Unigene Enters Supply Agreement to Manufacture Osteoporosis Peptide

Unigene Laboratories, Inc. will receive a $2.5 million payment to supply Novartis with specified quantities of a bulk peptide necessary to support Novartis’ development program for an osteoporosis treatment.

Over the next several months, Unigene will use its patented manufacturing technology to develop an FDA compliant process for the peptide, and Novartis will have the opportunity to purchase additional quantities as necessary. Some of this material may be used in clinical studies.

In 2004, Novartis exclusively licensed Unigene’s technology to manufacture another peptide, calcitonin, and it now runs the scaled-up process at its manufacturing facility in Kundl, Austria.

“We are very pleased to expand our relationship with Novartis,” commented Dr. Ronald S. Levy, Executive Vice President of Unigene.

“They have a strong commitment to peptide therapeutics as well as to osteoporosis products. Our calcitonin collaboration has been extremely successful, and we hope to have additional opportunities to work with them,” he said.