SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it will hold a teleconference at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, Thursday, July 9, to discuss its second major global partnership deal in the past six months, this time for betrixaban, the company’s investigational oral Factor Xa inhibitor anticoagulant currently in Phase II clinical development for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (SPAF). The company also will provide an update on its pipeline and corporate strategy.
Teleconference Details
To participate in the live call on Thursday, July 9, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, please dial 866-454-4208 from the United States or +1-913-312-1266 internationally. The call will be available as a replay for the next two weeks under the News and Events section of Portola’s Web site. To access the replay, please dial 888-203-1112 from the United States or +1-719-457-0820 internationally. The passcode for the replay is 5053448.
About Betrixaban
Betrixaban is an oral Factor Xa inhibitor that has been specifically designed for chronic, once-a-day treatment with a long half-life. Betrixaban is minimally excreted through the kidneys and is the only new oral anticoagulant currently being studied in patients with severe and moderate renal impairment without dose adjustment. As a result, it has the potential to become the only novel oral anticoagulant available for patients with severe renal disease. In addition, betrixaban is not extensively metabolized by cytochrome P450, which may result in reduced potential for drug-drug interactions.
Portola is currently conducting EXPLORE-Xa, a Phase II dose-ranging clinical trial evaluating betrixaban for stroke prevention in 500 patients with atrial fibrillation (SPAF), which is scheduled to be fully enrolled by the end of 2009.
In addition to SPAF, betrixaban could be further developed in other indications, including the treatment or prevention of life threatening blood clots in patients undergoing high-risk orthopedic and general surgery, those with acute and chronic medical illness, and in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
About Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Portola Pharmaceuticals develops innovative therapeutics based on targets with established proof of concepts that are designed to provide significant advances over current treatments for cardiovascular disease, inflammatory disease and cancer. Portola’s two lead Phase 2 compounds, betrixaban, an oral Factor Xa inhibitor, and elinogrel, a P2Y12 ADP receptor antagonist, target the global multi-billion dollar antithrombotic market. Both product candidates have best-in-class features versus current products and novel agents in development and address the hospital, specialty and chronic care markets. The company has a global development and commercialization agreement with Novartis for elinogrel, a potential competitor for Plavix (clopidogrel).
Portola also has proprietary pipeline programs focused on the discovery and development of novel, specific Syk and JAK inhibitors to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases; a thromboxane receptor antagonist, which is an aspirin replacement product for patients intolerant to aspirin; and a novel anticoagulant antidote program with the potential to help manage or reverse the bleeding complications in the tens of millions of patients expected to be treated with anticoagulants worldwide in the next decade. For additional information, visit www.portola.com.
CONTACT: Mardi Dier, CFO of Portola Pharmaceuticals, +1-650-246-7236; or
Mariesa Kemble of Invigorate Communications, +1-608-850-4745, for Portola
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Web site: http://www.portola.com/
