Bend Research and Pfizer Offer Proprietary Technology to Help Solve Drug-Discovery Challenges

Bend Research and Pfizer Offer Proprietary Technology to Help Solve Drug-Discovery Challenges

August 09, 2007

New Partners Invited To Use Spray-Dried Dispersion (SDD)
Technology To Overcome Problems of Low Solubility


    BEND, Ore., Aug. 9 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Bend Research
Inc. today announced a new initiative to make available
Pfizer's drug-delivery technology for improving the
clinical value of experimental compounds.   

    The search for new medicines is made more difficult
because many potentially valuable compounds have low
solubility and low bioavailability -- they are not easily
absorbed or metabolized by the human body.   

    To overcome these challenges, Bend Research and Pfizer
jointly developed the new, proprietary drug-delivery
technology relying on spray-dried dispersions (SDDs). The
SDD technology has been successfully applied to more than
200 Pfizer compounds with low aqueous solubility.   

    Further, improved oral bioavailability significantly
above that of crystalline drug has been demonstrated in 17
clinical trials conducted by Pfizer, including one Phase
III trial.   

    "Pfizer has always understood the value of
partnering in order to overcome the highly complex
scientific challenges of drug discovery," said John L.
LaMattina, president of Pfizer Research & Development.
"This new initiative shows how we can share scientific
expertise to help discover new medicines for patients in
need."

    "The SDD technology provides a significant
opportunity to advance insoluble compounds with low
bioavailability," said Marshall Crew, vice president
of Bend Research. "This technology is broadly
applicable to insoluble compounds and is compatible with
conventional solid dosage forms. Bend Research looks
forward to establishing new collaborations and driving
forward to new pharmaceutical products."   

    Under this new initiative, Bend Research will work with
research organizations and universities and seek to apply
Pfizer's SDD technology to their compounds. The aim is to
improve bioavailability in short-term feasibility studies. 
 

    If the results are promising, the partners will have
the opportunity to negotiate license agreements with
Pfizer. Bend Research is inviting researchers to make
contact and discuss the applicability of SDDs to their
low-bioavailability compounds.   

    Further information about this initiative is available
at the Bend Research website:  http://www.bendresearch.com
. Companies interested in the SDD technology should contact
Dr. Jeff Gautschi at Bend Research by calling
[phone] or e-mail [e-mail]. Media
contacts should be directed to Ann Malkin, Director of
Communications at Bend Research, at [phone] or
[e-mail]. 


    For more information, please contact:

     Ann Malkin, 
     Director of Communications,
     Bend Research Inc.
     Tel:  [phone]