Angiotech Expands Study For Treatment Of Severe Psoriasis.

Business Editors

VANCOUVER, B.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 19, 2001

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ANPI) (TSE:ANP.) today announced that encouraging results from its Pilot Phase 2 clinical study to assess the safety and efficacy of PAXCEED(TM), Angiotech's proprietary systemic formulation of Micellar Paclitaxel, in the treatment of severe psoriasis has led to a study extension.

The initial 5 patients treated with monthly intravenous infusions over 6 months all exhibited a 50 to 75% improvement in their disease severity, and PAXCEED(TM) was determined to be safe and well-tolerated in the patient group.

"Due to the impressive results thus far, up to 13 additional patients may be enrolled into this study," said Andrew Blauvelt, M.D., Principal Investigator of the study at the Dermatology Branch of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. "During this phase, patients with severe psoriasis will receive intravenous infusions once every 2 weeks in hope of inducing even greater improvements."

As with the initial study, no other therapies for psoriasis will be given to patients during treatment, and all patients must have had previous systemic treatment (e.g., methotrexate, cyclosporine, etc.) to control their disease. The study's primary efficacy measure will be the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI).

Psoriasis is a chronic, hyperproliferative, inflammatory disease of the skin that affects up to 3% of the world's population. Typically, patients have a number of reddened, scaly, well-demarcated plaques and are treated with topical medication. Extensive body surface coverage with plaques, erythrodermic psoriasis, and pustular psoriasis represent less common and more severe forms of the disease. Immune-suppressing therapies are often employed in the treatment of patients with severe psoriasis, where 20% or more of the skin surface is affected.

At present, there is no cure for psoriasis. The overall cost of treating psoriasis in the U.S. has been estimated between US$1.6 and $3.2 billion per year, making the disease a major health care problem.

Angiotech has demonstrated in its preclinical and Pilot Phase 2 study that PAXCEED(TM) has the potential to treat severe psoriasis. The drug has been shown to reduce inflammation, inhibit angiogenesis (tissue growth) and block the uncontrolled division of cells.

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a Canadian pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of medical device coatings and treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases through reformulation of the anticancer drug, paclitaxel. Several pharmaceutical therapies are in clinical development: PAXCEED(TM) for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (Phase 2), rheumatoid arthritis (Phase 1) and severe psoriasis (Pilot Phase 2). The paclitaxel-coated coronary stent program is currently in safety and efficacy studies worldwide. Other medical device programs include paclitaxel-loaded surgical implants for the treatment of restenosis associated with peripheral vascular surgery and for the treatment of proliferative ocular conditions.

1 PAXCEED is a trademark of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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