PATENT GRANTED TO POZEN'S PN DRUGS

Pozen has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent number 6,926,907 'Pharmaceutical Compositions for the Coordinated Delivery of NSAIDs'. This patent includes claims to pharmaceutical compositions that may contain a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and an acid inhibitor, e.g., a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Pozen's PN combination drug candidates are covered under this patent.

In the wake of cardiovascular safety concerns regarding the COX-2 selective NSAIDs, physicians are now recommending use of traditional non-selective NSAIDs with acid-suppressive co-therapy to prevent gastrointestinal complications. Pozen's PN drug candidates are being designed to provide this type of therapy with the added benefit of ensuring adherence with the

use of the gastroprotective PPI with every dose of NSAID.

The PN tablet is designed to initially release the PPI component in the stomach and the NSAID component is released only in a lower acid environment. Pozen completed a 14-day proof-of-concept study with its drug candidate PN 100 which demonstrated that PN 100 was highly effective in preventing gastric mucosal injury compared with an NSAID alone.