Aug. 10, 2005 — Ann Arbor-based Velcura Therapeutics Inc. said Tuesday that it has a licensing agreement with Nippon Chemiphar Co. Ltd., a Japanese pharmaceutical company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The license agreement enables the two companies to further develop new small-molecule therapies for osteoporosis and other bone diseases. This is a critical unmet need, as osteoporosis is second only to cardiovascular disease as a world health problem, according to the World Health Organization. More than 100 million people worldwide suffer from it. The two companies also announced that they have discovered their first lead compound and shown it to be very effective in animal models of osteoporosis. In 2006, Velcura Therapeutics plans to begin clinical trials on this drug as a possible therapy for osteoporosis. In working together, the companies coupled Chemiphar's strong expertise in drug discovery with Velcura's patented process of growing human bone in tissue culture. The compound both inhibits bone loss and stimulates bone formation, and can be taken in pill form. In addition, Michael W. Long, Velcura's CEO, said he believes the drug can be formulated into a sustained-release form for treating people with bone fractures. The compound also might be used as a topical application to treat patients with gum disease, who have teeth loosened from the surrounding bone. Under the terms of the agreement, Velcura also licensed access to a broad range of similar molecules for use in research and development of second- generation drugs to treat bone diseases. Chemiphar will retain commercialization rights in Asia for any new product candidates, while Velcura will have commercialization rights in all markets outside Asia.

Aug. 9, 2005 — U.S. biotechnology company Velcura Therapeutics®, Inc. announced a license agreement with Nippon Chemiphar Co. (Chemiphar), Ltd., a Japanese pharmaceutical company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The license agreement enables the two companies to further develop new small-molecule therapies for osteoporosis and other bone diseases. This is a critical unmet need, as osteoporosis is second only to cardiovascular disease as a world health problem, according to the World Health Organization.

July 13, 2005 — Ann Arbor-based Velcura Therapeutics Inc. said Tuesday it has received a $1.3 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health. The money will continue Velcura's work on discovering new drugs that stimulate bone formation in people. Velcura received a Phase I grant of $224,000 in 2003 for similar work. The company is developing a drug that can be taken as a pill that both stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone loss aimed at the treatment of osteoporosis and other bone-loss disorders. The drug is expected to enter clinical trials in early 2006.Velcura founder Michael W. Long has received more than $13 million in NIH funding for research, which he began as a professor at the University of Michigan. While at UM he and his research team discovered how to grow human bone outside the body. He went on to use this intellectual property to build Velcura, named for its goal of find ing "swift cures" (or in Latin, "velocitas cura" -- get it?) for those suffering from bone diseases.

July 12, 2005 — ANN ARBOR, MICH., July 12, 2005 – The National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Velcura Therapeutics®, Inc. a $1.3 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant entitled "Proteomics-based drug discovery in human osteoblasts".

May 12, 2005 — ANN ARBOR, Mich. May 12, 2005 -- Although under the radar of some investors, Velcura Therapeutics®, Inc. clearly has been busy since Windhover Information Inc. Review of Emerging Medical Ventures profiled the company in its piece "Drugs that Induce Bone Growth: The Beginning of An Era for Anabolic Bone Forming Agents." So Windhover's Start-Up Forum 2005 will uncover some of the recent achievements and future plans of the biotechnology company that may provide the answer for more than 44 million people who are at risk of osteoporosis, and a potential $65 billion market.