GNSC Genaissance Pharmaceuticals (MM)

Genaissance Pharmaceuticals Signs Amendment to License Agreement for Patents on Genes Associated With Sudden Cardiac Death Syndromes Simplifies Royalty Structure and Extends License Rights to Patent Estate NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has signed an amendment to its license agreement with the University of Utah and Yale University, under which Genaissance has certain rights to a patent estate of more than 50 issued and pending patents in the United States and other countries relating to five cardiac ion channel genes associated with Long QT, Brugada and related syndromes. Genaissance acquired the license agreement in May 2003 as part of its acquisition of substantially all of the assets of DNA Sciences, Inc. The amendment will simplify the royalty structure for the genetic test for cardiac ion channel mutations, which Genaissance currently expects to launch in May at HEART RHYTHM 2004, the Heart Rhythm Society's 25th Annual Scientific Sessions, as well as certain other genetic tests and products covered by the license agreement. The amendment also extends Genaissance's license rights to the patent estate, including Genaissance's right to grant sublicenses to companies seeking to use these genes in certain research applications. "We intend to use these extended patent rights to help us build a pharmacogenomic franchise around the genetics of cardiac ion channel mutations," said Richard S. Judson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Genaissance. "Our long-term goal is to bridge our knowledge of Long QT Syndrome to drug-induced QT prolongation, which has led to the withdrawal of important and well known drugs from the market." Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a world leader in the discovery and use of human gene variation for the development of a new generation of DNA-based diagnostic and therapeutic products. Genaissance markets its technology, clinical development skills and pharmacogenomic services to the pharmaceutical industry as a complete solution for improving the development, marketing and prescribing of drugs. Genaissance has agreements with major pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology companies. Genaissance is headquartered in Science Park in New Haven, Connecticut. Visit the company's website at http://www.genaissance.com/. This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the expected growth and development of Genaissance's business, such as Genaissance's efforts to build a pharmacogenomic franchise around ion channel mutations, the timing and outcome of its genetic testing programs, the ability of Genaissance to apply its technologies to the development, marketing and prescribing of drugs and Genaissance's ability to detect associations between clinical outcomes and genetic variation. Such statements are subject to certain factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, events and performance to differ materially from those referred to in such statements, including, but not limited to, the extent to which genetic markers (haplotypes) are predictive of clinical outcomes and drug efficacy and safety, the attraction of new business and strategic partners, the adoption of our technologies by the pharmaceutical industry, the acceptance of our cardiac tests by health care providers, the timing and success of clinical trials, competition from pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics companies, the strength of our intellectual property rights and those risks identified in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2004, and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of Genaissance as of the date of this release. Genaissance disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement. DATASOURCE: Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CONTACT: Richard S. Judson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer of Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-203-786-3446, ; or Rhonda Chiger, Investor Relations of Rx Communications, +1-917-322-2569, , for Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Web site: http://www.genaissance.com/

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