Medicure Discovers Breakthrough Drug for Prevention of Blood Clots

Business Wire, Oct 6, 2004

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Enters Research Agreement With Loyola University Opinion Leader, Dr. Jawed Fareed To Advance Development of Drug

Medicure Inc. (AMEX:MCU)(TSX:MPH), a cardiovascular drug discovery and development company, is pleased to announce that preliminary results have shown significant potential for its newest drug, MC-45308, in preventing blood clots. The compound has shown a unique property that demonstrates simultaneous anti-platelet and anti-coagulant effects, which will make MC-45308 a major player in the management strategy of cardiovascular diseases such as Myocardial Infarction (MI), stroke, Pulmonary Emboli (PE) and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). A drug of this type currently is non-existent within the antithrombotic marketplace.

"Medicure sees this as a major breakthrough and significant future advantage to clinicians who are prescribing their patients combinations of anti-platelets and anti-coagulants to treat their cardiovascular disorders," stated Medicure President and CEO, Dr. Albert D. Friesen.

The combined U.S. market for antiplatelets and anticoagulants is projected to grow rapidly from an estimated USD$3 billion in 2000 to USD$6.7 billion in 2008.

To advance the development of MC-45308, a novel and composition of matter patented drug from Medicure's antithrombotic library, the Company has entered into a research agreement with Dr. Jawed Fareed, Professor, Departments of Pathology and Pharmacology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Ill.

"This has the potential to be a major discovery in the field of antithrombotic therapy," stated Dr. Fareed. "Our preliminary biochemical results suggest potential for MC-45308, which has a unique property that demonstrates a dual anti-platelet and anti-coagulant effect."

Dr. Fareed's laboratories will be conducting in vivo pre-clinical efficacy studies with MC-45308, which was selected based on test results from studies conducted earlier this year in his laboratory at Loyola University.

As the following table illustrates, MC-45308, which is structurally different from Medicure's lead compound MC-1, is the only agent that addresses each of the three thrombotic cascades, namely antithrombin effects, protease generation inhibition and anti-platelet effects. Other known clinical agents, such as direct thrombin inhibitors and low-molecular weight heparin are not known to have effects across all three cascades, nor have these compounds shown any anti-platelet effects.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Comparative Biochemical and Pharmacologic Profile
                       Currently Developed Antithrombotic Drugs

                       ANTITHROMBIN       PROTEASE
AGENT                      /ANTI-Xa     GENERATION      ANTIPLATELET
                            EFFECTS     INHIBITION           EFFECTS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct Thrombin
 Inhibitors                    /-                              -
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pentasaccharide               -/                               -
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LMW Heparin                    /                               -
---------------------------------------------------------------------
MC-45308
Medicure                                                        

(" " is effect/"-" is no effect)       Source: J. Fareed, Loyola
                                               University Med. Center
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"We are excited about the demonstrated potential of our new antithrombotic drug, MC-45308," added Dr. Friesen. "This is a novel discovery with a leading edge approach that is greatly needed in the field of cardiovascular medicine.

"We are equally delighted to collaborate with an individual of Dr. Fareed's caliber - an internationally recognized leader in the study of antithrombotic therapy. Dr. Fareed's experience in pre-clinical drug evaluation and his high throughput screening system, have helped solidify Medicure's expanding drug discovery platform."

About Antithrombotics

Antithrombotics are drugs that prevent blood factors (platelets and fibrin) from aggregating or clotting and subsequently blocking blood flow. These blockages cause thrombosis, or the formation of blood clots within an artery or vein, and represent the leading cause of various acute cardiovascular problems, including stroke, pulmonary embolism and heart attacks. Formation of the clot is driven by acceleration in the coagulation and platelet activation coupled with a reduced fibrinolyisis capability. In order to address this, at-risk patients increasingly receive anti-platelet and/or anticoagulant therapy.

About Jawed Fareed, PhD

Jawed Fareed is Professor of Pathology and Pharmacology and Director of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Laboratories at Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Dr. Fareed's main research interest is the development of novel anticoagulant and antithrombotic drugs. He is recognized for his role in initiating the first clinical trials of low-molecular-weight heparin use in acute coronary syndromes. In addition, he has authored and co-authored more than 400 publications in this area.