Nautilus Biotech Moves Its Long-Lasting, High Availability Human Growth Hormone Into Formal Preclinical Development

2006-01-09

PARIS, France, January 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Nautilus Biotech announced today that it has successfully completed pharmacokinetics and therapeutic efficacy animal studies on its long-lasting human growth hormone (hGH), Vitatropin(TM). Vitatropin(TM) is a Nautilus wholly owned single amino-acid mutant of native hGH, engineered to have a substantially improved pharmacological pro well as higher bioavailability. Nautilus will now move Vitatropin(TM) into formal pre-clinical development and targets an IND for routes of administration other than systemic, in early 2007. Vitatropin(TM) has been developed using Nautilus' proprietary technology for protein improvement, and carries a single amino-acid change that renders the molecule highly resistant to proteases in different tissues. Although in vitro potency of Vitatropin(TM) is equivalent to native hGH, its improved pharmacological pro into higher therapeutic efficacy in hypophysectomized rats, compared to native hGH. The pharmacological pro Vitatropin(TM) is superior to native hGH following several routes of administration. Vitatropin(TM) may provide a more effective treatment for growth deficiencies and other clinical indications for which hGH is currently used. In pre-clinical animal models, Vitatropin(TM) has demonstrated enhanced efficacy and an improved in vivo circulating half-life compared to alternative products, in addition to a dramatically higher bioavailability following also non-systemic administration. Nautilus believes its Vitatropin(TM) product candidate may provide significant advantages and much higher patient compliance over currently marketed products and products in development. Nautilus also announced that the agreement under which Serono and Nautilus worked together to develop the next-generation of hGH has been terminated. About Nautilus Biotech Nautilus is focused on improving and developing next generation protein pharmaceuticals. Using its proprietary technologies, Nautilus has generated a pipeline of improved protein molecules with single amino acid substitutions. Long lasting interferon alpha (Belerofon(R)), interferon beta and hGH (Vitatropin(TM)), presently in preclinical development, are Nautilus' lead molecules. Nautilus Biotech is a privately owned, VC backed company, founded in late 1999. More about Nautilus: Contact: Manuel Vega, CEO mvega@nautilusbiotech.com Tel: +33-(0)1-60-87-54-60 Nautilus Biotech CONTACT: Contact: Manuel Vega, CEO, mvega@nautilusbiotech.com, Tel:+33-(0)1-60-87-54-60

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