Formatech to Donate Services to Formulate and Fill Femta Pharmaceuticals’ FM101 Monoclonal Antibody under Its “Fillanthropy™ Program”

ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Formatech, Inc. announced that it has selected Femta’s FM101 therapeutic candidate to be enrolled in its Fillanthropy Program. Under this program, Formatech will donate the services required to aseptically fill and finish one lot of the drug candidate for use in support of Femta’s upcoming clinical trials.

“Help make new drugs happen at the speed of science.”

FM101 is a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin 6 (“IL-6”). Disregulation of IL-6 is present in or contributes to a number of disease states, including but not limited to cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and cachexia, Femta intends to evaluate FM101 in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a debilitating disease hallmarked by joint inflammation.

“Our team is happy to contribute to the success of Femta’s clinical program” said Jeffrey Bernard, Formatech’s Director of Business Development. “We hope that FM101 proves to be a beneficial therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and for other indications as well”.

“We are grateful to be selected to participate in the Formatech’s Fillanthropy Program,” said Stephen F. Keane, President and COO of Femta Pharmaceuticals. “FM101, which binds and neutralizes human IL-6 with a femtomolar binding affinity, has recently demonstrated positive animal data in non-human primate animal models. Femta has recently started GMP manufacturing and IND enabling toxicology studies with a target of initiating a Phase I clinical program in the first half of 2011. The potential for this drug matches the goals of Formatech’s Fillanthropy Program, providing support for promising drugs in development.”

About the Fillanthropy Program

Each month Formatech is donating the services required to aseptically fill and finish one lot of drug product for selected therapeutic candidates that are entering human clinical trials. When selecting a candidate, Formatech considers both the product’s potential therapeutic benefit and the financial need of the sponsor. To apply for participation in this program, companies are encouraged to contact Jeffrey Bernard at 978-725-9077 x 3164 or [e-mail] .

About Formatech

Formatech is a contract service provider that delivers unique solutions to bio/pharmaceutical product development and manufacturing challenges. To learn more about the company and its services, visit www.formatech.com.

Formatech’s mission is to “Help make new drugs happen at the speed of science.”

About Femta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Femta Pharmaceuticals is focused on the development of best in class therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of various disease states. Our monoclonal antibodies have applications in the areas of inflammation, autoimmune disease and oncology. Femta develops high affinity, high specificity monoclonal antibodies with improved effector functions as well as favorable safety and pharmacokinetic profiles. The high affinity of our antibodies will contribute to making our products more efficacious with better safety profiles, as well as potentially reducing drug dosage.

Further information can be found at www.femtapharma.com.