Maxim Announces New U.S. Patent Issued Supporting the MaxDerm Technology.Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--March 5, 2001 Maxim Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:MAXM)(SSE (1) An earlier full-screen editor in OS/2. (2) (Streaming SIMD Extensions) A series of additional instructions built into Pentium CPU chips for improved multimedia performance by performing mathematical operations on multiple sets of data at the :MAXM) today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property has issued a key patent supporting the company's MaxDerm(TM) technology for the treatment of topical maladies such as oral mucositis and herpes. The patent, U.S. Patent Number 6,080,395, is entitled "Method and Composition for Topical Treatment of Damaged Tissue Using Histamine as Active Ingredient." This patent encompasses a pharmaceutical formulation underlying the company's MaxDerm technology, as well as the use of that formulation in the treatment of topical maladies such as oral mucositis, herpes labialis herpes labialis (hur´pēz lā´bēal´is), (cold sore), a disease of the lips caused by herpes simplex virus and characterized by vesicles that rupture, leaving ulcers. (cold sores), herpes genitalis, chicken pox chicken pox or varicella (vâr'əsĕl`ə), infectious disease usually occurring in childhood. It is believed to be caused by the same herpesvirus that produces shingles. , allergic conjunctivitis allergic conjunctivitis n. Conjunctivitis caused by an allergic reaction to a substance. Also called atopic conjunctivitis. allergic conjunctivitis , aphthous stomatitis, thermal burns, sunburn sunburn, inflammation of the skin caused by actinic rays from the sun or artificial sources. Moderate exposure to ultraviolet radiation is followed by a red blush, but severe exposure may result in blisters, pain, and constitutional symptoms. , decubitus ulcers and shingles. "Our research has suggested that MaxDerm's active agent, histamine, is an important molecule in the healing process for certain topical maladies, and we are pleased with the additional protection provided by this most recent patent," said Dr. Kurt Gehlsen, Maxim's senior vice president, development and chief technical officer. "Our preclinical work, and the results of pilot human studies, have shown promise in a number of indications, including oral mucositis and oral herpes. We are currently undertaking activities associated with the preparation of this drug candidate for human studies in oral mucositis." Maxim now owns or has the rights to six issued U.S. patents and one U.S. patent application relating to MaxDerm. Corresponding international patents or patent applications have been issued or are pending. Company Overview Maxim Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company developing advanced drugs and therapies for cancer and infectious diseases. The company's immunotherapeutic drug candidate, Ceplene(TM) (histamine dihydrochloride, formerly Maxamine(R)) is currently being tested in two Phase 3 cancer clinical trials in 12 countries for advanced metastatic Metastatic The term used to describe a secondary cancer, or one that has spread from one area of the body to another. Mentioned in: Coagulation Disorders metastatic pertaining to or of the nature of a metastasis. melanoma and acute myelogenous leukemia acute myelogenous leukemia n. Abbr. AML Myelogenous leukemia characterized by rapid abnormal increase in the number of myeloblasts and progression of symptoms. . Phase 2 trials of Ceplene are also underway for the treatment of hepatitis C and advanced renal cell carcinoma renal cell carcinoma or hypernephroma Malignant tumour of the cells that cover and line the kidney. It usually affects persons over age 50 who have vascular disorders of the kidneys. It seldom causes pain, unless it is advanced. . The company has also developed product candidates based on its MaxDerm(TM) technology that are designed for the treatment of medical conditions for which topical therapy is appropriate such as oral mucositis, herpes, decubitus ulcers, shingles, burns and related conditions. Lastly, Maxim is developing small-molecule inhibitors and activators of caspases, key enzymes that modulate and carry out the cellular signaling pathways involved in programmed cell death pro·grammed cell death n. See apoptosis. programmed cell death proposed system of cell death, often including poly(ADP)-ribosylation, ensures that a cell will not survive if it is so badly damaged that its recovery would harm the , also known as apoptosis. Compounds that can either inhibit caspases or induce caspases may form the basis for important new drugs for a wide variety of disease targets, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and other degenerative diseases. This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding the efficacy and intended utilization of Ceplene, MaxDerm and the caspase modulator Modulator Any device or circuit by means of which a desired signal is impressed upon a higher-frequency periodic wave known as a carrier. The process is called modulation. The modulator may vary the amplitude, frequency, or phase of the carrier. compounds, and regarding the Company's clinical trials. Such statements are only predictions and the Company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include the risk that products that appeared promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety or efficacy in larger-scale clinical trials, the risk that the Company will not obtain approval to market its products, the risk that clinical trials may not commence when planned, and the risk that if we fail to secure adequate protection of our intellectual property our products and technologies may not provide us with any competitive advantage. These factors and others are more fully discussed in the Company's periodic reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Note: Ceplene(TM), MaxDerm(TM), Maxamine(R) and the Maxim logo are trademarks of the company. Editor's Note: This release is also available on the Internet at: http://www.maxim.com. |
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