Metabasis Therapeutics, Inc. To Present At Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Investor Forum

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Metabasis Therapeutics , announced today that Dr. Paul Laikind, president and chief executive officer of Metabasis will present at the BIO Investor Forum 2006 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, CA. Dr. Laikind is scheduled to present on Thursday, October 19, 2006 at 10:20 a.m. Pacific Time, and is expected to provide an overview of the Company's progress and discuss product candidates in clinical and pre-clinical development. The BIO Investor Forum company presentation will be webcast.

In addition, the Company announced that Dr. Paul Laikind will be a panelist at a diabetes therapeutic workshop at the BIO Investor Forum. The session, entitled "The Impact of Research on the Growing Diabetes Epidemic," is scheduled to take place on Thursday, October 19, 2006 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time. The therapeutic workshop on diabetes will not be webcast.

To access the live audio broadcast and the subsequent archived audio recording of the company presentation, please log onto the Company's website at www.mbasis.com under the "Investors" section. The audio recording will be archived there for 30 days following the live presentation. Please connect to Metabasis' website several minutes prior to the start of the presentation to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be necessary.

About Metabasis (www.mbasis.com):

Metabasis Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs to address some of the world's most widespread and costly chronic diseases involving pathways in the liver. The Company has established a pipeline that includes clinical stage and preclinical product candidates targeting major diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Targeted diseases include major metabolic diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia and obesity as well as liver diseases such as hepatitis and primary liver cancer. Metabasis has developed several proprietary technologies for use in discovering and optimizing drugs, including the NuMimetic(TM) and HepDirect(R) technologies. Metabasis is continuing to identify and develop new product candidates using its proprietary technologies and expertise.

CONTACT: Constance Bienfait, Vice President, Investor Relations &Corporate Communications of Metabasis Therapeutics, Inc., +1-858-622-5575

Web site: http://www.mbasis.com/