Potentia Pharmaceuticals to Present ASaP Phase I Clinical Trial Data for POT-4 at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annu...( POT-4 is the first complement inh...)

POT-4 is the first complement inhibitor to be tested in AMD patients

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Potentia Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biotechnology company developing medicines for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), announced today that the Company will be presenting its ASaP Phase I clinical data for its leading drug candidate, POT-4, during the Retina Subspecialty Day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA, on November 7, 2008.

Cedric Francois, President and CEO of Potentia Pharmaceuticals, said, "POT-4 is the first of several complement inhibitors that will ultimately be tested in macular degeneration. The role of complement in this disease was established in 2005 as the first breakthrough discovery resulting directly from the human genome project. If complement inhibition is successful at treating macular degeneration, it would be the first of hopefully many new drugs born out of the human genome project, and usher in an era of improved healthcare for millions of patients."

Dr. Philip J. Rosenfeld, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, FL, and a clinical investigator in the study, will present the data on Potentia's behalf.

POT-4 is a complement inhibitor, which shuts down the complement activation cascade that could otherwise lead to local inflammation, tissue damage and upregulation of angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the eye. Based on this mechanism of action, POT-4 holds the potential to be effective against both dry and wet AMD. POT-4 has shown early positive safety results in its Phase I study.

For more information on the presentation at AAO:

Title: Complement C3 Inhibitor POT-4 for AMD

When: Friday, November 7 at 9:01 AM EST

Location: Hall A-3 Session Room

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