WARRINGTON, Pa., Feb. 24, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Discovery Laboratories, Inc. (Nasdaq:DSCO) today announced that through its commitment to support and advance neonatal respiratory care, it has granted 10 Neonatology Fellowship Awards to top academic institutions. Each recipient will receive $10,000 to support and cultivate active research in the area of respiratory neonatal medicine. The winners of the 2005 Neonatology Fellowship Award have been announced in the February 2006 issue of Pediatrics.
Dr. Russell Clayton, Vice President, Medical Affairs of Discovery Labs commented, "We are proud to support these Fellowship Awards. Championing the advancement of knowledge, particularly among the future generation of physician scientists, is consistent with our mission as a leading biotechnology partner in neonatology, critical care and respiratory medicine. To achieve this goal, we will continue to approach the medical community with a focus on research, and plan to continue to invest in these areas by supporting education through fellowships, partnerships and symposiums."
To qualify for the Neonatology Fellowship Award, applicants were required to meet certain criteria including, but not limited to, status as an active fellow in a United States based BE/BC Neonatology Fellowship Program with their research area of focus on respiratory critical care. The Neonatology Fellowship Awards are merit based and may be renewable on an annual basis. The applicant is expected to present and/or publish data emanating from the research. Discovery plans to support these Fellowships on an annual basis. The next fellowship grant cycle will begin in April 2006. For more information on Fellowships or to request an application, visit the Discovery Labs website at www.discoverylabs.com.
About Discovery Labs
Discovery Laboratories, Inc. is a biotechnology company developing its proprietary surfactant technology as Surfactant Replacement Therapies (SRT) for respiratory diseases. Surfactants are produced naturally in the lungs and are essential for breathing. Discovery Labs' technology produces a precision-engineered surfactant that is designed to closely mimic the essential properties of natural human lung surfactant. Discovery Labs believes that through its technology, pulmonary surfactants have the potential, for the first time, to address respiratory diseases where there are few or no approved therapies available.
Discovery Labs' SRT pipeline is initially focused on the most significant respiratory conditions prevalent in the neonatal intensive care unit. The Company's lead product, Surfaxin(r), for the prevention of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) in premature infants, has received an Approvable Letter from the FDA and is under review for approval in Europe by the EMEA. Surfaxin is also being developed for the prevention and treatment of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD, also known as Chronic Lung Disease) in premature infants. Discovery Labs is preparing to conduct multiple Phase 2 pilot studies with Aerosurf(tm), aerosolized SRT administered through nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP), for the treatment of neonatal respiratory failure.
To address the various respiratory conditions affecting pediatric, young adult and adult patients in the critical care and other hospital settings, Discovery Labs is conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial to address Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in adults, and is also developing aerosol formulations of SRT to address Acute Lung Injury (ALI), asthma, COPD, and other respiratory conditions.
For more information, please visit our corporate website at www.Discoverylabs.com.
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