Advertisement
"We are encouraged by the continued positive safety profile of VIA-2291 aswe enroll more patients in our Phase 2 clinical program," said AdeoyeOlukotun, M.D., chief medical officer for VIA Pharmaceuticals. "We believethat a drug that reduces inflammation, an underlying cause of atherosclerosisand complications including heart attack and stroke, would help to address asignificant unmet medical need."
Advertisement
VIA recently announced enrollment completion of its Phase 2 carotidendarterectomy (CEA) trial and expects to present top-line results in thethird quarter of 2008. Enrollment is also nearing completion for the company'sacute coronary syndrome (ACS) Phase 2 trial and data is expected to followsoon after the CEA data. Patient enrollment continues in the FDG-PET study,the company's third Phase 2 clinical trial.
"With the recent completion of our CEA trial enrollment, and this positiveDSMB recommendation, we continue to make significant progress with our Phase 2clinical program, and remain on track to deliver our first proof of conceptdata later this year," said Lawrence K. Cohen, Ph.D., chief executive officerof VIA Pharmaceuticals.
About VIA-2291
VIA-2291 is a selective and reversible inhibitor of 5-LO, which isbelieved to be a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of leukotrienes (importantmediators of inflammation involved in the development and progression ofatherosclerosis). Potentially a complement to current standard of caretherapies that treat risk factors, such as statins, antiplatelet and bloodpressure medications, VIA-2291 is initially targeted to address the secondaryprevention market for patients who have already suffered a major adversecardiac event, but eventually could be beneficial to the broader 15.8 millionpatients in the U.S. who have coronary artery disease. VIA has exclusiveworldwide rights to develop and commercialize VIA-2291. Based upon priortrials of VIA-2291 in more than 1,100 patients, VIA believes that VIA-2291will be safe and well tolerated in doses currently being administered in theongoing clinical trials.
About VIA Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
VIA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on thedevelopment of compounds for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. VIA isbuilding a pipeline of small-molecule drugs that target a significant unmetmedical need: reducing inflammation in the blood vessel wall, which is anunderlying cause of atherosclerosis and its complications, including heartattack and stroke. The company's lead drug candidate, VIA-2291, is in multiplePhase 2 clinical studies in patients with cardiovascular disease. For moreinformation, visit: http://www.viapharmaceuticals.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain "forward-looking" statements within themeaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Thesestatements relate to future events or to VIA's future financial performanceand involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that maycause VIA's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements tobe materially different from any future results, levels of activity,performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-lookingstatements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by theuse of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek,""anticipate," "believe,"
