WINNIPEG, Manitoba -(November 12, 2003). Medicure
Inc. (TSX:MPH), a cardiovascular drug discovery and development
company, is pleased to announce that it has been issued patent No.
6,605,612, "Cardioprotective Phosphonates and Malonates",
by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The newly issued patent,
the Company's eighth, covers composition of matter claims and compound
claims in a series of novel therapeutics in the treatment of cardiovascular
and related diseases.
Medical uses in this patent include treatment of cerebral and myocardial
ischemia, hypertension, myocardial infarction, ischemic reperfusion
injury and other metabolic and cardiovascular conditions.
"This new composition of matter patent, developed by Medicure's
own team of medical chemists, provides additional protection and
strengthens the intellectual properties surrounding Medicure's drug
discovery and development efforts," said Albert D. Friesen,
PhD, Medicure's President and CEO. "The continued growth of
our patent portfolio is a further testament to and corroboration
of the novelty of the Company's research and its systematic approach
to building value for our shareholders."
The Company's Drug Discovery Program is focused on advancing novel
therapeutics to address unmet cardiovascular needs. Through its
relationship with CanAm Bioresearch Inc., Medicure has established
capabilities in the areas of medicinal chemistry, cardiovascular
physiology and drug screening. The objective is create new therapeutics
based on MC-1's natural product scaffold whose structural architecture,
or scaffold, has been established as safe and active, and provides
a powerful guiding principle for development of novel drugs.
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.
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 molecule, 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
