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Curis CEO Addresses Frequently Asked Questions.


Attention Business and Science Editors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 15, 2002

The following is a letter from Daniel R. Passeri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ
 in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations

U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on
: CRIS), in response to our recent news announcement concerning Curis' corporate realignment re·a·lign  
tr.v. re·a·ligned, re·a·lign·ing, re·a·ligns
1. To put back into proper order or alignment.

2. To make new groupings of or working arrangements between.
 and to answer shareholders' most frequently asked questions. Many of these answers have been abbreviated or condensed con·dense  
v. con·densed, con·dens·ing, con·dens·es

v.tr.
1. To reduce the volume or compass of.

2. To make more concise; abridge or shorten.

3. Physics
a.
 for the sake of brevity. Shareholders are referred to the Company's recent Form 8-K Form 8-K

The form required by the SEC when a publicly held company incurs any event that might affect its financial situation or the share value of its stock.


Form 8-K

See 8-K.
 filing and Form 10-Q Form 10-Q

See 10-Q.
 (Annual and Quarterly Reports filed with the SEC); press releases. Curis' Website, www.curis.com, which is currently being updated, will incorporate the specifics of the realignment. Additional questions can be answered through the company's corporate communication and investor relations Investor relations

The process by which the corporation communicates with its investors.
 office at 1-617-503-6500.

Dear Shareholders and Employees:

Since becoming CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , I have carefully evaluated the assets obtained through the merger of the three companies that became Curis. In October 2001, our team began consolidating the focus of the company by selecting areas of research and programs to create value and return on investment for shareholders.

Curis, Inc. is generating therapies that regulate the pathways used by the body to maintain and restore health. The company focuses on signaling pathways that govern the proliferation and differentiation of cells. These same pathways control maintenance, repair, and regeneration of tissues and organs from infancy through old age. This approach has created an approved product for bone regeneration and enables Curis to build a portfolio of product candidates in neurology, kidney disease Kidney Disease Definition

Kidney disease is a general term for any damage that reduces the functioning of the kidney. Kidney disease is also called renal disease.
, and cancer.

Q: Why has Curis decided to take this direction with its clinical programs?

A: Curis wants to consolidate its efforts and focus on the development of drugs based on signaling pathways, which will bring shareholder value in both near and long term. This has led to the reevaluation of the programs based on expertise, competitive advantage, and cost. Cell therapy is a field with an enormous long-term potential, but clinical trials are expensive and require significant capacities. Curis does not want to lose the opportunity to profit from this field and desires to partner this unit. Regarding our focus on stem cells stem cells, unspecialized human or animal cells that can produce mature specialized body cells and at the same time replicate themselves. Embryonic stem cells are derived from a blastocyst (the blastula typical of placental mammals; see embryo), which is very young , we will keep pioneering the field and leverage our expertise to exploit this asset as a biological system to extract valuable pathway information that supports the drug discovery and development efforts of Curis.

Q: How does this consolidation of focus realign re·a·lign  
tr.v. re·a·ligned, re·a·lign·ing, re·a·ligns
1. To put back into proper order or alignment.

2. To make new groupings of or working arrangements between.
 assets within Curis? Will this delay the time to profitability?

A: The consolidation accelerates our time to profitability. Focusing on BMP (1) (BitMaP) Also known as a "bump" file, it is the native, bitmapped graphics format in Windows. A BMP can be saved in several color options: 1-, 4-, 8- and 24-bit color provide 2, 16, 256 and 16,000,000 colors respectively. BMP files use the .BMP or .  and Hh signaling pathways development programs will accomplish several things.
-- Optimize Curis' scientific expertise in key signaling pathways.

-- Focus and strengthen the company's competitive position.

-- Allow for greater resources to be allocated for programs that


have much greater market opportunities and accelerate time lines by reducing net burn from other existing programs.

-- Improve our financial condition providing Curis with enhanced stability that allows us to more effectively manage our future profitability.

Q: Where will Curis be focusing its development efforts in the near-term?

A: Curis, Inc. is generating therapies that regulate the pathways used by the body to maintain and restore health. Curis plans to develop therapeutic applications for the BMP and Hedgehog signaling pathways The hedgehog signaling pathway is one of the key regulators of animal development conserved from flies to humans. The pathway takes its name from its polypeptide ligand, an intercellular signaling molecule called Hedgehog (Hh) found in fruit flies of the genus Drosophila.  and associated factors through the pre-clinical stage. We will partner with pharmaceutical companies to develop these therapeutics through the clinic. Curis' validated approach of using the body's own repair mechanisms has created an approved product for bone regeneration and has enabled the company to build a portfolio of product candidates in neurology, kidney disease, and cancer.

Q: Who will assume the roles of COO and CFO See Chief Financial Officer. , and when does Curis plan to replace management positions?

A: Under our new structure we no longer need a COO, and we are in the final stages of evaluating candidates for the CFO position.

Q. How does this change reflect on Curis' cash position:

A. Curis currently has both product and partnering revenues. This realignment will serve to improve Curis' cash position by reducing the net burn rate and currently projects that it has sufficient capital to operate into the fourth quarter of 2003.

Q: When will Curis' next Annual Meeting of Shareholders be held, and where will it be held?

A: June 12, 2002, at the offices of Hale & Dorr, 60 State Street, Boston, MA. Time to be announced To be announced (TBA)

A contract for the purchase or sale of an MBS to be delivered at an agreed-upon future date but does not include a specified pool number and number of pools or precise amount to be delivered.
.

Curis will hold a conference call on Friday, February 15, 2002, beginning at 9:00 a.m. EST EST electroshock therapy.

EST
abbr.
electroshock therapy
. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 800-621-5175 (domestic) or 212-346-0335 (international) and asking for the Curis conference call. A telephone replay of the call will be available starting February 15, 11:00 a.m. EST through February 22, 11:00a.m. EST and can be accessed by calling 1-800-633-8284 (domestic) or 858-812-6440 (international). The replay access code will be 20358127.

About Curis, Inc.

Curis, Inc. is generating therapies that regulate the pathways used by the body to maintain and restore health. The company focuses on signaling pathways that govern the proliferation and differentiation of cells. These same pathways control maintenance, repair, and regeneration of tissues and organs from infancy through old age. This approach has created an approved product for bone regeneration and enables Curis to build a portfolio of product candidates in neurology, kidney disease, and cancer. For more information, please visit the Curis web site at www.curis.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor Safe Harbor

1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated.

2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive.
 provisions 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. These statements address a variety of subjects, including, for example, cost savings, cash burn rate, operating capital Noun 1. operating capital - capital available for the operations of a firm (e.g. manufacturing or transportation) as distinct from financial transactions and long-term improvements
capital, working capital - assets available for use in the production of further assets
 requirements, operating efficiencies, strategic collaboration efforts and product development efforts. Statements in this press release that state Curis' or management's intentions, plans, expectations or predictions of future events are forward-looking statements. The matters discussed in this press release also involve risks and uncertainties that may cause Curis' actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The following important factors and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: Curis' need for partnerships to move forward its cell therapy programs, the early stage of product development of Curis' retained programs, uncertainties related to clinical trials, uncertainties related to Curis' ability to raise additional capital, changes in or an inability to execute Curis' realigned business strategy and other risk factors described from time to time in Curis' periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, Curis' Annual Report on Form 10-K Form 10-K

A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information.


Form 10-K

See 10-K.
 for the year ended December 31, 2000 filed on March 30, 2001 and the Company's Post Effective Amendment No. 1 on Form S-3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 10, 2001. Curis cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Moreover, neither Curis nor anyone else assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any forward-looking statements. Curis undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2002, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Business Wire
Date:Feb 15, 2002
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