SAN DIEGO, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Trega Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRGA)
today announced the successful achievement of the third of four milestones in
the development of its In Vitro Determination for the Estimation of ADME
(IDEA(TM)) Simulation System.
IDEA(TM) is a predictive modeling tool being developed by Trega to
facilitate the rapid screening of drug candidates for ADME (absorption,
distribution, metabolism, and excretion) characteristics as part of its
Discovery Informatics(TM) technology. The goal is to use this technology
early in the discovery process to evaluate compounds for their product
potential with far less time and cost than traditional experimentally based
methods, and as an aid in selection of drug candidates for clinical
development. The modeling effort involves the use of actual historical data
measuring the in vivo pharmacokinetic performance of drug compounds in humans
and animals. Recognizing that no single company has enough data to build an
effective model, a consortium of companies was formed beginning in late 1996
to pool this data. The current IDEA(TM) Consortium members include
SmithKline-Beecham, Genentech, Parke-Davis, a division of Warner Lambert,
Schering-Plough and the R.W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute, a
division of Johnson and Johnson.
The first stage of IDEA(TM) has focused on prediction of human in vivo
absorption using in vitro data. With the completion of Milestone 3, Trega now
has a working model for the prediction of absorption in vivo. Additionally,
this milestone triggered payments to Trega from the five members of the
IDEA(TM) Consortium. Milestone 4, which will measure the predictive
capability of the model, is anticipated to be completed by the end of the
year.
"The reality of drug discovery and development today is that patients and
healthcare providers, as well as investors, are no longer willing to wait the
many years that it typically takes to get valuable new drugs to market," said
Michael G. Grey, president & CEO of Trega. "It is not a question of whether
emerging in silico drug discovery and development technologies can bear fruit,
they must."
"Trega has focused on building scientifically sound models in combination
with generating and accessing data of the highest quality and diversity.
IDEA(TM) has been designed to perform with a high degree of accuracy, so that
decisions regarding the selection of drug development candidates can be made
with confidence. The ability to predict ADME is a holy grail in drug
discovery and IDEA(TM) is focused on setting the standard for such
prediction."
"The completion of this third development milestone is really the
beginning of our efforts to leverage the synergies of the technologies brought
together by Trega and its wholly-owned subsidiary, NaviCyte," said George M.
Grass, Ph.D., president of Trega's NaviCyte subsidiary. "Using our assay
technology, and through new collaborations, we will have the ability to screen
Trega's Chem.Folio(TM) libraries containing hundreds of thousands of chemical
compounds to create very large and unique data sets for predictive modeling.
This will greatly accelerate the breadth and scope of our PK-Informatics(TM)
efforts."
"The achievement of this milestone is the latest example of the progress
Trega is making," continued Mr. Grey. "We recently announced the formation of
a strategic relationship with ChemNavigator.com, Inc. which will provide an e-
commerce distribution channel for our Chem.Folio(TM) chemical compounds. Our
sales of Chem.Folio(TM) compounds have increased in the last two quarters and
we expect them to increase again in our third quarter. Additionally, we have
announced that our lead compound, HP 228, was effective in a Phase II study of
pain management in patients recovering from hip replacement surgery. Trega is
actively seeking a partner for this program."
Trega Biosciences is focused on accelerating the process of drug discovery
from target identification to clinical candidates by using small molecule
combinatorial chemistry, high throughput screening and predictive
bioinformatics to rapidly create novel drugs having greater chances of
clinical success. In combination with its wholly owned subsidiary, NaviCyte,
Trega offers integrated products and services spanning the drug discovery
process -- beginning with synthesizing novel compounds to providing uniquely
qualified drug leads -- to the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical
industries. Trega also uses its drug discovery technologies in internal
development programs, which are focused on discovering small molecules acting
on melanocortin receptors for the treatment of inflammatory and metabolic
diseases.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters
discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties, including whether the Company's resources are
sufficient to enable it to reach its objectives as described above, whether
the IDEA(TM) software will be successfully completed, operated or
commercialized, whether any research to be conducted as described will be
successful, any additional collaborations, alliances, or consortia will be
agreed to, formed or expanded, whether regulatory approvals can be obtained
for products so discovered and developed, if any, whether any such products
can be successfully marketed, the impact of competitive products and pricing,
in marketing success, whether any other corporate collaborations or alliances
will be successful, and other risks detailed from time to time in Trega's
Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements
represent Trega's judgment as of the date of this release. Actual results may
differ materially from those projected. Trega disclaims, however, any intent
or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Trega's releases are on the World Wide Web at http://www.trega.com and PR
Newswire's fax-on-demand service at 1-800-758-5804, extension 374050.
SOURCE Trega Biosciences, Inc.
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http://www.trega.com
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http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/374050.html or fax,
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CONTACT:
Gerard A. Wills, V.P. Finance & CFO of Trega
Biosciences, Inc., 858-410-6695
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