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MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Here is an example of how difficult it is for doctors to accept new thinking on

the causes and treatments of diseases. Multiple sclerosis is characterized by

repeated episodes of nerve damage and recovery. For example, a person may lose

vision and regain it, then lose coordination for one arm and leg, then regain

some coordination, and so forth, each time losing more than is regained. Doctors

do not have an effective treatment because they don't know the cause. The most

likely cause is an infection because 85 percent of patients do not have an

affected relative and only one in three identical twins of MS patients develops

MS.

Several researchers have presented evidence that chlamydia pneumoniae may be the

cause (1,2). It has been detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of multiple

sclerosis patients, but not in that of patients with other neurological

diseases. There is also a report of a patient with spinal chlamydia infection

and rapidly progressive multiple sclerosis that was cured by minocycline, a very

safe antibiotic. Because nerve damage caused by multiple sclerosis can be

permanent and minocycline is so safe, doctors should offer this treatment to

multiple sclerosis patients, provided that they tell them that this treatment

must be considered experimental, because chlamydia has not been proved to cause

multiple sclerosis and minocycline has not been tested to see if it can cure

that disease.

Researchers at the National Institute of Health reported that multiple sclerosis

may be caused by human herpes simplex virus six, and researchers at the

University of Wisconsin and Rockefeller University in New York reported the same

results. However, no studies have been done to treat multiple sclerosis with

drugs that kill human herpes virus-6, Gancyclovir or fornascat, probably because

many researchers are afraid of its toxic side effects.

1) Presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in the cerebral spinal fluid is a common

phenomenon in a variety of neurological diseases and not restricted to multiple

sclerosis. ls of Neurology, 2001, Vol 49, Iss 5, pp 585-589. J Gieffers, D

Pohl, J Treib, R Dittmann, C Stephan, K Klotz, F Hanefeld, W Solbach, A Haass, M

Maass. Address: Gieffers J, Med Univ Lubeck, Inst Med Microbiol & Hyg,

Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Lubeck, GERMANY.

2) An infectious basis for multiple sclerosis - Perspectives on the role of

Chlamydia pneumoniae and other agents. H Moses, S Sriram. Biodrugs, 2001, Vol

15, Iss 3, pp 199-206.Address: Sriram S, Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabil Hosp,

Multiple Sclerosis Res Lab & Clin, 2201 Capers Ave, Room 1222, Nashville,TN

37212 USA

Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc announced results of preclinical studies

demonstrating that a new class of compounds, orally available non-antibacterial

tetracyclines, has shown promising activity in a preclinical animal model of

multiple sclerosis (MS). Affecting approximately two million people worldwide,

MS is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the nervous system and the most

common, non-traumatic, neurological disease in young adults. Dr. McKenney,

a Paratek scientist, will present the findings during an oral presentation at

2:30 p.m. PST (5:30 p.m. EST) today at Neuroscience 2004, the Society for

Neuroscience's 34th Annual Meeting in San Diego.

For the first time, Paratek is presenting data showing that its

non-antibacterial tetracycline compounds in a preclinical model of MS have

efficacy comparable to minocycline, an antibiotic also in the tetracycline

family. A previous clinical study directed by Dr. Luanne Metz at the University

of Calgary has demonstrated disease protection in MS patients treated with

minocycline. Unfortunately, long-term treatment with minocycline or any other

broad-spectrum antibiotics causes many patients to experience intolerability

related to antibiotic side effects. In today's presentation, Paratek will report

that three non-antibacterial tetracycline compounds, with different structures,

demonstrated activity in reducing limb paralysis in the preclinical EAE

(Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis) model of MS. These compounds have no

detectable antibacterial activity.

Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Serono (virt-x: SEO and NYSE: SRA) announced

today that they have entered into an agreement to discover, develop and

commercialize an orally-available disease modifying treatment for multiple

sclerosis (MS). The agreement covers the compounds for which Dr. McKenney

presents data today.

Stuart Levy, Paratek's Vice Chairman, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder,

commented, " The clinical research community has long regarded a pill for MS as

an ultimate goal, but so far attempts to develop a safe, feasible, orally

available drug candidate have failed. Our team has successfully modified the

tetracycline molecule, keeping the core structure that confers anti-MS activity

while removing portions of the molecule with antibacterial effects. This

represents an exciting advance not only for MS, but potentially for many other

inflammation-related disease areas. "

Dr. Draper, Associate Director at Paratek, stated, " Paratek has

developed world-class expertise in modifying the tetracycline class, which has a

30-year track record in the marketplace and a favorable, well-documented safety

profile. This new, proprietary class of non-antibacterial tetracycline compounds

will avoid the negative consequences associated with long-term antibiotic use

and will not further contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. We

believe that these highly active, orally available compounds will also prove to

be well-tolerated for MS, and we are very proud of this accomplishment. "

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the nervous system

and is the most common non-traumatic neurological disease in young adults.

Multiple sclerosis may affect approximately two million people worldwide. While

symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis include

blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and

coordination. The relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis are the most common.

About Paratek Pharmaceuticals

Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is engaged in the discovery and commercialization

of new therapeutics that treat serious and life-threatening diseases, with a

particular focus on the growing worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance.

Paratek's lead programs are advancing novel compounds that can circumvent or

block bacterial resistance, as well as drugs that can prevent infection by

interfering with Multiple Adaptational Response (MAR) mechanisms in bacteria.

Out of these efforts, Paratek has discovered a new class of antibiotics, the

aminomethylcyclines that target the need for new and potent antibacterials to

overcome the problem of rapidly growing bacterial resistance. The Company's lead

antibiotic clinical candidate, BAY 73-7388, the first product from this class,

is being developed in a collaborative partnership with Bayer HealthCare AG for

the treatment of serious infections.

Outside the antibacterial therapeutic area, Paratek has also established an

internal effort to exploit its novel families of compounds and their unique

mechanism of action in selected anti-inflammatory and neurodegenerative

conditions. Paratek has an active chemical synthesis effort to produce novel and

diverse small molecules, with the goal of developing non-antibacterial products

with improved activity in serious diseases based upon a growing body of clinical

and basic research supporting this approach.

Paratek is privately held and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. For

more information, visit Paratek's website at http://www.paratekpharm.com.

Contact: Compa

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Burns McClellan