Aegis Therapeutics Awarded Patent for Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) Peptide Drug Formulations Suitable for Metered Nasal Spray and Oral Delivery

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 13, 2011) - Aegis Therapeutics LLC announced today that it has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,076,290, providing broad protection for stabilized formulations of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH peptide analogs such as PTH 1-34 suitable for all routes of administration, including the non-invasive metered nasal spray delivery route or injection. Examples of approved PTH drugs include Eli Lilly's Forteo® sold worldwide and NPS's Preotact® licensed by Nycomed for Ex-US sales. PTH 1-34 (teriparatide) injection is indicated for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, and to increase bone mass in men with primary or hypogonadal osteoporosis.

This patent has been exclusively licensed to Azelon Pharmaceuticals. All currently approved PTH drug formulations require daily injection. In contrast, Azelon has reported clinical results demonstrating that formulations of teriparatide based upon Aegis' Intravail®/ProTek® show excellent nasal bioavailability offering the prospect of a "first in class" non-injectable PTH drug. Non-injectable dosage forms of previously injectable-only drugs provide greater patient convenience and acceptance, improved compliance, and avoidance of needle-stick injury and disposal problems associated with the use of needles, paving the way to increased market share and substantial growth in overall product sales.

Licenses for non-invasive delivery and stabilization of human growth hormone, GLP-1 analogs, and other drugs are currently available from Aegis with additional patent issuances to be announced shortly.

About Aegis Therapeutics

Aegis Therapeutics LLC is a drug delivery technology company commercializing its patented drug delivery and drug formulation technologies through product-specific licenses. Our Intravail® drug delivery technology enables the non-invasive delivery of a broad range of protein, peptide and non-peptide drugs that can currently only be administered by injection, via the oral, buccal, and intranasal administration routes, and with high bioavailability. Our ProTek® excipients stabilize, prevent aggregation, and reduce unwanted immunogenicity of protein and peptide therapeutics while avoiding the oxidative damage caused by polysorbate surfactants currently found in most protein injectable drugs.

For more information about Aegis, please visit: http://www.aegisthera.com.