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MARKHAM, ON, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Cytochroma today announced the opening of its U.S. headquarters in Bannockburn, Illinois, located in the greater Chicago area. The site will serve as the Company's base for U.S. commercial activities and for the expansion of its North American clinical and regulatory operations.

The expansion into the U.S. will ensure that appropriate resources are available to support the Company's numerous planned clinical programs as well as subsequent U.S. product launches. Members of Cytochroma's current management team to be based in the Bannockburn office include Joel Z. Melnick, M.D., Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs and Eric J. Messner, MBA, Vice President of Commercial Operations. The Company will retain and continue growing its existing corporate headquarters in Markham.

Charles W. Bishop, PhD., President and CEO, commented, "This is an ideal time for Cytochroma to establish U.S. operations, as we move our lead programs into mid- to late-stage clinical trials and execute plans to develop our commercial infrastructure. The Chicago area is a prime location for Cytochroma, given the presence of a number of world-class pharmaceutical and healthcare companies focused on the chronic kidney disease market and the strong intellectual capital present in the region."

Cytochroma has a diverse portfolio of Vitamin D-based therapeutics designed to treat disorders related to abnormal or insufficient Vitamin D metabolism in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. These new products will address target markets that are expected to grow significantly, reaching more than $1.2 billion annually by 2010 in North America alone. Cytochroma has three lead product candidates in development for CKD patients: CTA018 and CTAP201 are being developed for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), while CTAP101 is being developed for the treatment of Vitamin D insufficiency.

About Chronic Kidney Disease

According to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), more than nine million North American patients suffer from moderate CKD (Stages 3 and 4) to severe CKD (Stage 5). Stages 3 and 4 are characterized by progressively decreasing kidney function as measured by glomerular filtration rate. In Stage 5, kidney function is altogether absent and patients require regular dialysis or kidney transplant for survival. An estimated 70-90% of CKD patients have Vitamin D insufficiency, which can lead to SHPT and resultant debilitating bone diseases. Mounting evidence continues to link Vitamin D insufficiency with CKD progression and increased morbidity and mortality in CKD patients. CKD is most frequently caused by diabetes or hypertension, both of which are consequences of a growing obesity epidemic in countries worldwide.

About Cytochroma

Cytochroma is a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary products to treat and prevent the clinical consequences of Vitamin D insufficiency and SHPT associated with CKD. The Company's Vitamin D-based therapeutics are designed to safely and effectively treat pre-dialysis and dialysis CKD patients. In addition, Cytochroma is developing novel therapies to treat hyperphosphatemia. For more information, please visit www.cytochroma.com.

Source: Cytochroma Inc.

CONTACT: Eric J. Messner, Vice President, Commercial Operations, Tel:
(905) 479-5306 ext. 338, eric.messner@cytochroma.com; Media Inquiries: Robert
Stanislaro, FD, Tel: (212) 850-5657, robert.stanislaro@fd.com

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Profile: Transplant News