http://news.excite.com/news/pr/011023/ma-tktx-new-patent
Tue, Oct 23, 2001, 8:32 AM EDT
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/
-- Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. (NASDAQ:TKTX) today announced that the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent No. 6,303,379 entitled,
"In Vivo Protein Production and Delivery System for Gene Therapy." The
patent covers the transfection of cells relating to the delivery of therapeutic
proteins. This technology offers several advantages to conventional gene
therapy approaches including safety, ease of administration, dose precision,
and cost effectiveness.
"The issuance of this patent further
strengthens TKT's intellectual property portfolio in the area of non-viral
gene therapy," said Mary S. Consalvi, Vice President and Chief Intellectual
Property Counsel at TKT. "Utilizing this novel technology, we have the
potential to treat a variety of human diseases and conditions, among them
anemia, diabetes, hemophilia, hypercholesterolemia, and multiple sclerosis,
through the production and delivery of therapeutic proteins."
A copy of the patent described above
is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.uspto.gov.
About TKT
Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. (TKT)
is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization
of products based on its three proprietary development platforms: Niche
Protein(TM) products, Gene- Activated(R) proteins, and Gene Therapy. The
Company's Niche Protein product platform is based on protein replacement
for the treatment of rare genetic diseases, a group of disorders characterized
by the absence of certain metabolic enzymes. TKT's gene activation technology
is a proprietary approach to the large-scale production of therapeutic
proteins, which does not require the cloning of genes and their subsequent
insertion into non-human cell lines. The Company's Gene Therapy technology,
known as Transkaryotic Therapy(TM), is focused on the commercialization
of non-viral, ex vivo gene therapy products for the long-term treatment
of chronic protein deficiency states.
This press release contains forward-looking
statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. For this purpose,
any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact
may be deemed to be forward- looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing,
the words, "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "estimates,"
"intends," "should," "could," "will," "may," and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward- looking statements. There are a number of
important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements set
forth under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2001 which is on file with
the Securities and Exchange Commission and incorporated herein by reference.
These include, without limitation, the following: (1) whether any of the
Company's Niche Protein, Gene-Activated protein or gene therapy product
candidates will advance in the clinical trial process, (2) whether such
clinical trials will proceed in a timely manner, (3) whether the clinical
trial results will warrant continued product development, (4) whether the
required regulatory filings, such as Investigational New Drug applications
and Biologics License Applications, are made in a timely manner, (5) whether
the Company's products will receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies, (6) if such products
receive approval, whether they will be successfully distributed and marketed,
(7) whether patent litigation in which the Company is involved or may become
involved are resolved in a manner adverse to the Company, (8) the effects
of competitive products on the Company's proposed products, and (9) the
Company's dependence on third parties, including collaborators, manufacturers
and distributors.
Gene-Activated(R) is a registered
trademark and Niche Protein(TM), TKT(TM), and Transkaryotic Therapy(TM)
are trademarks of Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc.
Please visit our web site at http://www.tktx.com
for additional information about Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc.
Contact:
©2001 At Home Corporation
Daniel E. Geffken
Senior Vice President, Finance
and Chief Financial Officer
(617) 349-0581