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Australian Patent Granted for Norwood Immunology

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 May 2005, 15:00 CDT

Norwood Abbey Ltd (OTC:NABYF) (ASX:NAL):

Key Points:

-- Patent Grants in Australia (patent number 779067)

-- Granted Claims are Extensive and Cover Key Aspects of the Immunology Technology

Norwood Abbey Ltd (OTC:NABYF) (ASX:NAL) announced that a further patent relating to its immunology technology has been granted in Australia, further strengthening Norwood's intellectual property position in the immunology area.

Norwood's immunology technology is based on the use of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved GnRH analogue drugs to regenerate the thymus gland and enhance bone marrow function. This "re-boots" the body's immune system so it can produce new T cells, enabling patients to better respond to disease. GnRH analogue drugs include Lupron Depot(R) marketed by TAP Pharmaceutical Products, Inc, Norwood's U.S. partner in the immunology project.

The Australian Patent Office has granted Patent Number 779067- "Improvement of T cell Mediated Immunity" with 99 claims. The patent is broad and covers important aspects of the company's immunology program.

The main claims of Australian Patent Number 779067 relate to the use of a compound such as GnRH analogues for treating cancer, an infection, an immune dysfunction, an allergy, an autoimmune disease, a hypersensitivity disease or host-versus-graft disease. In particular, there are claims directed towards enhancing the immune response to combat infections such as AIDS and Herpes. In addition, there are claims which relate to modifying or increasing T cells in a patient with depressed or abnormal T cell population or function.

Many aggressive cancer therapies can inadvertently damage the immune system and this can result in an increased risk of infection. The use of GnRH analogues to reduce these side effects is an important aspect of Norwood's immunology program and the granted patent includes claims directed toward this use.

The company is involved in clinical studies to enhance the immune system of cancer patients. As recently announced, the U.S. FDA have accepted TAP's IND application for a clinical study of the immunological effects of Lupron in patients undergoing autologous Bone Marrow (BM) transplantation. This study follows on from Norwood's first clinical study in patients receiving a similar treatment for which interim results were announced in December 2003.

The patent derives from PCT Application number AU00/00329 with a filing date of 17 April 2000 and a priority date of 15 April 1999. It was granted to Norwood Immunology Ltd, a subsidiary of Norwood Abbey Ltd.

For further information about Norwood, visit the company's websites at www.norwoodabbey.com and www.norwoodimmunology.com.

Source: Business Wire

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