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NPS Pharmaceuticals Launches Educational Website for Short Bowel Syndrome

^{Published on 2011-02-28 06:25:14 - Market Wire}
 

BEDMINSTER, N.J.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: NPSP) a specialty pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for rare gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, has launched a new interactive website to provide patients and their families with information about short bowel syndrome (SBS). Short bowel syndrome is a rare and debilitating condition in which the body is unable to absorb enough nutrients and/or fluids through the gastrointestinal tract. There are an estimated 15,000 patients with SBS in the United States who rely on chronic intravenous or parenteral nutrition to survive.

"Through this new resource, patients are being given a voice in which to share their experiences and to know they are not alone."

aThe launch of ShortBowelSupport.com offers important hope for patients suffering from this serious disorder,a said Joan Bishop, executive director, The Oley Foundation, a national, independent, non-profit organization that provides information and support to consumers of home parenteral and enteral nutrition. aThrough this new resource, patients are being given a voice in which to share their experiences and to know they are not alone.a

On [ www.ShortBowelSupport.com ], patients with short bowel syndrome and their families can learn about the causes, symptoms and treatments of SBS. The website also provides recommendations about how to manage this condition, tips of the month, a list of supportive organizations and foundations and a forum for sharing patient experiences.

aWe are proud to be launching this new online resource as part of our commitment to the patients with SBS and their caretakers,a said Roger Garceau, MD, chief medical officer of NPS Pharmaceuticals. aThis online forum will not only provide information about short bowel syndrome, it will also allow patients to share their insights and interact with a community of others who are living every day with this condition.a

Patients with short bowel syndrome generally receive their nutritional support through parenteral nutrition, which is expensive and often associated with serious complications such as infections, blood clots or liver damage. Parenteral nutrition can diminish patientsa™ quality-of-life due to difficulty sleeping, frequent bowel movements and urination and the loss of independence.

About NPS Pharmaceuticals

NPS Pharmaceuticals is an outsourcing-based development company focused on bringing biopharmaceuticals to patients with rare disorders and few, if any, therapeutic options. The company is advancing two Phase 3 registration programs, GATTEX® (teduglutide) in short bowel syndrome (SBS) and NPSP558 (parathyroid hormone 1-84 [rDNA origin] injection) in hypoparathyroidism. NPS complements its proprietary programs with a royalty-based portfolio of products and product candidates that includes agreements with Amgen, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Nycomed, and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical.

aNPSa, aNPS Pharmaceuticalsa, and aGATTEXa are the companya™s registered trademarks.

Statements made in this press release, which are not historical in nature, constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the company's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Risks associated to the companya™s business include, but are not limited to, the risks associated with any failure by the company to successfully complete its preclinical and clinical studies within the projected time frames or not at all, the risk of not gaining marketing approvals for GATTEX and NPSP558, the risks associated with the companya™s strategy, as well as other risk factors described in the companya™s periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Form 10-Qs. All information in this press release is as of the date of this release and NPS undertakes no duty to update this information.