Critical Therapeutics Announces Issuance of U.S. Patent Relating to HMGB1 for Methods to Diagnose Arthritis and Lupus; Patent Focuses on Measuring Concentration of Inflammatory Protein HMGB1; A New Window into Inflammatory Disease.LEXINGTON, Mass. -- Critical Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRTX) today announced the issuance of a U.S. patent for methods of diagnosing and monitoring the severity of several inflammatory conditions, including arthritis and lupus lupus (l  `pəs), noninfectious chronic disease in which antibodies in an individual's immune system attack the body's own substances. , by measuring the concentration of a key protein present in a patient's bloodstream. U.S. Patent No. 7,060,504, "Antagonists of HMG hMG menotropins (human menopausal gonadotropin). HMG abbr. human menopausal gonadotropin 1 for Treating Inflammatory Conditions," involves methods of measuring the concentration of the protein High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) and comparing that concentration to a representative normal sample. HMGB1 is measured using an antibody that binds to the protein. Arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis rheumatoid arthritis Chronic, progressive autoimmune disease causing connective-tissue inflammation, mostly in synovial joints. It can occur at any age, is more common in women, and has an unpredictable course. and lupus are among the inflammatory conditions claimed under the patent. HMGB1 belongs to a class of proteins called pro-inflammatory cytokines Cytokines Chemicals made by the cells that act on other cells to stimulate or inhibit their function. Cytokines that stimulate growth are called "growth factors. and is secreted by the immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. as part of the body's response to trauma and infection. Increased levels of HMGB1 have been linked to acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, such as sepsis and rheumatoid arthritis. HMGB1 persists at elevated levels for a longer period than other major pro-inflammatory cytokines. This longer period of elevation makes HMGB1 an attractive development opportunity due to the ability for it to be measured in patients and targeted for treatment. "This patent should enhance our therapeutic antibody development activities in arthritis and broaden our collaboration on diagnostic opportunities in the HMGB1 field," said Walter Newman Walter Newman may refer to
Critical Therapeutics' HMGB1 patent estate is exclusively licensed to MedImmune, Inc. for the treatment and prevention of diseases, such as arthritis and lupus. In addition, Critical Therapeutics licensed its HMGB1 diagnostic rights to Beckman Coulter This article needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. , Inc., which is developing immunoassays to detect and manage inflammatory diseases. "Through these discoveries we are striving to open a new window into inflammatory disease, and this patent gives us and our partners valuable intellectual property toward that goal. It encompasses not only a unique method to diagnose certain conditions, but also the potential to monitor disease severity and gauge clinical prognosis, insight that we hope will produce more successful outcomes," added Dr. Newman. About Arthritis(1) Arthritis is a term that describes a group of more than 100 medical conditions See carpal tunnel syndrome, computer vision syndrome, dry eyes and deep vein thrombosis. that collectively affect nearly 70 million adults and 300,000 children in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. alone. All of these conditions affect the musculoskeletal system Noun 1. musculoskeletal system - the system of muscles and tendons and ligaments and bones and joints and associated tissues that move the body and maintain its form and specifically the joints - where two or more bones meet. Arthritis-related joint problems include pain, stiffness, inflammation and damage to joint cartilage and surrounding structures. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most serious and disabling forms of the disease, affecting about 2.1 million Americans. About Lupus(2) Lupus is a widespread and chronic autoimmune disease autoimmune disease, any of a number of abnormal conditions caused when the body produces antibodies to its own substances. In rheumatoid arthritis, a group of antibody molecules called collectively RF, or rheumatoid factor, is complexed to the individual's own gamma that causes the immune system to attack the body's tissue and organs, including the joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, blood, or skin. Approximately 1.5 million Americans have a form of the disease, which has no known cause. About Critical Therapeutics Critical Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of products for respiratory, inflammatory and critical care diseases. The Company owns worldwide rights to ZYFLO(R) (zileuton zileuton /zi·leu·ton/ (zi-loo´ton) an inhibitor of leukotriene formation, used as an antiasthmatic. Zileuton (Zyflo) tablets), as well as other formulations of zileuton. ZYFLO is the only 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Company's commercialization efforts for ZYFLO are carried out by its specialty sales force. Critical Therapeutics also is developing treatments directed toward the severe inflammatory response in acute diseases and conditions that lead to admission to the emergency room or intensive care unit, and acute exacerbations of other chronic diseases that frequently lead to hospitalization. For more information, please visit www.crtx.com. About MedImmune, Inc. MedImmune strives to provide better medicines to patients, new medical options for physicians, rewarding careers to employees, and increased value to shareholders. Dedicated to advancing science and medicine to help people live better lives, the company is focused on the areas of infectious diseases infectious diseases: see communicable diseases. , cancer and inflammatory diseases. With more than 2,300 employees worldwide, MedImmune is headquartered in Maryland. For more information, visit the company's website at www.medimmune.com. About Beckman Coulter, Inc. Beckman Coulter, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of biomedical testing instrument systems, tests and supplies that simplify and automate laboratory processes. Spanning the biomedical testing continuum--from pioneering medical research and clinical trials to laboratory diagnostics and point-of-care testing--Beckman Coulter's 200,000 installed systems provide essential biomedical bi·o·med·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to biomedicine. 2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. information to enhance health care around the world. The company, based in Fullerton, Calif., reported 2004 annual sales of $2.4 billion with 64 percent of this amount generated by recurring revenue from supplies, test kits and services. For more information, please visit www.beckmancoulter.com. Forward-Looking Statements Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Critical Therapeutics, Inc., including, without limitation, the progress and timing of our drug development programs and related trials; the timing and success of regulatory filings, regulatory approvals and product launches; the efficacy of our drug candidates; prospects, plans and objectives of management; and all other statements that are not purely historical in nature, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "should," "will," "would" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including risks and uncertainties relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc : conducting clinical trials, including difficulties or delays in the completion of patient enrollment, data collection or data analysis; the results of preclinical studies preclinical studies, n.pl a term used to describe research done before a clinical study. May be laboratory or epidemiologic research. and clinical trials with respect to our products under development and whether such results will be indicative of results obtained in later clinical trials; the timing and success of submission, acceptance and approval of our regulatory filings; our ability to obtain the substantial additional funding required to conduct our research, development and commercialization activities; our dependence on our strategic collaboration with MedImmune, Inc.; and our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce patent and other intellectual property protection for ZYFLO, our drug candidates and our discoveries. These and other risks are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q Form 10-Q See 10-Q. and other filings that we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). If one or more of these factors materialize, or if any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results, performance or achievements may vary materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In addition, the statements in this release reflect our expectations and beliefs as of the date of this release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our expectations and beliefs to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements publicly at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this release. (1) Arthritis Foundation (2) The Lupus Foundation of America The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) is the nation's leading non-profit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus. The LFA was founded in 1977, and currently operates a nationwide network of almost 300 chapters, branches and support groups. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion