Guilford Receives Patent for
Compounds that Promote Nerve
Growth
BALTIMORE, March 27 /PRNewswire/ via Individual Inc. --
Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: GLFD) today announced
that the company has been issued U.S. Patent No. 5,614,547 from
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office relating to the compositions
and uses of a series of compounds that promote nerve growth
and repair for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
These compounds are neuroimmunophilin ligands, which are
orally-active and cross the blood-brain-barrier in animal models.
The results of some of Guilford's work in this field with GPI-1046,
which is covered by the patent, were published earlier this month
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (U.S.A.),
Volume 94, Number 5, pp. 2019-2024, 1997.
"We are very pleased to announce the issuance of our first U.S.
patent in our neuroimmunophilin program. To date, we have filed
numerous U.S. and foreign patent applications relating to
neuroimmunophilin compounds and their uses. Guilford
scientists, utilizing structure-based drug design and combinatorial
chemistry techniques, have synthesized hundreds of small
molecule neuroimmunophilin ligands in several distinct chemical
series, which possess the ability to cause nerves to grow or
regenerate in animals. We are actively investigating our
neuroimmunophilin ligands in animal models of a variety of
chronic and acute neurodegenerative disorders, such as
Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, multiple sclerosis,
traumatic spinal cord injuries, peripheral neuropathies, and
stroke," commented Dr. Craig R. Smith, President and C.E.0. of
Guilford.
Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company
engaged in the development of polymer-based therapeutics for
cancer, and novel products for the diagnosis and treatment of
neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's
disease, stroke, severe head trauma, spinal cord injuries, multiple
sclerosis, peripheral neuropathies, and cocaine addiction.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that
involve risk and uncertainties, including those described in the
Company's Form S-3 (SEC Registration No. 333-23001), that could
cause the Company's actual results and experience to differ
materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in
these forward-looking statements. In particular, pre-clinical results
are based on a limited number of animal models, and there can be
no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully
develop one or more of its compounds into safe and effective
FDA-cleared drugs. While the Company has filed numerous
patent applications claiming neuroimmunophilin ligands for
neurotrophic applications in the U.S. and abroad, the
patentability, validity, priority, enforceability, and
non-infringement of claims made in such applications cannot be
assured. SOURCE Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc.
/CONTACT: Angela Webber of Guilford Pharmaceuticals,
410-631-6449; for media, Brad Miles of B.M.C. or for investors,
Jonathan Fassberg of The Trout Group, 212-477-9007/ /Guilford
Pharmaceuticals press releases available through Company News
On-Call by fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 112882, or at
http://www.prnewswire.com/ (GLFD)
[Copyright 1997, PR Newswire]
