Unigene Laboratories, Inc. has received notice of a patentapproval from the European Patent Office for its process ofefficiently producing a large class of peptide hormones,including one that inhibits bone loss.

The Fairfield, N.J. company (NASDAQ:UGNE) expects theEuropean market for calcitonin, which is used to combatosteoporosis to be the fastest and largest-growing. CurrentEuropean sales of calcitonin account for about 75 percent of thenearly $1 billion worldwide total.

The hormone was originally administered exclusively byinjection, but a nasal spray has sharply increased sales inEurope and Japan.

The European patent is one of three filed by the companyacross the Atlantic G it is also the broadest of the three and thefirst to receive notice of approval. Unigene already holdspatents on the technology in the United States and othercountries.

The production process involves a proprietary amidatingenzyme that modifies and activates peptide hormoneprecursors.

Unigene uses its patented process to produce highly purifiedcalcitonin for use in developing an oral formulation, to compiledata required to register the drug for osteoporosis and otherindications, and to sell it to the international researchcommunity.

The process can also be used for other hormones which arebeing evaluated as treatments for hypertension, diabetes,wounds, ulcers and inflammation.

-- Nancy Garcia Associate Editor

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