Raptor Pharmaceuticals Acquires Orphan Clinic...( NOVATO Calif. Dec. 17 /- RaptorPh...)

NOVATO, Calif., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. ("Raptor" or the "Company") (OTC Bulletin Board: RPTP), today announced that its clinical development division, Bennu Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Bennu"), has acquired a clinical product candidate, EC Cysteamine. Bennu received the exclusive worldwide license to EC Cysteamine, developed by clinical scientists at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, by way of its acquisition by merger of Encode Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Encode"), previously a privately held, development-stage pharmaceutical company.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071022/NYM074LOGO )

EC Cysteamine is a proprietary enterically coated formulation of cysteamine bitartrate, a cystine depleting agent currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"). Cysteamine bitartrate is prescribed for the management of the genetic disorder known as nephropathic cystinosis ("cystinosis"), a lysosomal storage disease characterized by the poor transport of cystine out of lysosomes. If left untreated, this disorder is associated with a high morbidity rate, including renal failure. EC Cysteamine has received orphan drug designation from the FDA's Office of Orphan Products Development for the treatment of cystinosis. An evaluation of the product's efficacy is currently underway in a clinical trial generously supported by the Cystinosis Research Foundation of Irvine, CA. The active ingredient in EC Cysteamine has also demonstrated potential in studies as a treatment for other metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Batten disease and Huntington's disease.

"EC Cysteamine will add value, and balance our clinical portfolio with an advanced clinical program focused on a safe and potentially more effective second generation, proprietary treatment for the mana
'/>"/>