Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Biotech / Medical : Celgene-CELG -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Vector1 who wrote (500)	4/26/2001 1:37:13 PM
From: LLCF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 804

Press Release SOURCE: Celgene Corporation Celgene Corporation Presents Data on Two Classes of Compounds From Its Inflammatory Disease, Cytokine Inhibitor Platform Selcids(TM) and the JNK Inhibitors Demonstrate Potent and Selective Anti-Inflammatory Effects PARIS, April 26 /PR Newswire Interactive Release/ -- Celgene Corporation (Nasdaq: CELG - news) scientists and collaborators presented data today at the New Targets in Arthritis: Signal Transduction and Transcriptional Regulation meeting of the Institut Pasteur. The researchers reported that Celgene's SelCIDs(TM) (Selective Cytokine Inhibitory Drugs) and novel JNK (c-Jun N- terminal Kinase) inhibitor have significant anti-inflammatory properties that may be beneficial to the treatment of immune and inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. David I. Stirling, Chief Scientific Officer of Celgene Corporation, presented results of studies evaluating the anti-inflammatory properties of the SelCIDs. The SelCIDs are potent inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4), an enzyme whose selective inhibition has been shown to be effective in animal models of asthma and inflammation. Selective PDE4 inhibitors have also been shown to potently inhibit tumor necrosis factor-alpha?(TNF-alpha), a key inflammatory cytokine whose over-production is associated with a number of serious inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and inflammatory bowel disease. PDE4 inhibitors, although shown to have potential therapeutic benefit in the treatment of asthma, have also been found to have undesirable biological activities including nausea and emesis. Dr. Stirling reported on new SelCIDs that are potent and selective PDE4 inhibitors that demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity with minimal side effects. These SelCIDs were evaluated in ferret models of asthma and emesis in which they were found to be potent anti-inflammatory agents with minimal side effects at therapeutic dosing levels. The SelCIDs presented inhibit PDE4 and have TNF-alpha inhibitory effects. Furthermore, they are superior in cellular activity to other PDE4 inhibitors currently in the clinic, but significantly, are without the emetic effects typically associated with PDE4 inhibitors. The first Celgene SelCID advanced into clinical development, CDC-801, has successfully completed two Phase I trials. It is presently being evaluated in a Phase II, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial in Crohn's disease. Celgene has also advanced one of its second-generation SelCIDs, CDC-998, into initial human safety testing in late 2000. CDC-998 is greater than 100-fold more potent than CDC-801 against PDE4. In the initial single dose Phase I trial, CDC-998 was well tolerated at the doses tested without any serious adverse effects. Plans for advancing CDC-998 into a multiple dosing trial are in place. CDC-998's selective PDE4 and TNF-alpha inhibition suggest that the drug candidate may have utility in treating a wide range of inflammatory diseases including respiratory, rheumatic and inflammatory diseases. Also at the Institut Pasteur conference, Dr. Alan Lewis, President of the Signal Research Division of Celgene, presented data on the pivotal role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) cascades, including JNK, in inflammation and arthritis. The data showed that JNK is a key regulator of physiologically important cytokines and growth factors including IL-2, TNF-alpha and VEGF. Data presented on the small-molecule inhibitors discovered at Celgene confirmed the importance of this pathway in controlling immunoinflammatory events in animal models of arthritis as well as other inflammatory diseases. Dr. Lewis also presented data showing that Celgene's novel JNK inhibitors selectively inhibit cytokine expression in primary human leukocytes and block T-cell activation and differentiation. Celgene intends to file an Investigational New Drug application for a novel JNK inhibitor within the next year. In addition to the presentations given by Drs. Stirling and Lewis, Dr. Gary Firestein of the University of California at San Diego, presented data showing the important role of certain signal transduction pathways in rheumatoid arthritis. He stated that a variety of transcription factors regulate protease and cytokine expression and are therefore likely to be key regulatory elements in rheumatoid arthritis. Specifically, he presented studies demonstrating that the JNK pathway plays a fundamental role in the pathogenic joint destruction that occurs in arthritis. Dr. Firestein also gave an overview of the data he presented at the American College of Rheumatology conference in November 2000, which demonstrated that Celgene's novel small-molecule JNK inhibitor is a potentially important new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Warren, New Jersey, is an independent biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule drugs for cancer and immunological diseases. Please feel free to visit the Company's website at celgene.com. DAK