WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2006--OXiGENE, Inc. (NASDAQ: OXGN, XSSE: OXGN), a leading developer of biopharmaceutical compounds designed to treat cancer and certain ophthalmologic diseases, today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,018,987 for novel methods of synthesizing its lead therapeutic candidate, Combretastatin A4 Phosphate (CA4P). The patent has been granted to Arizona State University where, more than a decade ago, Dr. George Pettit and other researchers discovered and isolated CA4P and other Combretastatin compounds. This patent, entitled “Synthesis of Combretastatin A4 Prodrugs and Trans-Isomers Thereof”, is exclusively licensed to OXiGENE, and provides patent coverage for at least 13 years--through 2019. The patent award also provides broad-based patent protection for additional salt-form compositions of CA4P.
