ELBION PARTNERS WITH OAKWOOD LABORATORIES FOR SUSTAINED RELEASE
NALTREXONE TREATMENT FOR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
LEUVEN, BELGIUM/CLEVELAND, OHIO – (January 15, 2008) – elbion NV, a European
specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on neurology and immunology, today announced
that it has entered a collaboration agreement with Oakwood Laboratories, L.L.C for manufacturing
of its Naltrexone Depot sustained release product for alcohol dependence.
Oakwood Laboratories of Oakwood Village (near Cleveland), Ohio, USA is a privately held
company specializing in the development and manufacture of controlled release injectable
elbion ´s Naltrexone Depot is designed as a monthly intramuscular injection. elbion believes the
formulation has significant advantages over conventional naltrexone products, for which treatment
compliance is a major limiting factor. Previous clinical trials with Naltrexone Depot have shown
encouraging results with a trend towards greater levels of abstinence for patients receiving treatment
Bernd Kastler, CEO of elbion, commented: “We expect this agreement to expedite the completion of
development of this advanced clinical product, which we believe can be a significant value driver for
elbion. Alcohol dependence has a profound effect on the lives of millions of people around the world
and we believe that Naltrexone Depot has the potential to play a major role in their treatment. We
are very impressed with Oakwood’s capabilities, and find them to be a premier service provider in
Oakwood Laboratories, L.L.C. 7670 First Place, Oakwood Village, Ohio 44146
Telephone: (440) 359-0000 Fax: (440) 359-0001 Web: www.oakwoodlabs.com
Mark Smith, President of Oakwood said, “We are pleased to enter into this collaboration with
elbion, and its dynamic and experienced management team. We believe that Oakwood’s ability to
provide rapid formulation development and refinement, as well as scale up and clinical and
commercial manufacture, will bring this project to a successful conclusion.”
About Naltrexone Depot
Naltrexone Depot is a novel, sustained release formulation of naltrexone in development for the
treatment of alcohol dependence. The product is formulated for once-a-month intramuscular
injection. From the injection site, naltrexone is slowly released into the blood and then into the
central nervous system (CNS) where it blocks endorphin receptors. The sustained release
mechanism promotes effective blood concentrations of naltrexone in the CNS for a full month,
thereby potentially improving treatment outcomes by increasing compliance. Alcohol dependence
affects more than 20 million people in the US and Europe.
About elbion
elbion NV is a Belgian specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and
commercialization of therapeutics for neurological diseases and immunological disorders. The
Company has its headquarters in Leuven and additional facilities in Radebeul, Germany.
elbion has a maturing pipeline with products for areas of significant commercial potential and a
further portfolio of high quality late pre-clinical development compounds. The most advanced
candidate, Naltrexone Depot, is a sustained release formulation of naltrexone for the treatment of
alcohol dependence and is currently being prepared to enter pivotal Phase III clinical trials. ELB353,
a highly potent PDE4 inhibitor, has completed Phase I trials.
elbion’s strategy is to maximize the value of its product portfolio by further partnering of its
compounds and through selectively marketing products in certain territories, building its own sales
In addition to its own clinical pipeline, elbion has research and license agreement with Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals, around elbion’s phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE10) program for CNS disorders with an
Oakwood Laboratories, L.L.C. 7670 First Place, Oakwood Village, Ohio 44146
Telephone: (440) 359-0000 Fax: (440) 359-0001 Web: www.oakwoodlabs.com
initial focus on schizophrenia. elbion also has a research agreement with Gilead Sciences for the
discovery and development of new drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C virus.
About Oakwood Laboratories
Oakwood Laboratories, L.L.C., is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company focused on
advanced injectable drug delivery. Its first technology platform, CHRONIJECT™, is a sustained
release microsphere formulation that enables a single injection to deliver drug for periods ranging
from one week up to one year. Oakwood is currently using this patented technology to develop a
portfolio of proprietary products in a variety of therapeutic areas, including oncology,
endocrinology, CNS, dermatology and ophthalmology. Oakwood also partners with pharmaceutical
and biotechnology companies to apply its drug delivery technology to new chemical entities or to
extend the patent life of existing products. The company operates an aseptic manufacturing facility
for the production of clinical and commercial supplies of products employing CHRONIJECT™
technology, as well as other liquid and lyophilized parenteral pharmaceuticals for contract
customers. Oakwood Laboratories, L.L.C. is located in the greater Cleveland area in the USA.
Contact: elbion NV Ann De Beuckelaer Halvestraat 3 3000 Leuven Belgium Tel: +32 476 93 45 79 www.elbion.com Oakwood Laboratories, L.L.C Mark T. Smith 7670 First Place Oakwood Village, Ohio 44146 USA Tel: +1 (440) 359-0000 ext. 222
Oakwood Laboratories, L.L.C. 7670 First Place, Oakwood Village, Ohio 44146
Telephone: (440) 359-0000 Fax: (440) 359-0001 Web: www.oakwoodlabs.com
Ciência sem Fronteiras (Science Without Borders) PI name & contact details: Dr. Kevin Kavanag Department of Biology, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Has project been agreed with head (or Yes nominee) of proposed registration school? Research Centre / group affiliation: Medical Mycology Research group / centre website:
ELBION PARTNERS WITH OAKWOOD LABORATORIES FOR SUSTAINED RELEASE
NALTREXONE TREATMENT FOR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
LEUVEN, BELGIUM/CLEVELAND, OHIO – (January 15, 2008) – elbion NV, a European
specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on neurology and immunology, today announced
that it has entered a collaboration agreement with Oakwood Laboratories, L.L.C for manufacturing
of its Naltrexone Depot sustained release product for alcohol dependence.
Oakwood Laboratories of Oakwood Village (near Cleveland), Ohio, USA is a privately held
company specializing in the development and manufacture of controlled release injectable
elbion ´s Naltrexone Depot is designed as a monthly intramuscular injection. elbion believes the
formulation has significant advantages over conventional naltrexone products, for which treatment
compliance is a major limiting factor. Previous clinical trials with Naltrexone Depot have shown
encouraging results with a trend towards greater levels of abstinence for patients receiving treatment
Bernd Kastler, CEO of elbion, commented: “We expect this agreement to expedite the completion of
development of this advanced clinical product, which we believe can be a significant value driver for
elbion. Alcohol dependence has a profound effect on the lives of millions of people around the world
and we believe that Naltrexone Depot has the potential to play a major role in their treatment. We
are very impressed with Oakwood’s capabilities, and find them to be a premier service provider in
Oakwood Laboratories, L.L.C. 7670 First Place, Oakwood Village, Ohio 44146
Telephone: (440) 359-0000 Fax: (440) 359-0001 Web: www.oakwoodlabs.com
Mark Smith, President of Oakwood said, “We are pleased to enter into this collaboration with
elbion, and its dynamic and experienced management team. We believe that Oakwood’s ability to
provide rapid formulation development and refinement, as well as scale up and clinical and
commercial manufacture, will bring this project to a successful conclusion.”
About Naltrexone Depot