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 Nereus Pharmaceuticals Awarded $850,000 SBIR Grant For Development of TNF-àlpha/IL-1 Synthesis InhibitorAward Validates Potential of Orally Delivered Anti-Inflammatory Agent San Diego, California - October 23, 2001 - Nereus Pharmaceuticals Inc., a drug discovery and development company, today announced that it had received approval for a Fast Track Phase I/II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for up to $850,000 from the National Institutes of Health. The award, the first SBIR grant awarded to the three year-old company, is designed to support research that demonstrates innovation and the potential for commercialization. Nereus will utilize the award to support its development of an oral tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-àlpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) synthesis inhibitor (NPI-1302a-3). TNF-àlpha and IL-1 are critical for normal physiology. However their over-production can have serious long-term consequences and has been implicated in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, congestive heart failure and psoriasis. Two injectable therapies that target TNF- alpha have been approved by the FDA, and recently an IL-1 receptor antagonist received favorable recommendation for approval from an FDA panel. These therapies, however, require repeated injections and can be complicated by adverse reactions such as immunosuppression and increased infections. Therefore, there is a need for an oral therapy that does not produce these undesireable effects. NPI-1302a-3 may provide this new therapeutic option in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. "The grant from the NIH provides validation of the potential benefit NPI-1302a-3 may provide to patients who require long-term, anti-inflammatory therapy," said Kobi Sethna, President and CEO of Nereus. "The grant will allow us to accelerate our research into this exciting molecule. We anticipate that the commercial opportunities for the drug, once it is fully developed, are broad and may encompass numerous pathological conditions." Michael Palladino, Ph.D., Vice President of Development and Scientific Co-Founder of Nereus, said, "The NIH's financial support of our research program confirms our belief in the promise of NPI-1302a-3. We believe that this drug could offer benefits to patients over current anti-inflammatory therapies. Current treatments deplete the TNF- alpha in the body, leading to possible immunosuppression, increased infections and certain malignancies. NPI-1302a-3 reduces but does not deplete the excess TNF- alpha and IL-1, thereby potentially avoiding or reducing such problems. Other advantages include a simplified manufacturing process, a shorter half-life, potentially less toxicity, and the demonstration of potent oral bioavailability." 
About Nereus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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