Collaboration to further diabetes research

Montreal, QC September 4, 2003 Theratechnologies says it has signed a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, involving its ExoPep platform for the development of a therapeutic peptide in the field of diabetes.

Theratechnologies says this partnership agreement is the first based on its original platform technology. Under the terms of the agreement, which provides for research and regulatory milestone payments as well as royalties, the companies will collaborate to discover a lead compound for an undisclosed target. All development and marketing activities will be conducted by Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development.

“At Theratechnologies, we are building a valuable franchise in endocrinology and metabolism, and this is starting to be recognized by the pharmaceutical industry. We are particularly proud to be collaborating with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development to support their work in diabetes,” says Luc Tanguay, president and chief executive officer. “We believe this new relationship with a global pharmaceutical company confirms our expertise and demonstrates the significant value of the ExoPep platform.”

ExoPep, one of Theratechnologies’ proprietary technology platforms, offers potential for the rapid discovery of therapeutic peptides. With this platform, the company says promising new drug candidates could be added to its development programs in the fields of endocrinology and metabolism, and several compounds are currently being evaluated.

The ExoPep platform generates peptides that interact with G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). Approximately 60% of all currently available prescription drugs interact with these receptors. Peptides derived from ExoPep comprise on average 5 to 12 amino acids and act on GPCRs by blocking signal transduction.