AEGiS-PRn: Agouron Acquires New Anti-HIV Drug from Shionogi

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Agouron Acquires New Anti-HIV Drug from Shionogi

PR Newswire; Monday June 29, 8:05 am EST

LA JOLLA, Calif., June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGPH - news) today announced it will develop and commercialize S-1153, a second generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) for the treatment of HIV infection. Discovered by Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan, S-1153 is currently the subject of several clinical trials evaluating its dose and its concomitant use with other antiretroviral treatments. S-1153 is of high clinical interest because it is more potent in vitro than other NNRTIs such as nevirapine (Viramune(R)) and delavirdine (Rescriptor(R)) and because S-1153 is fully active in vitro against HIV containing the most common genetic mutation associated with resistance to other NNRTIs including efavirenz (Sustiva(TM)). Agouron will have exclusive rights to the development and commercialization of S-1153 in North America, Europe and many other countries, while Shionogi will maintain commercial rights in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Under the agreement with Agouron, Shionogi will receive license fees of up to $40 million, including an initial $10 million license fee. In addition, Agouron will pay Shionogi royalties based on sales of S-1153.

Results from a phase I dose escalation pharmacokinetic and safety study of S-1153 will be presented at the 12th World AIDS Conference this week by Bruce Dezube, M.D., principal investigator, of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Developing compounds that work against antiretroviral-resistant strains of HIV is an important goal in the treatment of HIV infection. Agouron will move swiftly to initiate additional clinical trials of S-1153 to further evaluate its utility in patients with previous experience with antiretroviral drugs.

Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an integrated pharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of innovative therapeutic products engineered to inactivate proteins that play key roles in cancer, AIDS, and other serious diseases.

Shionogi & Co., Ltd. is one of Japan's largest research based pharmaceutical companies with principle businesses in pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and clinical testing services, agrochemical and animal health products and industrial chemicals.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements or predictions. These statements represent our judgment as of this date and are subject to risks and uncertainties (including those associated with regulatory approvals and the impact of competitive products) that could cause the actual results to differ materially. Important factors concerning these risks are discussed in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1997 currently on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Agouron undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to such forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

For more information on Agouron, you may visit the Agouron Web Site at http://www.agouron.com.

SOURCE: Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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