Curis Issued U.S. Patent Covering Pharmaceutical Compositions under Development for Neurological Disorders; Claims Include Small Molecule Activators of Hedgehog Signaling Pathway.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 3, 2003

Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS) today announced that it has been issued U.S. patent 6,613,798, entitled "Mediators of Hedgehog Signaling Pathways, Compositions, and Uses Related Thereto." The claims of this patent cover pharmaceutical compositions of small molecules (traditional drug-like compounds) that are under development by Curis as treatments for Parkinson's disease, stroke, and other neurological disorders.

Parkinson's disease and stroke are two areas of significant unmet medical need. The National institutes of Health estimates that there are at least 500,000 people in the United States who suffer from the effects of Parkinson's disease with approximately 50,000 new cases reported annually. It is also estimated that there are as many as 700,000 strokes each year in the U.S.

The pharmaceutical compositions covered by this newly issued patent are small molecule agonists (activators) of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, one of the major regulatory mechanisms the body uses to develop and maintain various tissues, including those of the central and peripheral nervous system. The Hedgehog signaling pathway, which has been shown to be involved in the repair of nerve tissues when damaged or traumatized, is normally activated by the interaction of Hedgehog proteins with their receptors.

Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis' Chief Scientific Officer said, "The development of the small molecule Hedgehog pathway agonists has been one of Curis' most important scientific advances and one of our most significant developmental successes. Some of these synthetic molecules are more active than the Hedgehog proteins in terms of their ability to activate the Hedgehog signaling pathway. It is highly unusual to find small molecules able to activate, in such a potent manner, a pathway that is normally controlled by a protein. In addition, many of these small molecule agonists are orally available and can enter into the brain thus making them attractive drug development candidates for neurological disease."

Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer stated, "The issuance of this patent adds further strength to our extensive intellectual property portfolio covering the Hedgehog signaling pathway. We also believe that it will aid our efforts to secure a significant corporate collaboration for the continued pharmaceutical development of these promising drug candidates."

About Curis, Inc.

Curis, Inc. is a therapeutic drug development company. The Company's technology focus is on regulatory pathways that control repair and regeneration. Curis' product development involves the use of proteins or small molecules to modulate these pathways. Curis has successfully used this technology and product development approach to produce several promising drug product candidates in the fields of kidney disease, neurological disorders, cancer, and alopecia (hair loss). For more information, please visit the Curis web site at www.curis.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements concerning Curis' or management's intentions, plans, expectations or predictions of future events are forward-looking statements. Such statements may contain the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "estimates" or similar expressions. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Actual results can be affected by, among other things, uncertainties relating to product development, clinical trials, regulatory actions or delays, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, changes in or an inability to execute Curis' realigned business strategy and other risk factors identified in Curis' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Curis disclaims any intention or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.