Connective Therapeutics Reports Six Month Clinical Results of ConXn.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 1997--Connective Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNCT) today announced clinical data from a Phase I trial of ConXn(TM) in diffuse scleroderma which was being conducted concurrent with the company's Phase II clinical trial in the same indication.

The results demonstrated that long-term treatment with ConXn was well tolerated with no serious adverse events and resulted in improvement in skin scores, a measure of skin thickening often used as a clinical endpoint in scleroderma and associated with life-threatening hardening of the skin and internal organs.

The open-label study involved 11 evaluable patients who received continuous subcutaneous infusion of ConXn for 24 weeks at either 25 micrograms/kg/day, 100 micrograms/kg/day or 200 micrograms/kg/day doses. Ten of 11 patients experienced improvement in skin scores.

Of the ten patients with improved skin scores, six showed a 35 percent mean improvement and four others showed a 12 percent mean improvement. One patient experienced a 6 percent worsening in skin scores. Data from this study will be presented in greater detail at the British Society for Rheumatology meeting in April 1997.

"These results support earlier clinical data and are encouraging as we continue to evaluate the product in an ongoing Phase II trial which is fully enrolled and expected to be completed mid-1997," said W. Scott Harkonen, M.D., senior vice president of Product Development and Operations of Connective.

Scleroderma is a serious connective tissue disease in which the body produces excessive collagen that encases and hardens the skin and internal organs. Diffuse systemic scleroderma affects an estimated 60,000 patients in the United States, 80 percent of whom are women. In its most severe form, the disease is fatal in 50-70 percent of cases within five years.

ConXn, a natural protein, has been shown to inhibit excessive connective tissue build-up by decreasing collagen production and enhancing collagen breakdown. In preclinical studies, ConXn demonstrated a dose-dependent ability to inhibit collagen accumulation in fibrosis models.

Connective Therapeutics, Inc., headquartered in Palo Alto, California, is focused on the acquisition, development and marketing of products in the areas of rheumatology and dermatology. Ridaur(R) (auranofin), a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis that Connective recently agreed to acquire from SmithKline Beecham, is currently being marketed by SmithKline Beecham.

Several other products are under development: gamma interferon for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and keloids; betamethasone mousse for the treatment of scalp psoriasis and other scalp dermatoses; ConXn for the treatment of scleroderma and other fibrotic conditions; and TCR vaccines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. -0-

Special Note: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those mentioned in Connective's prospectus dated January 31, 1996 under the heading "Risk Factors" and in Connective's Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 1996 under the heading "Additional Factors That May Affect Future Results."

CONTACT: Connective Therapeutics, Palo Alto

Sylvia Wheeler, 415/843-2857