Alteon Inc has been granted a patent on additional thiazolium compounds in the A.G.E. Crosslink Breaker class. A.G.E. Crosslink Breakers, a class of compounds discovered by Alteon, offer the possibility of the first therapeutic approach to treat or even reverse certain medical conditions related to aging and diabetes. U.S. Patent # 6,458,819 "Thiazolium Compounds and Treatments of Disorders Associated With Protein Aging," issued October 1, 2002, brings Alteon''s total number of U.S. patents to 99, and is the seventh patent issued to Alteon related to A.G.E. Crosslink Breakers.

The compounds designated in this invention are metabolites of Alteon''s lead compound ALT-711, and are covered for their potential utility in treating hypertension, damage to blood vasculature, diabetes or its complications, kidney damage, retinopathy, damage to lens proteins, cataracts, peripheral neuropathy, osteoarthritis and improving the elasticity or reducing wrinkling of the skin.

ALT-711 is an investigational drug currently being tested in several Phase II trials for its potential in cardiovascular disease conditions, including systolic hypertension, diastolic heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy. In a Phase IIa clinical trial, ALT-711 demonstrated the ability to restore the cardiovascular system to a younger state by reversing the stiffening of the arteries that occurs in aging patients, increasing the ability of the diseased large arteries to stretch by 11-18%, equivalent to bringing them 30% back to normal.