Regulus Therapeutics Selected for Fierce 15 Top Biotech Companies
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Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a joint venture between Alnylam
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY) and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ISIS) formed to discover, develop, and commercialize microRNA
(miRNA) therapeutics, announced today that it has been named to the
annual FierceBiotech "Fierce 15”
list, designating it as one of the top privately held biotech companies
of 2008.
"Spawned by two powerhouses in the
RNA-targeted therapeutics field – Isis and
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals – Regulus got started
at an advanced stage in the microRNA field,”
said John Carroll, Editor of FierceBiotech. "The
company was quick to capitalize on its hefty IP with an up to $600
million pact with GlaxoSmithKline. Anyone tracking microRNA drug
development should pay close attention.” "Regulus is honored to be recognized by
FierceBiotech as a ‘Fierce 15’
chosen from among so many innovative companies in our industry,”
said Kleanthis G. Xanthopoulos, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive
Officer of Regulus. "With our broad and
dominant intellectual property position, expertise in microRNAs,
world-class Scientific Advisory Board and the support of Isis and
Alnylam, we are positioned to quickly translate the therapeutic
potential of microRNAs into new treatment options for many diseases,
including oncology, viral infections and inflammatory diseases.” About "Fierce 15”
The editors of FierceBiotech evaluate hundreds of privately held firms
based on company vision, revenue potential, quality of deals, strength
of technology, partnerships, and competitive market position each year.
The Fierce 15 celebrates the spirit of being "fierce” – championing innovation and creativity, even
in the face of intense competition. Regulus Therapeutics was determined
to be one of the "fiercest,”
proven by the Company’s creativity and
innovations in the industry.
About miRNAs
miRNAs are a recently discovered class of genetically encoded small
RNAs, approximately 20 nucleotides in length, and are believed to
regulate the expression of a large number of human genes. miRNA
therapeutics represent a new approach for the treatment of a wide range
of human diseases. The inappropriate absence or presence of specific
miRNAs in various cells has been shown to be associated with specific
human diseases including cancer, viral infection, metabolic disorders
and inflammatory disease. Targeting miRNAs with novel therapeutic agents
could result in novel and broadly acting treatments for human diseases.
About Regulus
Regulus Therapeutics LLC is a biopharmaceutical company formed to
discover, develop, and commercialize miRNA therapeutics. Regulus aspires
to translate one of the most important new discoveries in biology into a
novel new approach for innovative medicine and to build the leading
miRNA company. Created as a joint venture by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and
Isis Pharmaceuticals, Regulus benefits from oligonucleotide drug
discovery expertise, an established technology, and a broad intellectual
property estate created and consolidated by its parent companies for the
development and commercialization of miRNA therapeutics. Regulus’
patent estate includes over 600 patents and more than 300 pending patent
applications, pertaining primarily to chemical modifications of
oligonucleotides targeting miRNA for therapeutic applications. In
addition, Regulus has collaborations with academic researchers to build
on the company’s understanding of more than
60 miRNAs. In April 2008, Regulus formed a major alliance with
GlaxoSmithKline to explore miRNA therapeutics for inflammatory diseases
such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Regulus,
founded in September 2007, maintains facilities in Carlsbad, California.
For more information, visit www.regulusrx.com.
About Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Isis is exploiting its expertise in RNA to discover and develop novel
drugs for its product pipeline and for its partners. The Company has
successfully commercialized the world's first antisense drug and has 18
drugs in development. Isis’ drug development
programs are focused on treating cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Isis’ partners are developing antisense drugs
invented by Isis to treat a wide variety of diseases. Ibis Biosciences,
Inc., Isis’ majority-owned subsidiary, is
developing and commercializing the Ibis T5000™
Biosensor System, a revolutionary system to identify infectious
organisms. Isis is a joint owner of Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a joint
venture focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of
microRNA therapeutics. As an innovator in RNA-based drug discovery and
development, Isis is the owner or exclusive licensee of over 1,500
issued patents worldwide. Additional information about Isis is available
at www.isispharm.com.
About Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics
based on RNA interference, or RNAi. The company is applying its
therapeutic expertise in RNAi to address significant medical needs, many
of which cannot effectively be addressed with small molecules or
antibodies, the current major classes of drugs. Alnylam is leading the
translation of RNAi as a new class of innovative medicines with
peer-reviewed research efforts published in the world’s
top scientific journals including Nature, Nature Medicine,
and Cell. The company is leveraging these capabilities to build a
broad pipeline of RNAi therapeutics; its most advanced program is in
Phase II human clinical trials for the treatment of respiratory
syncytial virus (RSV) infection. In addition, the company is developing
RNAi therapeutics for the treatment of a wide range of disease areas,
including hypercholesterolemia, liver cancers, and Huntington’s
disease. The company’s leadership position in
fundamental patents, technology, and know-how relating to RNAi has
enabled it to form major alliances with leading companies including
Medtronic, Novartis, Biogen Idec, Roche, Takeda, and Kyowa Hakko Kogyo.
To reflect its outlook for key scientific, clinical, and business
initiatives, Alnylam has established "RNAi
2010” which includes the company’s
plan to significantly expand the scope of delivery solutions for RNAi
therapeutics, have four or more programs in clinical development, and to
form four or more new major business collaborations, all by the end of
2010. Alnylam is a joint owner of Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a joint
venture focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of
microRNA therapeutics. Founded in 2002, Alnylam maintains headquarters
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.alnylam.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the
future therapeutic and commercial potential of Isis’,
Alnylam’s and Regulus’
business plans, technologies and intellectual property related to
microRNA therapeutics being discovered and developed by Regulus. Any
statement describing Isis’, Alnylam’s
or Regulus’ goals, expectations, financial or
other projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement
and should be considered an at-risk statement, including those
statements that are described as such parties’
goals. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties,
particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing
and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human
therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such
products. Such parties’ forward-looking
statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or
prove correct, could cause their results to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although these
forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of the
management of each such party, these statements are based only on facts
and factors currently known by Isis, Alnylam or Regulus, as the case may
be. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking
statements. These and other risks concerning Isis’,
Alnylam’s and Regulus’
programs are described in additional detail in Isis’
annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and its
quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2008 and
in Alnylam’s annual report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 2007, and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended March 31, 2008, which are on file with the SEC.
Copies of these and other documents are available from Isis or Alnylam.
