FDA, PKD FOUNDATION & PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES
DISCUSS PROVIDING LIFE-SAVING TREATMENTS TO PKD PATIENTS

PKD Foundation, pharmaceutical companies and government panel gather for workshop.

(Kansas City) March 13, 2007— Representatives of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, PKD Foundation and pharmaceutical companies will come together to learn about therapies for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and how to provide those treatments to PKD patients.

The FDA and the PKD Foundation are co-sponsoring a one-day scientific workshop, “Clinical Trial Endpoints and Therapies in Polycystic Kidney Disease,” to be held May 17, 2007, at the Advisors’ & Consultants’ Building in Rockville, MD.

12.5 million people suffer from PKD. Cysts form in their kidneys and take over the healthy kidney tissue. Eventually, the kidneys fail. Dialysis and transplantation are the only treatments for kidney failure. There is no cure for PKD.

PKD Foundation President and CEO Dan Larson applauded the cooperation of government, industry and the private sector to make this workshop a reality.

“Bringing together government officials from the FDA, top scientists in the field of PKD research and pharmaceutical companies is vital in the effort to generate effective treatments for PKD families,” Larson said. “Taking research from the bench to the bedside can be a daunting, expensive and lengthy process,” he added. “This is a key step toward finding a cure for PKD and improving the care and treatment of the 12.5 million people this disease affects."

The PKD Foundation leads the fight against PKD through research funding and patient education. In 2007, the PKD Foundation will fund more than $4.25 million in PKD research. For more information, visit www.pkdcure.org or call 1-800-PKD-CURE.