Delivery of certain drugs in a fibrin sealant

ZURICH, Switzerland & WOBURN, Mass., Sep 23, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Kuros Biosurgery AG and Aeris Therapeutics, Inc., both privately held biotech companies, announced today that Kuros has granted Aeris an exclusive license in the field of lung volume reduction to certain patent rights Kuros exclusively licensed from the American Red Cross that cover the delivery of certain drugs in a fibrin sealant. In return for the license, Kuros will receive upfronts, milestones and royalties on the sale of Aeris' lead product, the AeriSeal(TM) Biologic Lung Volume Reduction (BLVR) System, a novel investigational emphysema treatment. Aeris is currently preparing for the initiation of Phase 3 clinical trials for the AeriSeal BLVR system.
Commenting on the license, Dr. David Dove, CEO of Aeris, said: "The licensing of this IP from Kuros is an important step in the continued development of our unique Biologic Lung Volume Reduction System. We believe that BLVR has the potential to offer patients suffering from emphysema a treatment option that can alleviate their symptoms of shortness of breath and improve quality of life."
The AeriSeal Biologic Lung Volume Reduction System is a non-surgical treatment in which a bronchoscope is used to deliver a proprietary mixture of drugs and biologics that form a bio-absorbable gel to diseased areas of the lungs. The gel is composed of a mixture of a fibrin sealant as a drug delivery system, an antibiotic to prevent infection and drugs designed to cause a reaction in targeted areas of the lungs. A unique element of the BLVR System is its use of the body's natural scar formation response to permanently collapse diseased areas of the lungs. This reduction in lung volume allows the less diseased parts of the lungs to function more effectively and thereby improves the breathing of patients with emphysema.