LA JOLLA, Calif., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Nasdaq: AGPH) announced today that it has agreed to end its collaboration
with F. Hoffmann-La Roche (Roche) in the field of cancer.  The termination of
the cancer collaboration does not affect a separate agreement under which
Roche will market Agouron's HIV protease inhibitor in certain international
territories.  Agouron also said it has decided to discontinue further
development of its anti-cancer drug AG337 (THYMITAQ(TM) nolatrexed
dihydrochloride) on the basis of its interim analysis of results from phase
II/III trials of the drug and in order to concentrate available resources on
development of two earlier-stage anti-cancer agents that the company believes
have greater commercial potential.
    Since June 1996, Agouron and Roche have been collaborating on the
development of the Agouron anti-cancer drugs AG337 and AG3340, as well as on
research into new anti-cancer drugs that target mechanisms of cell cycle
control.  In the collaboration, Roche has provided technical and financial
support for the research and development activities of Agouron in exchange for
rights to market resulting anti-cancer drugs.  As a result of the agreement
reported today, Roche will make a final payment to Agouron; and Agouron will
immediately regain all marketing rights to its anti-cancer drugs previously
within the scope of the collaboration.
    Peter Johnson, Agouron's president and CEO made the following statement:
"An informal interim analysis of results from the Phase II/III trials of AG337
suggest that while the drug is clearly active as a single agent in the
treatment of cancer of the liver and of head/neck, it is not sufficiently
superior to alternative therapies to justify the required investment of
resources necessary to complete development and commercialization of the drug.
At the same time, other development programs in progress or in planning at
Agouron have, in our view, demonstrated greater clinical and commercial
potential and therefore have a greater claim on resources made more limited by
termination of the Roche collaboration.  We remain particularly encouraged by
the profiles emerging from early clinical studies of our MMP inhibitor AG3340
and our GART inhibitor AG2034, both of which are expected to move into more
definitive efficacy trials early next year.  We will therefore discontinue
development of AG337 and concentrate our resources on these and certain other
promising development opportunities being pursued by Agouron.  We do not
foresee any significant impact on Agouron's financial results for the current
fiscal year due to the termination of the Roche collaboration.  On a long-term
basis, the re-capture of all commercial rights in our entire portfolio of
anti-cancer drugs is consistent with Agouron's current commercial strategy and
capacities."
    Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an integrated pharmaceutical company
committed to discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of small-
molecule drugs engineered to inactivate proteins which play key roles in
cancer, AIDS, and other serious diseases.
    For further information about Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., please see
Agouron's web site at http://www.agouron.com

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