Alteon Issued Key Composition-of-Matter Patent Covering Additional A.G.E. Crosslink Breakers to Treat Diseases of Aging and Diab
20 September 2004 - 4:01PM
PR Newswire (US)
Alteon Issued Key Composition-of-Matter Patent Covering Additional
A.G.E. Crosslink Breakers to Treat Diseases of Aging and Diabetes
PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alteon Inc.
(AMEX: ALT) announced today that it has been granted a patent on
additional thiazolium compounds in the A.G.E. Crosslink Breaker
class. A.G.E. Crosslink Breakers, a class of compounds discovered
by Alteon, offer the possibility of the first therapeutic approach
to treat and even reverse certain medical conditions related to
aging and diabetes. U.S. Patent # 6,790,859 "Reversing advanced
glycosylation crosslinks using heterocyclic-substituted thiazolium
compounds," issued September 14, 2004, clearly distinguishes Alteon
as the leader in the A.G.E. field. These new compounds hold promise
for reversing the deleterious aging of key proteins in the body.
The patent claims cover their potential utility in treating
pathologies of aging and diabetes, including hypertension,
retinopathy, cataracts, diabetic kidney disease,
glomerulosclerosis, peripheral vascular disease, arteriosclerosis,
peripheral neuropathy, stroke, atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis and
the loss of elasticity and wrinkling of the skin. In addition, the
compounds are covered for their possible utility in foodstuffs,
including plant and animal material, that undergo deterioration and
become spoiled or toughened. Alteon's lead A.G.E. Crosslink
Breaker, alagebrium, is in several phase 2 clinical trials for its
potential in cardiovascular disease conditions, including
hypertension and heart failure. "The potential for A.G.E. Crosslink
Breaker compounds is tremendous," said Kenneth I. Moch, President
and Chief Executive Officer. "We continue to protect our
proprietary position in this technology and build a valuable
pipeline behind alagebrium." About Alteon Alteon is developing
several new classes of drugs that reverse or slow down diseases of
aging and complications of diabetes. These compounds have an impact
on a fundamental pathological process caused by protein-glucose
complexes called Advanced Glycation End-products (A.G.E.s). The
formation and crosslinking of A.G.E.s lead to a loss of flexibility
and function in body tissues, organs and vessels and have been
shown to be a causative factor in many age-related diseases and
diabetic complications. Alteon has created a library of novel
classes of compounds targeting the A.G.E. Pathway. Alteon's lead
compound alagebrium chloride (formerly ALT-711), the only A.G.E.
Crosslink Breaker in advanced human testing, has demonstrated
safety and efficacy in several Phase 2 trials and is actively being
developed for systolic hypertension and heart failure. Ongoing
clinical trials include SPECTRA (Systolic Pressure Efficacy and
Safety Trial of Alagebrium) and PEDESTAL (Patients with Impaired
Ejection Fraction and Diastolic Dysfunction: Efficacy and Safety
Trial of ALagebrium), as well as a third trial exploring mechanism
of action in endothelial dysfunction. For more information on
Alteon, visit the company's website at http://www.alteon.com/. Any
statements contained in this press release that relate to future
plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to,
those relating to technology and product development (including the
possibility that early clinical trial results may not be predictive
of results that will be obtained in large-scale testing or that any
clinical trials will not demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy
to obtain requisite approvals or will not result in marketable
products), regulatory approval processes, intellectual property
rights and litigation, competitive products, ability to obtain
financing, and other risks identified in Alteon's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The information contained in
this press release is accurate as of the date indicated. Actual
results, events or performance may differ materially. Alteon
undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any
revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made to
reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect
the occurrence of unanticipated events. DATASOURCE: Alteon Inc.
CONTACT: Susan M. Pietropaolo, Director, Corporate Communications
& Investor Relations, Alteon Inc., +1-201-818-5537 Web site:
http://www.alteonpharma.com/ http://www.alteon.com/
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