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| TransTech Pharma, Inc. Obtains Exclusive License to Glucokinase Activator Program for the Treatment of Diabetes from Novo Nordisk High Point, NC; Bagsvaerd, Denmark – February 20, 2007 – – TransTech Pharma and Novo Nordisk A/S announced today an agreement whereby TransTech has obtained an exclusive license from Novo Nordisk to its clinical glucokinase activator (GKA) program. Tests in a variety of mammalian species suggest that glucokinase activators can help people with diabetes control their glucose levels. Under the terms of the agreement, TransTech will obtain all rights worldwide to Novo Nordisks GKA program including preclinical and clinical compounds, the latter with human data. On 15 January, Novo Nordisk announced a decision to focus all its research and development resources on the companys growing pipeline of protein-based pharmaceuticals. As a result of this decision the company said it would out-license existing preclinical and clinical small-molecule projects, including its GKA program which is currently in clinical testing. The drug candidates licensed by TransTech are novel, orally administered compounds discovered during a strategic research collaboration initiated in 2001 between TransTech and Novo Nordisk utilizing TransTechs proprietary small-molecule discovery engine, TTP Translational Technology®. Adnan Mjalli, PhD, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of TTP, said, “The promise of glucokinase activators to transform diabetes therapy is enormous. We are excited to obtain all the rights to these drug candidates, which we jointly discovered with Novo Nordisk, a recognized worldwide leader in diabetes therapies. The addition of the glucokinase activator program will greatly enhance our existing diabetes and obesity portfolio and allow TransTech to become a world leader in the discovery and development of novel treatments for diabetes and obesity a key therapeutic focus of the company. Our current diabetes and obesity portfolio includes orally administered and novel therapeutic development candidates targeting PTP1b inhibitors, AgRP inhibitors, GLP1R agonists and AMPK activators.“ Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief science officer of Novo Nordisk, said: “We are very pleased that it has been possible to reach an agreement with TransTech in such short time. They have been our partners in the GKA program all along, and they have the capabilities to take on the further development. This allows us to focus our R&D on therapeutic proteins which is where we have our core competences, while keeping a financial stake in the GKA program.“ TransTech will make an up-front payment to Novo Nordisk for the licensed rights, and has also committed to additional payments as development milestones are reached, as well as royalties on commercial product sales. The parties have agreed not to disclose further terms of the agreement. About TransTech Pharma TransTech Pharma is a privately held clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of human therapeutics to fill unmet medical needs. The Company’s high-throughput drug discovery platform, Translational Technology®, translates the functional modulation of human proteins into safe and effective medicines. TransTech has a pipeline of small molecule clinical and pre-clinical drug candidates for the treatment of a wide range of human diseases including cardiovascular disorders, central nervous system disorders, type I/II diabetes, obesity, and cancer. For further company information, visit http://www.ttpharma.com. About Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk is a healthcare company and a world leader in diabetes care. The company has the broadest diabetes product portfolio in the industry, including the most advanced products within the area of insulin delivery systems. In addition, Novo Nordisk has a leading position within areas such as haemostasis management, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Novo Nordisk manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services that make a significant difference to patients, the medical profession and society. With headquarters in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs more than 23,600 employees in 79 countries, and markets its products in 179 countries. Novo Nordisks B shares are listed on the stock exchanges in Copenhagen and London. Its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NVO. For more information, visit novonordisk.com For further information contact: TransTech Pharma, Inc.:
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