Charter Life Sciences




	EnteroMedics Announces Updated Data From VBLOC DM2 ENABLE Study and Caloric Intake Study Results to Be Presented at the 29th Annual Obesity Society Meeting October 3, 2011 EnteroMedics Announces Presentation of Maestro(R) RC System Clinical Data at the XVI World Congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders September 2, 2011 Inviragen and University of Texas Medical Branch Receive Funding for Development of a Novel Recombinant Chikungunya Virus Vaccine August 15, 2011 San Diego's KFx Medical Corporation Files Patent Infringement Suit Against Arthrex August 2, 2011 International Vaccine Institute and Inviragen Announce a Collaboration to Accelerate Development of a Dengue Vaccine August 2, 2011 Minimally Invasive Devices, Inc. Awarded CE Mark for FloShield July 20, 2011 Inviragen Initiates Phase 1 Study of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine in Singapore June 15, 2011 EnteroMedics Announces Maestro® RC System Updated Weight Loss Data to Be Presented at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Annual Meeting June 14, 2011 EnteroMedics Announces First Implant in ReCharge Pivotal Trial for Obesity May 18, 2011 Xlumena, Inc. Closes $7M Series B Venture Financing Round April 28, 2011 EnteroMedics Receives CE Mark Certification for the Maestro RC System, Allowing Australian Regulatory Application to Move Forward March 28, 2011 Inviragen and Duke-NUS Form Collaborative Vaccine Research and Development Program January 26, 2011 EnteroMedics Announces Data From Australian Patient Cohort in EMPOWER Study and From Caloric Intake Study November 8, 2010 Novel Recombinant Chikungunya Virus Vaccine Shown to be Safe and Effective in Multiple Animal Models November 4, 2010 Inviragen Receives Two Therapeutic Discovery Project Grants for Vaccine Development November 2, 2010 Inviragen Initiates DENVax Phase 1 Clinical Testing in Colombia October 25, 2010 EnteroMedics Announces Updated Data from VBLOC-DM2, EMPOWER and VBLOC RF2 Studies October 20, 2010 Inviragen and PharmaJet Receive $15.5 Million NIAID Contract to Develop a Needle-free Dengue Vaccine October 12, 2010 EnteroMedics Completes $6.3 Million Convertible Preferred Stock Offering September 30, 2010 EnteroMedics Achieves Major Milestones in Global Regulatory and Commercialization Strategy for the Maestro System August 2, 2010 KFx Medical Corporation Announced Today It Has Received FDA 510k Clearance for Product(s) Used in a Wide Variety of Arthroscopic Tenodesis Knee Procedures Such as: ACL, PCL, and Patellofemoral Ligament (MPFL) Reconstruction May 25, 2010 Inviragen’s Dengue Vaccine to Begin Clinical Testing May 19, 2010 Inviragen Merger Profiled in Inc. Magazine May 7, 2010 FDA Clears Xlumena’s NAVIX™ Access Device April 28, 2010 EnteroMedics Extends Neuroblocking Technology Research and Development Collaboration March 17, 2010 EnteroMedics Announces Regulatory Path Forward Following FDA Meeting March 15, 2010 EnteroMedics Announces Regulatory Path Forward Following FDA Meeting January 28, 2010 EnteroMedics Announces Weight Loss, Hypertension and Diabetes Data from EMPOWER and ENABLE Studies Januray 14, 2010 EnteroMedics Announces Preliminary Results from Detailed Review of EMPOWER Study November 12, 2009 Inviragen Merges with SingVax and Completes $15 million Series A Financing October 6, 2009 KFx Medical Awarded Key Patent for Knotless Tissue Fixation and Double Row Rotator Cuff Surgery September 9, 2009 Visioneering Technologies Raises $2.5M Series B April 28, 2009 Visioneering Technologies Inc Raises $5 Million in Funding For New Presbyopia Solution April 14, 2009 EnteroMedics Announces $15.89 Million Private Placement February 20, 2009 EnteroMedics Announces Eighteen-Month Excess Weight Loss Results from its VBLOC-RF2 Feasibility Study January 12, 2009 EnteroMedics Announces $20 Million Debt Financing November 21, 2008 APT Pharmaceuticals Secures $32 Million in Series B Financing September 30, 2008 EnteroMedics' Data from VBLOC-RF2 Feasibility Study and VBLOC-RC Study Presented Today at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Meeting June19, 2008 XLumena Spots $6M For Ultrasound Devices June 4, 2008 Mirabilis Completes First Human Trial of Non-Invasive Treatment for Uterine Fibroids APRIL 28, 2008 Astellas and CoMentis Sign Agreement to Collaborate on the Research, Development and Commercialization of Beta-Secretase Inhibitors APRIL 25, 2008 EnteroMedics Announces Planned Expansion of EMPOWER Pivotal Study for Obesity to 300 Patients February 26, 2008 KFx Medical Corporation Appoints Matt Meyer as its Vice President Marketing February 20, 2008 EnteroMedics(TM) Announces Nine-Month Clinical Results on Its VBLOC-RF2 Feasibility Study for Obesity Therapy January 8, 2008 EnteroMedics(TM) Announces Pivotal Clinical Study of its VBLOC(TM) Therapy for Obesity January 7, 2008 CoMentis Announces Proof-of-Activity-Data from its Phase I Study of Disease-Modifying Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy January 7, 2008 APT Pharmaceuticals Expands Management Team NOVEMBER 19, 2007 EnteroMedics Announces Initial Public Offering NOVEMBER 14, 2007 APT Pharmaceuticals Closes New $22 Million Funding Round OCTOBER 4, 2007 JDRF Partners with CoMentis for Diabetic Macular Edema Clinical Trial SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 Mirabilis Closes $10.5 Million Series A Extension to Commercialize Non-invasive Treatment of Uterine Fibroids AUGUST 21, 2007 KFx Medical Corporation Closes $10 Million Series B Financing AUGUST 9, 2007 JDRF Partners with CoMentis for Diabetic Macular Edema Clinical Trial JUNE 18, 2007 CoMentis Announces Appointment of Martin Tolar, M.D., Ph.D., as Vice President JUNE 6, 2007 APT Acquires Exclusive Worldwide Rights to Develop and Commercialize Inhalable Cyclosporine to Prevent Lung Transplant Rejection JUNE 5, 2007 Enteromedics Files Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering MAY 25, 2007 CoMentis Initiates Phase II Clinical Trial for AMD Eye Drop Therapy APRIL 10, 2007 Athenagen Announces Name Change to CoMentis FEBRUARY 10, 2007 Athenagen’s Eye Drop Therapy for AMD is Safe and Well Tolerated in Phase I Study JANUARY 31, 2007 Athenagen Initiates Phase II Clinical Trial in Alzheimer’s Disease DECEMBER 13, 2006 Mirabilis Medica Names Mike Connolly CEO OCTOBER 3, 2006 Athenagen Raises $50 Million in Series B Financing SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 Amaranth Medical Closes $7.5 Million Series A Financing to Advance the Development of Bio-Absorbable Stents SEPTEMBER 26, 2006 Mirabilis Raises $4 Million to Commercialize Non-Invasive Treatment of Uterine Fibroids AUGUST 29, 2006 Athenagen Initiates Clinical Development of its Anti-angiogenic Eye Drop Therapy for AMD AUGUST 21, 2006 Athenagen Completes Merger with Zapaq AUGUST 14, 2006 KFx Medical Corporation Receives 510k Clearance for Knotless Tissue Fixation AUGUST 10, 2006 Athenagen Announces Publication of Results from a Proof-of-Concept Trial of its Novel alpha-7 Nicontinic Receptor Agonist in Schizophrenia JUNE 15, 2006 Athenagen Acquires Osprey Pharmaceutical Company - Adds Clinical-Stage Alzheimer's Drug Candidate to its Pipeline APRIL 13, 2006 Aradigm and APT Pharmaceuticals Initiate Phase 2 Clinical Program of Novel Treatment for Asthma MARCH 23, 2006 Athenagen Adds A. Barr Dolan to its Board of Directors FEBRUARY 22, 2006 Previous News Stories >


	Athenagen Acquires Osprey Pharmaceutical Company- Adds Clinical-Stage Alzheimer's Drug Candidate to its Pipeline SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL – APRIL 13, 2006 Athenagen, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has acquired the assets of Osprey Pharmaceutical Company, which include a lead clinical compound targeting Alzheimer's disease, as well as a large library of related analogs. The lead compound, GTS-21, is a novel, orally active alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) receptor agonist that has demonstrated memory and cognition enhancement activity in Phase I studies. The acquisition also includes intellectual property, preclinical and clinical data, and an active U.S. IND for GTS-21. Financial terms were not disclosed. Osprey's lead compound, GTS-21 (also known as DMXBA), is unique in that it is a selective alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist. GTS-21 has been studied in four Phase I studies in healthy volunteers and one Phase I study in schizophrenic patients. In all studies, the compound was well tolerated. In a Phase I multi-dosing, double-blind, placebo controlled study in healthy adults, cognitive enhancement was seen across all doses, with a statistically significant improvement in attention related and memory related tasks (Kitagawa et al., Neuropsychopharmacology (2003) 28, 542-551). Athenagen plans to initiate Phase II studies in patients with Alzheimer's disease in early 2007. "GTS-21 is an excellent addition to our pipeline because it expands our nACh receptor- focused clinical portfolio with an additional therapeutic indication - Alzheimer's disease," stated W. Scott Harkonen, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. "Osprey's drug discovery efforts in cognition and memory with the alpha-7 nACh receptor pathway in the brain complement Athenagen's scientific work on the endothelial nACh receptor pathway for diseases associated with angiogenesis. With our age-related macular degeneration (AMD) program and wound healing programs advancing to the clinic this year, and our first Alzheimer's Phase II trials planned to start early next year, Athenagen expects to have three Phase II programs underway in 2007." The portfolio of compounds acquired by Athenagen was originally licensed by Osprey from the University of Florida in Gainesville. Osprey's technology is based on pioneering work conducted by William R. Kem, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Dr. Kem is an expert in identifying compounds that bind to alpha-7 nACh receptors and was one of the first to characterize the role of alpha-7 nACh receptors in cognition and memory. The alpha-7 nACh receptor has been shown to stimulate cognition without causing addiction or other side effects associated with stimulation of other nACh receptors. Athenagen will continue to work with Dr. Kem in developing novel nACh receptor agonists and characterizing their uses. "The portfolio of compounds developed by Dr. Kem offer a number of additional opportunities for Athenagen," stated John Cooke, M.D., Ph.D, co-founder of Athenagen and Chief Scientific Officer. "We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to combine his expertise in the nACh field with ours." "Our drug discovery research group is extremely pleased that Athenagen will be continuing to support our ongoing efforts," commented Dr. Kem. "In addition to Alzheimer's disease, there are several interesting therapeutic applications that are being explored which further enhance the drug discovery and development programs at Athenagen."
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	About Osprey Pharmaceutical Osprey Pharmaceutical Company, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, was founded in 2003 by Stefan Borg, a biotechnology veteran and entrepreneur, who served as the company's President and CEO until his sudden death in May 2005. The company planned to commercialize the lead compound in Dr. Kem's portfolio and expand on opportunities afforded by numerous other compounds in the portfolio that it licensed from the University of Florida in Gainesville. Mr. Borg had previously started two biotechnology life science companies including SunPharm Corporation (a public corporation now part of Genzyme). Mr. Borg was succeeded by Paul Herron, Osprey's Chief Financial Officer, as the interim President and CEO. Mr. Herron had worked previously with Mr. Borg as CFO of two other biotechnology companies, including SunPharm. About Athenagen Athenagen, Inc., located in South San Francisco, is engaged in the development of small-molecule drugs designed to either inhibit or enhance angiogenesis, based on the discovery of a new endothelial cell angiogenesis pathway, known as the nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) receptor pathway. Athenagen's lead products are being developed as oral and topical compounds to treat diseases caused by enhanced angiogenesis, such as cancer and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as topical formulations to treat diseases caused by impaired angiogenesis, such as non-healing wounds. Athenagen plans to introduce two drug candidates into the clinic in 2006: ATG002, a topical pro-angiogenesis compound for diabetic foot ulcers and ATG003, a topical (eye drop) anti-angiogenesis compound for neovascular AMD. In addition, Athenagen expects to enter Phase II clinical trials with a third program, GTS-21, for Alzheimer's disease in early 2007. For more information: www.athenagen.com. CONTACT: W. Scott Harkonen, M.D. President and CEO (650) 869-7600 press@athenagen.com