SAN DIEGO,  Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Trega Biosciences, Inc.
(Nasdaq: TRGA) today announced the appointment of Lawrence D. Muschek, Ph.D.
to the newly created position of president of research and development and to
the Board of Directors, effective October 6, 1997.  Dr. Muschek, 54, joins
Trega from Solvay Pharmaceuticals in Hannover, Germany where he was
responsible for worldwide research and development.  Trega also announced the
resignation of its executive vice president of biological sciences and
development, Bernard D. King, M.D., who is leaving the company to pursue other
opportunities.  This position will not be filled.
    Dr. Muschek will report to Robert S. Whitehead, president and chief
executive officer, and will be responsible for all R&D including combinatorial
chemistry and biology, high throughput screening and the discovery and
development of new molecular entities for the treatment of inflammatory and
metabolic diseases.  He brings to Trega 25 years experience in pharmaceutical
research and development that span inflammation, endocrinology and diseases of
the cardiovascular, central nervous and gastrointestinal systems.
    "Larry has an enormously valuable repertoire of skills," stated Whitehead.
"He has managed major research programs in Europe, North America and Japan,
has increased the productivity of Solvay's discovery and development research
programs and has been instrumental in establishing strategic biotechnology
alliances that have advanced the level of Solvay's technology in research.  At
Trega, he will participate in the on-going strategic development of the
company into an integrated discovery organization focused on providing lead
compounds to major pharmaceutical companies for later-stage development and
commercialization."
    Dr. Muschek joined Solvay S.A., a publicly held Belgian chemical and
pharmaceutical company, in 1990 as senior vice president, North American
research & development.  In 1994, he was promoted to senior vice president of
worldwide research and development with responsibility for R&D facilities and
personnel in Europe, the United States and Japan.  Prior to joining Solvay,
Dr. Muschek spent 18 years at Johnson & Johnson where he held positions of
increasing responsibility in pharmaceutical R&D.  Dr. Muschek is a member of
the Board of Directors at Cadus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    Dr. King will continue with the company through mid-October and as a
consultant through the end of 1997.  "During his time at Trega, Barney made
many significant contributions to our company's growth including establishing
internal screening, moving our lead compound into Phase II clinical trials and
playing an important role in many of our corporate partnering activities.  On
behalf of the company, I thank him for his service," said Whitehead.
    Trega Biosciences is a drug discovery company, which utilizes
combinatorial chemistry and other technologies to create novel small-molecule
drug candidates.  The company has leveraged its technology platform by
entering into pharmaceutical alliances, enabling partners to access Trega's
technologies in exchange for licensing fees, potential milestone payments and
royalties, and by establishing joint-discovery alliances with biotechnology
companies.  Trega also uses its drug discovery technologies in its internal
development programs.  HP 228, the company's lead compound, is in Phase II
trials for the treatment of pain as a result of inflammation.
    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 any discovery will be made, whether
any proposed product can be successfully formulated, scaled-up, developed and
commercialized, whether regulatory approvals can he obtained, the impact of
competitive products and pricing, whether any corporate collaborations will be
successful, and other risks detailed from time to time in Trega's Securities
and Exchange Commission(SEC) 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.

Link to this page: