Ann Arbor-based Velcura Therapeutics Inc. announced that it has selected Hurley Consulting Associates Ltd. to assist Velcura with clinical trial data collection and analysis, submissions to the federal Food and Drug Administration and development program design. Hurley has already worked successfully with sponsors in designing development programs and prepared new drug applications for osteoporosis drugs in the United States and Europe. Velcura CEO Michael W. Long said his company selected Chatham, N.J.-based Hurley because of its depth of experience in osteoporosis drug development, including extensive regulatory agencies and international collaborations. Velcura is focused on drug therapies that stimulate bone growth for the treatment of osteoporosis, bone fractures and other bone disorders. Velcura's first drug both stimulates human bone formation and inhibits its loss, making it a unique compound for treating osteoporosis. It can be formulated as a pill, has completed animal safety studies, and is planned to start Phase I clinical trials in 2007. The company received $3.3 million in funding from the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor in 2002 and more than $3.8 million from the National Institutes of Health.