Discovery Labs Receives US Patent For Method To Promote Mucus Clearance With Pulmonary Surfactant

WARRINGTON, Pa., July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Discovery Laboratories, Inc. (Nasdaq: DSCO) today announced it has received a patent issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) entitled "Pulmonary Surfactant Formulations and Methods for Promoting Mucus Clearance."  The claims of the patent (U.S. Patent Number 8,221,772) provide coverage for a method for promoting mucus clearance in a patient with a pulmonary condition characterized by excessive mucus secretion or impaired mucus clearance such as cystic fibrosis (CF), bronchiectasis, ciliary diskinesia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and sinusitis.  The patent term expires in September 2027.

"This patent enhances Discovery Labs' patent portfolio by providing protection in the area of pulmonary conditions characterized by impaired mucus clearance," said W. Thomas Amick, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Labs.   "Combined with Discovery Labs' proprietary aerosolization technologies, our KL4 surfactant may provide a new opportunity to develop treatments to address a number of debilitating respiratory disorders where unmet needs still persist." 

In addition to this patent, Discovery Labs also has the benefit of certain regulatory designations, including U.S. and EU Orphan Designations for the treatment of CF with KL4 surfactant, which potentially strengthen the company's exclusivity position for this indication.

ABOUT DISCOVERY LABS Discovery Laboratories, Inc. is a specialty biotechnology company with one focus – to create life-saving products for critical care patients with respiratory disease and improve the standard of care for pulmonary medicine. Discovery Labs' novel proprietary KL4 surfactant technology produces a synthetic, peptide- containing surfactant that is structurally similar to pulmonary surfactant and is being developed in liquid, lyophilized and aerosolized formulations. Discovery Labs is also developing its proprietary drug delivery technologies to enable efficient, targeted upper-respiratory or alveolar delivery of aerosolized KL4 surfactant and other inhaled therapies. Discovery Labs believes that its proprietary technologies make it possible, for the first time, to develop a significant pipeline of products to address a variety of respiratory diseases for which there frequently are few or no approved therapies. For more information, please visit our website at www.discoverylabs.com.

Forward-Looking Statements To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. Examples of such risks and uncertainties, including those related to Discovery Labs' efforts to secure exclusivity protections for its drug and medical device products through patents and regulatory designations, are described in Discovery Labs' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, and any amendments thereto. Any forward-looking statement in this release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Discovery Labs assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Discovery Laboratories, Inc.

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