KOSAN Biosciences, Inc. Announces February 28, 2008 Conference Call

HAYWARD, Calif., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Kosan Biosciences Incorporated will discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2007 financial results, 2008 financial outlook, and update on Kosan’s plans and other matters related to the company’s business on Thursday, February 28, 2008, after market close.

The announcement of Kosan’s fourth quarter and full year 2007 financial results and other matters will be followed by a conference call and live webcast on February 28, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific / 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Interested parties may access the live call by dialing 888.713.4213 (US) or 617.213.4865 (international), access code 10071927. To pre-register for the call, go to https://www.theconferencingservice.com/prereg/key.process?key=PJDJ8LUAN or visit the “Investors/Press” page at http://www.kosan.com.

Interested parties may listen to the webcast live at http://www.kosan.com by clicking on the “Webcasts” tab under the heading, “Investors/Press.”

The webcast is also being distributed over Thomson’s Investor Distribution Network to both institutional and individual investors. Individual investors can listen to the call through Thomson’s individual investor center at http://www.earnings.com or by visiting any of the investor sites in Thomson’s Individual Investor Network. Institutional investors can access the call via Thomson’s password-protected event management site, StreetEvents, at http://www.streetevents.com. A telephonic replay will be available through March 6, 2008 by dialing 888-286-8010, access code: 51294639. International callers can dial 617-801-6888, access code: 51294639.

About Kosan

Kosan Biosciences is a biotechnology company advancing two new classes of anticancer agents through clinical development -- Hsp90 (heat shock protein 90) inhibitors and epothilones. Kosan is leveraging its proprietary discovery platform to generate a pipeline of potentially significant product candidates, primarily in the area of oncology.

Hsp90 inhibitors have a novel mechanism of action targeting multiple pathways involved in cancer cell growth and survival. Tanespimycin (KOS-953) is being tested in combination with bortezomib (Velcade(R)) in patients with multiple myeloma in a clinical program called TIME. Tanespimycin is also being studied in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin(R)). Intravenous and oral formulations of Kosan’s second-generation Hsp90 inhibitor, alvespimycin (KOS-1022), are being evaluated in Phase 1 clinical trials in hematological cancers and in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Epothilones inhibit cell division with a mechanism of action similar to taxanes, one of the most successful classes of anti-tumor agents. KOS-1584 is in Phase 1 clinical trials in patients with solid tumors.

Kosan’s motilin agonist compound, KOS-2187, licensed to Pfizer, is in a Phase 1 trial in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

For additional information on Kosan Biosciences, please visit the company’s website at http://www.kosan.com.

CONTACT: Gary S. Titus, Chief Financial Officer, +1-510-731-5373,
titus@kosan.com, or Jane M. Green, VP, Corporate Communications,
+1-510-731-5335, mobile, +1-415-652-4819, green@kosan.com, both of Kosan
Biosciences Incorporated

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

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