BRISBANE, Calif., March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- InterMune, Inc. today announced that five abstracts from clinical and in-vitro studies of ITMN-191 (R7227) and the company's research programs related to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been accepted for presentation at the 44th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL, April 22-26, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark). The abstracts are expected to be available at www.easl.ch. ITMN-191 is an HCV NS3 protease inhibitor, being developed in collaboration with Roche.
Dan Welch, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of InterMune, said, "Collectively, these abstracts demonstrate that ITMN-191 is a promising, potent antiviral compound for the treatment of HCV and underscore our company's continued progress in the research of new compounds for HCV patients."
Presentations of ITMN-191 Clinical Results
Additional InterMune Presentations at EASL
Titles of additional InterMune posters to be presented at EASL are as follows:
About EASL
The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) is the leading European association in the field of liver research. EASL brings together clinicians and scientists interested in the liver, providing an outlet for networking and learning. The EASL Annual Meeting attracts more than 7,000 participants annually.
About InterMune
InterMune is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies in pulmonology and hepatology. InterMune has a pipeline portfolio addressing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. The pulmonology portfolio includes the Phase 3 program, CAPACITY, which is evaluating pirfenidone as a possible therapeutic candidate for the treatment of patients with IPF and a research program focused on pirfenidone analog ITMN-520. The hepatology portfolio includes the HCV protease inhibitor compound ITMN-191 (referred to as R7227 at Roche) expected to enter Phase 2b in the summer of 2009, a second-generation HCV protease inhibitor research program, and a research program evaluating a new target in hepatology. For additional information about InterMune and its R&D pipeline, please visit www.intermune.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that reflect InterMune's judgment and involve risks and uncertainties as of the date of this release, including without limitation the statements related to anticipated product development timelines. All forward-looking statements and other information included in this press release are based on information available to InterMune as of the date hereof, and InterMune assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements or information. InterMune's actual results could differ materially from those described in InterMune's forward-looking statements.
Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in InterMune's most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 16, 2009 (the "Form 10-K") and other periodic reports filed with the SEC, including the following: (i) risks related to the long, expensive and uncertain clinical development and regulatory process, including having no unexpected safety, toxicology, clinical or other issues or delays in anticipated timing of the regulatory approval process; (ii) risks related to failure to achieve the clinical trial results required to commercialize our product candidates; and (iii) risks related to timely patient enrollment and retention in clinical trials. The risks and other factors discussed above should be considered only in connection with the fully discussed risks and other factors discussed in detail in the Form 10-K and InterMune's other periodic reports filed with the SEC, all of which are available via InterMune's web site at www.intermune.com.
CONTACT: Jim Goff of InterMune, Inc., +1-415-466-2228, jgoff@intermune.com
Web site: http://www.intermune.com/
