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AMSTERDAM, October 29AMSTERDAM, October 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (AMT) and Progenika Biopharma announced today that the companies have entered into a development and commercialization agreement for LPLchip(TM), a diagnostic tool to rapidly diagnose patients with complete and partial lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD). AMT has developed Glybera(R) as a gene therapy for patients with this disease.
In June of this year AMT announced new clinical data showing that a one-time administration of its lead product Glybera(R) results in significant long-term health benefits for LPLD patients. Long-term follow-up data from two clinical trials with complete LPLD patients show that Glybera(R) therapy results in a significant and clinically important reduction in acute pancreatitis, the most debilitating complication of the disease. The data also confirm that the therapy is well-tolerated and safe. AMT intends to file Glybera(R) for marketing approval with EMEA by the end of this year.
LPLchip(TM) based on the Progenika's DNA-chip technology, will be used to rapidly diagnose patients with complete and partial LPLD and will be important to effectively identify patients that could benefit from Glybera (R).
AMT has selected Progenika as a partner for the development of LPLchip(TM) because of the company's long-standing expertise in the development of diagnostic chips and its access to both European and North American markets. Jorn Aldag, CEO of AMT commented: "We are delighted to work with Progenika on the development of the LPLchip(TM), as the company brings a unique expertise that fits the diagnostic needs for LPLD. LPLchipTM will be an important tool in early patient diagnosis, enabling us to make Glybera(R) available to the right patients as quickly as possible." Antonio Martinez, CEO of Progenika Biopharma said: "This collaborative project demonstrates how DNA-based diagnostics and highly targeted gene therapy can be combined to bring personalized medicine to patient groups whose medical needs were previously unmet."
About Progenika
PROGENIKA, a pioneering company in the emerging field of personalised medicine, is dedicated to the design, development and manufacture of novel DNA genotyping microarrays for the diagnosis, prognosis and drug-response prediction of complex human diseases. The company's comprehensive facilities for microarray design and manufacture are supported by an expert team of bioinformaticians who develop multivariate algorithms and software packages that allow user-friendly interpretation of clinical results. PROGENIKA has developed and clinically validated LIPOchip, a microarray for the diagnosis of Familial Hypercholesterolemia that was marketed in 2004, as the first CE-marked DNA microarray for routine clinical diagnosis. PHARMAchip, a Drug Metabolism genotyping microarray and BLOODchip, a Blood Group genotyping microarray were launched in 2007. A series of new diagnostic microarrays are under development or in late-stage clinical validation: fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, etc.
About Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics
AMT has a unique gene therapy platform that to date appears to circumvent many if not all of the obstacles that have prevented gene therapy from becoming a mainstay of clinical medicine. Using adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors as the delivery vehicle of choice for therapeutic genes, the company has been able to design and validate what is probably the first stable and scalable AAV production platform. As such, AMT's proprietary platform holds tremendous promise for thousands of rare (orphan) diseases, especially those that are caused by one faulty gene. Currently, AMT has a product pipeline with nine products at different stages of development.
Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" including those that refer to management's plans and expectations for future operations, prospects and financial condition. Words such as "strategy," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "will," "continues," "estimates," "intends," "projects," "goals," "targets" and other words of similar meaning are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics only. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and can be affected by factors that are beyond the control of AMT. Actual results could differ materially from current expectations due to a number of factors and uncertainties affecting AMT's business, including, but not limited to, the timely commencement and success of AMT's clinical trials and research endeavors, delays in receiving U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other regulatory approvals (i.e. EMEA, Health Canada), market acceptance of AMT's products, effectiveness of AMT's marketing and sales efforts, development of competing therapies and/or technologies, the terms of any future strategic alliances, the need for additional capital, the inability to obtain, or meet, conditions imposed for required governmental and regulatory approvals and consents. AMT expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting AMT, refer to the prospectus of AMT's initial public offering on June 20, 2007, and AMT's public announcements made from time to time.
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