Novartis Corp

AVI BioPharma is a biopharmaceutical company that develops drugs to treat life-threatening diseases using its patented third generation antisense technology. It has completed clinical trials with its NeuGene antisense drugs in more than 300 subjects, addressing cardiovascular restenosis, infectious diseases, cancer, polycystic kidney disease and drug metabolism. Its most advanced cardiovascular program is for restenosis, where it has completed Phase II trials, evaluating its drug, Resten-NG. AVI BioPharma is also in a Phase II clinical trial with a drug for Hepatitis C infection and its influenza A drug candidate has been confirmed to have efficacy against avian influenza H5N1 in preclinical studies. AVI BioPharma maintains a location in Portland, Ore.

Founded in 2003, Biodel is a pharmaceutical company that develops novel formulations for therapeutic care solutions. It offers medicines for the treatment of various endocrine disorders, including diabetes and osteoporosis. The company uses VIAdel technology, which enables delivery of endocrine therapeutics into blood through various routes of administration. Biodel also offers VIAject, which is an injectable human insulin product. It provides VIAtab, which is an oral human insulin product. The company offers VIAmass and VIAcal that formulates parathyroid hormone and salmon calcitonin for the treatment of osteoporosis. Additionally, Biodel provides a variety of clinical trial services and organizes various community events.

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a research-based pharmaceutical company dedicated to treating and preventing human disease through the discovery, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products directed toward serving unmet medical needs. The company s drug development program has yielded a portfolio of pharmaceutical compounds with a focus on respiratory and central nervous system disorders. Its commercialization efforts are carried out by a United States-based nearly 1,250-person primary care and specialty sales force through co-promotion agreements and through out-licensing partnerships. Sunovion Pharmaceuticals selects development compounds with the potential to offer improvements over existing therapies with respect to efficacy, side-effect profile, dosage forms and, in some cases, the opportunity for additional indications. The focus of its discovery effort is to identify additional drug candidates that are directed toward treating respiratory and central nervous system disorders. These compounds are expected to complement Sunovion Pharmaceuticals pharmaceutical pipeline. Sunovion Pharmaceuticals is headquartered n Marlborough, Mass.