Nektar and Zelos Announce Collaboration to Develop Inhaled Parathyroid Hormone Therapy for Osteoporosis - Press Releases

Nektar and Zelos Announce Collaboration to Develop Inhaled Parathyroid Hormone Therapy for Osteoporosis
January 24, 2005
San Carlos, CA and Waltham, MA
Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) and Zelos Therapeutics Inc. today announced a collaboration to develop an inhaleable powder form of Zelos? parathyroid hormone (PTH) analogue, called Ostabolin-CTM. Zelos is currently developing an injectable form of Ostabolin-CTM for the treatment of osteoporosis and has completed three Phase I clinical trials. The announcement was made at the Ninth Annual Drug Delivery Partnerships Conference in San Diego, Calif., sponsored by The Institute for International Research January 24-26, 2005.
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration, which can lead to decreased bone strength and an increased susceptibility to fractures. PTH compounds are considered an advance in the treatment of osteoporosis and have been found to stimulate bone formation, increase bone mineral density and reduce the incidence of fractures. However, first-generation PTH compounds have also been shown to stimulate bone resorption, which may be associated with lowered efficacy in reducing fractures at some common fracture sites and an increase in certain side effects. Zelos? Ostabolin-CTM is a next-generation injectable PTH analogue designed to have enhanced therapeutic properties in the treatment of osteoporosis, as compared to first-generation PTH compounds.
?Our collaboration with Zelos is an excellent example of how our advanced pulmonary technologies can be applied to an injectable therapeutic to offer a more desirable delivery alternative and potentially increase patient compliance, as well as improve the quality of a patient?s life,? said Ajit Gill, Nektar President and Chief Executive Officer.
Under the terms of the agreement, Nektar will be responsible for development of the formulated dry powder drug and inhalation system, as well as clinical and commercial manufacturing. Zelos will be responsible for supply of the active pharmaceutical ingredient or API, clinical development and commercialization. Nektar will receive research and development funding, milestone payments, and royalty payments when the product is commercialized.
?We are pleased to be collaborating with Nektar, a leader in advanced pulmonary technologies of therapeutic proteins and peptides,? said Robert (Duffy) DuFresne, Zelos President and Chief Executive Officer. ?Ostabolin-CTM was shown in preclinical testing to have the same or improved efficacy as existing PTH treatments without stimulating bone resorption. The development of a pulmonary therapy of Ostabolin-CTM will allow for more convenient dosage delivery and potentially expand our worldwide market opportunity for Ostabolin-CTM as a treatment for osteoporosis.?
According to the National Institutes of Health, osteoporosis is a major public health threat for 44 million Americans and one out of every two women over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.1
About Nektar Therapeutics
Nektar Therapeutics enables the development of differentiated pharmaceutical products using its advanced proprietary drug delivery technologies and services. Nektar?s technological, clinical and market analysis expertise allow it to identify, develop and offer to partners new product opportunities, solve their development challenges, and realize the full potential of their therapeutics from new molecular entities to life-cycle management. Additional information is available at www.nektar.com.
About Zelos Therapeutics Inc.
Zelos Therapeutics Inc. is a private biopharmaceutical development company that is commercializing breakthrough discoveries in Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) research. Product programs include the development of a next-generation PTH analogue, Ostabolin-CTM, for the treatment of osteoporosis and the preclinical development of another PTH agonist formulation for the topical treatment of psoriasis. Zelos maintains administrative offices in Waltham, Mass. and research facilities in Ottawa, Ontario. More information is available at www.zelostherapeutics.com.