WINNIPEG, Manitoba - (August 11, 2003) - Medicure
Inc. (TSX:MPH), a cardiovascular drug discovery and development
company, is pleased to announce that it has been issued patent No.
6,586,414, "Treatment of Cerebrovascular Disease", by
the US Patent and Trademark Office. The newly issued patent, the
Company's seventh, protects the use of several of Medicure's novel
therapeutics in the treatment of stroke and related conditions.
It marks the Company's first patent issued for stroke.
A stroke is a sudden loss of brain function. It is caused by the
interruption of the flow of blood to the brain (an ischemic stroke)
or the rupture of blood vessels in the brain (a hemorrhagic stroke),
which in turn causes brain cells in the affected area to die. The
onset of symptoms is rapid and can last for 24 hours or longer,
and can possibly result in death from no obvious cause other than
the vascular one. The effects of a stroke depend upon where the
brain was injured as well as how much damage occurred.
Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in the world with
more than 750,000 new cases per year in the USA, of which 500,000
are first time attacks. To date, the only FDA approved stroke therapeutic
is tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), a treatment that aids in
dissolving the arterial obstruction in ischemic strokes. However,
TPA is available to less than 10% of stroke patients, due to the
increased risk of hemorrhage and the narrow therapeutic time frame
during which the drug can be administered.
"The granting of this patent further fortifies the proprietary
position of Medicure's Drug Discovery Program and underscores our
ongoing commitment to the development of effective therapeutics
for unmet cardiovascular needs, one of the greatest of which is
improved treatment for stroke" stated Albert D. Friesen, PhD,
Medicure's President & Chief Executive Officer.
About Medicure
Inc.
Medicure
Inc. is a cardiovascular drug discovery and development
Company focused on developing effective therapeutics for unmet needs
in the field of cardiovascular medicine. The Company's lead drug,
MC-1, is focused on the prevention and treatment of ischemia, ischemic
reperfusion injury, and stroke. The cardiovascular and stroke market
is the largest pharmaceutical sector with annual global sales of
over US $70 billion. In the United States alone, more than 7 million
people suffer some form of Acute Myocardial Infarction (heart attack)
annually, 6.2 million suffer from angina and 1.6 million undergo
bypass surgery or angioplasty procedure.
The Company's second product candidate, MC-4232, is being targeted
for the treatment of hypertension, a common disorder in which blood
pressure remains abnormally high. Approximately 73% of the more
than 50 million adult Americans who have hypertension, are not adequately
treated.
Medicure also has a medicinal chemistry based Drug Discovery program
focused on discovery and advancement of novel small molecules, anti-ischemics
and anti-thrombotics towards human clinical studies.
This news release
contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, which may
cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made,
and accordingly may be deemed to be forward-looking statements made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements are
made as of the date hereof, and the Company disclaims any intention
and has no obligation or responsibility to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise.
For more information, please contact:
Derek Reimer
Chief Financial Officer
Don Bain
Director of Investor & Public Relations
