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June 15, 2004
Cougar Biotechnology Licenses Rights to Emory University's Noscapine Patent Portfolio
Los Angeles, CA, June 15, 2004 - Cougar Biotechnology, Inc, a privately held biotechnology company, today announced that it has licensed the worldwide, exclusive rights to Emory's intellectual property portfolio for noscapine and analogs of noscapine.
In 1998, Harish Joshi, PhD, professor of cell biology at Emory University School of Medicine, and his colleagues discovered that noscapine, an opium alkaloid that has been used as an antitussive agent in Japan, Sweden and South Africa, has potent antitumor activity against solid murine lymphoid tumors and against human breast and bladder tumors implanted in nude mice. Noscapine was found to bind stoichiometrically to tubulin and affect microtubule assembly, leading to the arrest of mammalian cells in mitosis and the initiation of programmed cell death, or apoptosis.
"This licensing agreement demonstrates how industry and academia can establish an effective relationship in order to advance drug development" said Dr. Arie Belldegrun, MD, FACS, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cougar Biotechnology. "Emory's preclinical studies indicate that noscapine and the analogs of noscapine have anti-tumor properties that could translate into novel drugs for the treatment of a variety of cancers."
"We are pleased to be able to complete this licensing agreement with Emory" said Alan H. Auerbach, chief executive officer and president of Cougar Biotechnology. "Dr. Joshi's team at Emory has identified that noscapine and its analogs exert their anticancer activity through an intriguing tubulin binding mechanism. We look forward to conducting further studies of noscapine and its analogs to further investigate the drug's anticancer potential."
Under the terms of the licensing agreement, Emory received an upfront payment and will receive milestone payments as compounds progress through clinical development as well as a royalty on sales. As part of the licensing agreement with Emory, Cougar will be sponsoring additional preclinical research studies of noscapine that will be performed at Emory.
About Cougar Biotechnology
Cougar Biotechnology, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based private biotechnology company established to in-license and develop early clinical stage drugs, with a specific focus on the field of oncology.
Further information about Cougar Biotechnology can be found at www.cougarbiotechnology.com.
Contact
Alan H. Auerbach
Cougar Biotechnology, Inc.
+1 310 443 4209
ahauerbach@cougarbiotechnology.com
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Cougar Biotechnology, Inc.
10990 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 943-8040 Main
(310) 943-8059 Fax |
