LA JOLLA, Calif., May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc. today reported its financial results and accomplishments for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. For the three-month period, the company posted revenue of $2.0 million and a net loss of $3.9 million. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $25.7 million at March 31, 2008.
"We have been diligently executing on the strategic plan outlined in February, maximizing the value of our versatile compounds while prudently managing our resources," said Neil Kurtz, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of TorreyPines. "The role of glutamate in disease has been garnering much attention, further supporting the value of tezampanel and NGX426, our two ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists. We are focused on developing better alternatives to current therapies and our pipeline reflects this effort, particularly as we move tezampanel toward the clinic in muscle spasticity and rigidity, our first non-pain indication for the drug, and with the recent initiation of a Phase II clinical trial evaluating NGX267 in xerostomia. Furthermore, the recent clinical guidance call held with the FDA supports the advancement of tezampanel in acute migraine."
Financial Results
Revenue for the three month period ended March 31, 2008, was $2.0 million, compared to revenue of $2.5 million for the same period in 2007. Operating expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2008, were $6.7 million, with $5.3 million attributable to research and development. This compares to operating expenses of $6.6 million and research and development expenses of $5.2 million for the same period last year. The company reported a net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2008, of $3.9 million compared to a net loss of $3.3 million for the previous year.
Conference Call/Webcast Information
TorreyPines will host a conference call and Webcast at 11 a.m. EDT today. The audio Webcast can be accessed at http://www.torreypinestherapeutics.com. To participate in this call, dial 719-325-4817 and enter the passcode 2644321. For a limited period following the call, a replay will be available beginning at 2 p.m. EDT. The replay can be accessed by calling 719-457-0820 and entering passcode 2644321.
About TorreyPines Therapeutics
TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company committed to providing patients with better alternatives to existing therapies through the research, development and commercialization of small molecule compounds. The company's goal is to develop versatile product candidates each capable of treating a number of acute and chronic diseases and disorders such as migraine, chronic pain, muscle spasticity and rigidity, xerostomia and cognitive disorders. The company is currently developing four product candidates: two ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists and two muscarinic receptor agonists. Further information is available at http://www.torreypinestherapeutics.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements or predictions. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the plans for holding an end of Phase II meeting with the FDA, anticipated timing for initiating a Phase II clinical trial of tezampanel for treatment of muscle spasticity and rigidity, anticipated timing for initiating a multiple dose clinical trial of NGX426, the potential for tezampanel and NGX426 as treatments for acute migraine and other indications, the potential for NGX426 to be analgesic, the anticipated timing of results for the NGX426 study in a model of capsaicin-induced pain, the plans for expanding the clinical profile of tezampanel, the potential for NGX267 as a treatment for xerostomia, the anticipated timing of results from the study of NGX267 as a treatment for xerostomia, the potential for the gamma secretase modulator compounds to treat Alzheimer's disease and the potential for NGX426 to treat stroke, heart attack and other conditions associated with increased platelet aggregation. Such statements are subject to numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause TorreyPines' actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including whether any preclinical studies or clinical trials, either ongoing or conducted in the future, will prove successful, and if successful, whether the results can be replicated; whether safety and efficacy profiles of any of the company's product candidates will be established, or if established, will remain the same, be better or worse in future clinical trials, if any; whether pre-clinical results will be substantiated by ongoing or future clinical trials, if any, or whether any of the company's product candidates will be able to improve the signs or symptoms of their respective clinical indication; whether any of the company's product candidates will support a filing for marketing approval, will be approved by the regulatory authorities, or if approved, will prove competitive in the market; or whether the necessary financing to support the company's product development programs will be available. In particular there is no guarantee that clinical trials of any of the company's product candidates will be completed on schedule or that results of these clinical trials will be reported within the anticipated timeframe, that tezampanel or NGX426 will successfully treat migraine and/or other indications for which they are developed, that the End of Phase II meeting will be held in the anticipated time frame, that NGX267 will successfully treat xerostomia secondary to Sjogren's syndrome, that the company's gamma secretase modulators will be able to successfully treat Alzheimer's disease or that TorreyPines will be able to complete the necessary development work and receive regulatory approval for tezampanel, NGX426 or NGX267. These and other risks which may cause results to differ are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of TorreyPines' annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and TorreyPines other SEC reports. The forward-looking statements are based on current information that is likely to change and speak only as of the date hereof.
CONTACT: Company, Craig Johnson of TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc.,
+1-858-623-5665, ext. 158, cjohnson@torreypinestherapeutics.com; or media,
David Schull of Russo Partners, LLC, +1-212-845-4271,
david.schull@russopartners.com, for TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc.; or
investors, Rhonda Chiger of Rx Communications, +1-917-322-2569,
rchiger@RxIR.com, for TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc.
Web site: http://www.torreypinestherapeutics.com/
