Dr. Patrice Rioux, Raptor's Chief Medical Officer said, 'The research done at
McGill has indicated that cysteamine may have clinical utility in malaria. As
malaria remains a difficult to treat disease, we feel this is an appropriate
and exciting therapeutic area to extend our studies of cysteamine bitartrate.
We look forward to a continued collaboration with the researchers at McGill, as
well as other malaria clinical thought leaders, as we take the program
forward.'
About Malaria
According to the World Health Organization's ('WHO') World Malaria Report 2011,
there were about 216 million cases of malaria and an estimated 655,000 deaths
from malaria in 2010. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and
vomiting. Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is
transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the
parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. If not
treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood
supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, the parasites have
developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines. The current standard of
care is treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies. According to
the WHO, resistance to antimalarial medicines is a recurring problem. While
there are likely many factors that contribute to the emergence and spread of
resistance, the use of oral artemisinins alone, as monotherapy, is thought to
be an important driver. Without a second drug given as part of a combination,
these resistant parasites survive and can be passed on to a mosquito and then
another person.
About Cysteamine and RP103
RP103 is Raptor's proprietary delayed release oral medication designed to
potentially treat the underlying metabolic cause of cystinosis. RP103 is an
enteric coated, microbead formulation of cysteamine bitartrate that has been
formulated to be sprinkled onto food for administration to patients too young
to take oral capsules.
In December 2007, Raptor obtained an exclusive, worldwide license from the
University of California, San Diego for the development of RP103 for
nephropathic cystinosis and of cysteamine for other potential indications
including Huntington's Disease currently in a Phase 2/3 clinical trial in
France and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis ('NASH') currently in a Phase 2b
clinical trial in the U.S. Raptor has been granted orphan product designation
for RP103 for the potential treatment of nephropathic cystinosis by the
European Medicines Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration ('FDA') and for
the potential treatment of Huntington's Disease by the FDA.
About Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp.
Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. (Nasdaq:RPTP) ('Raptor') seeks to research,
produce, and deliver medicines that improve life for patients with severe, rare
disorders. Raptor currently has product candidates in clinical development
designed to potentially treat nephropathic cystinosis, Non-alcoholic
Steatohepatitis ('NASH'), Huntington's Disease ('HD'), aldehyde dehydrogenase
deficiency ('ALDH2'), and thrombotic disorder.
Raptor's preclinical programs are based upon bioengineered novel drug
candidates and drug-targeting platforms derived from the human
receptor-associated protein and related proteins that are designed to target
cancer and infectious diseases.
For additional information, please visit www.raptorpharma.com.
The Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7180
About McGill
McGill University, founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, is Canada's leading
post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 11 faculties, 10 professional
schools, 300 programs of study and more than 35,000 students. McGill attracts
students from more than 150 countries around the world. For additional
information, please visit http://www.mcgill.ca/research/.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This document contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate
to future events or our future results of operation or future financial
performance, including, but not limited to the following statements: that
preclinical results using cysteamine in combination with artemisinin could be
repeated in other preclinical and clinical studies in malaria; that Raptor will
advance this malaria program to a Phase 2 clinical stage quickly; that Raptor
will leverage the various sources of grant funds available for clinical
development of promising potential treatments for malaria; that exclusively
licensing the intellectual property rights significantly strengthens and
expands Raptor's proprietary position around cysteamine and related compounds;
that cysteamine and related compounds may improve the effectiveness of
artemisinin when used in combination; that cysteamine could have clinical
utility in malaria; that Raptor will continue a collaboration with the
researchers at McGill, as well as other malaria clinical thought leaders and
take the malaria program forward; and that Raptor will be able to successfully
develop RP103 or any of its other product candidates. These statements are only
predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors, which may cause the Company's actual results to be materially
different from these forward-looking statements. Factors which may
significantly change or prevent the Company's forward looking statements from
fruition include: that Raptor may be unsuccessful in developing any products or
acquiring products; that Raptor's technology may not be validated as it
progresses further and its methods may not be accepted by the scientific
community; that Raptor is unable to retain or attract key employees whose
knowledge is essential to the development of its products; that unforeseen
scientific difficulties develop with the Company's process; that Raptor's
patents are not sufficient to protect essential aspects of its technology; that
competitors may invent better technology; that Raptor's products may not work
as well as hoped or worse, that the Company's products may harm recipients; and
that Raptor may not be able to raise sufficient funds for development or
working capital. As well, Raptor's products may never develop into useful
products and even if they do, they may not be approved for sale to the public.
Raptor cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. Certain of these
risks, uncertainties, and other factors are described in greater detail in the
Company's filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the 'SEC'), which Raptor strongly urges you to read and consider, including:
Raptor's annual report on Form 10-K, as amended by Form10-K/A, filed with the
SEC on November 11, 2011 and December 19, 2011, respectively; and Raptor's
quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on April 9, 2012; all of which
are available free of charge on the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov.
Subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Raptor
or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by
the cautionary statements set forth in Raptor's reports filed with the SEC.
Raptor expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any
forward-looking statements.
CONTACT: Trout Group (investors)
Lauren Glaser
(646) 378-2972
lglaser@troutgroup.com
EVC Group (media)
Janine McCargo
(646) 688-0425
jmccargo@evcgroup.com
News Source: NASDAQ OMX
29.05.2012 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP -
a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
DGAP's Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,
Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Language: English
Company: Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp.
United States
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Internet:
ISIN: US75382F1066
WKN:
End of Announcement DGAP News-Service
---------------------------------------------------------------------------