Isotechnika to be represented at ARVO conference with multiple presentations
EDMONTON, April 24 /CNW/ - (TSX:ISA) - Isotechnika Inc.
announced today that the company's strategic partner, Lux
Biosciences, will make multiple presentations on voclosporin (oral
formulation, LX211) at the 2008 annual meeting of the Association
for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). The international
meeting is being held from April 27 - May 1 in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida.
"We have made major progress in the recruitment of our LUMINATE
program
and are likely to reach important recruitment milestones in
mid-year. We
credit our investigators for this timely enrollment, and appreciate
their
strong interest and high motivation," said Ulrich Grau, Ph.D., Lux
Biosciences
President and Chief Executive Officer. "The LUMINATE program
addresses high
medical needs and is potentially an important first: LX211 (oral
formulation
of voclosporin) is the first steroid sparing agent that is being
developed
towards approval in sight-threatening, non-infectious
uveitis."
Voclosporin will be featured in a poster presentation on April 28.
The
poster describes the design of the ongoing pivotal trial program in
different
types of sight-threatening non-infectious uveitis, by clinical
investigator
J.T. Rosenbaum, M.D. from the Casey Eye Institute-OHSU, Portland,
Oregon, on
behalf of the international LUMINATE Study Group. Also to be
presented by Lux
Biosciences and collaborators from the National Eye Institute is a
poster on
April 30 demonstrating voclosporin's ability to suppress anti-CD3
activated
human T cell proliferation and to successfully treat experimental
autoimmune
uveitis in rats.
Interested parties will be able to access both posters by
visiting
Isotechnika's corporate website at www.isotechnika .com and accessing
the
presentations folder in the "For Investors" section.
About Isotechnika
-----------------
Edmonton-based Isotechnika Inc. is an international
biopharmaceutical
company focused on the discovery and development of novel
immunosuppressive
therapeutics that are designed to offer advantages over other
currently
available treatments. There is a significant unmet medical need in
the
treatment of both solid organ transplantation and autoimmune
disease. It is
estimated that the market potential exceeds $2 billion annually in
sales for
calcineurin inhibitors such as voclosporin.
Voclosporin is a next generation calcineurin inhibitor, which
recently
completed a Phase 2b North American trial for the prevention of
kidney
rejection following transplantation. An extension to the Phase 2b
trial and a
combined Phase 3 European/Canadian trial for the treatment of
moderate to
severe psoriasis are ongoing. Our partner, Lux Biosciences, is
currently
conducting three separate Phase 2/3 pivotal trials investigating
voclosporin
(referred to as LX211 by Lux) for the treatment of uveitis.
Isotechnika Inc. is a publicly traded company on the Toronto
Stock
Exchange under the symbol "ISA". More information on Isotechnika
can be found
at www.isotechnika.com.
<<
Partnerships with Isotechnika Inc.
----------------------------------
- Roche retains an option
to continue development of the transplant
indications for
voclosporin based on the successful completion of the
ongoing Phase 2b
kidney transplant trial.
- Atrium Medical
Corporation has exclusive worldwide licensing
agreement for use
of voclosporin and TAFA93 with drug eluting devices
for non-systemic
treatment of vascular, cardiovascular, target vessel
and tissue
disorders.
- Lux Biosciences Inc. was
granted worldwide rights to develop and
commercialize
voclosporin for the treatment and prophylaxis of all
ophthalmic
diseases.
>>
Forward-Looking Statements
--------------------------
This press release may contain forward-looking statements.
Forward
looking statements, including the Company's belief as to the
potential of its
products, the Company's expectations regarding the issuance of
additional
patents and the Company's ability to protect its intellectual
property,
involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could
cause the
Company's actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward
looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among
others, the
availability of funds and resources to pursue research and
development
projects, the ability to economically manufacture its products, the
potential
of its products, the success and timely completion of clinical
studies and
trials, the Company's ability to successfully commercialize its
products, the
ability of the Company to defend its patents from infringement by
third
parties, and the risk that the Company's patents may be
subsequently shown to
be invalid or infringe the patents of others. Investors should
consult the
Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian
commissions for
additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to
the
forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against placing
undue
reliance on forward-looking statements.
%SEDAR: 00010508E
-30-
/For further information: Stephanie Gillis-Paulgaard, Director,
Corporate
Communications, Isotechnika Inc., Phone: (780) 487-1600 ext 243,
Fax: (780)
484-4105, E-mail:sgillis-paulgaard@isotechnika.com/
Posted: April 2008
