SAN FRANCISCO and ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VIA Pharmaceuticals , a biotechnology company focused on the development of compounds for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, today presented data showing that VIA-2291 significantly inhibited vascular inflammation in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. VIA-2291, the company’s lead drug candidate, is a potent, selective and reversible inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), which is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of leukotrienes (important mediators of inflammation involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis).
The data were presented at the Inflammation and Adhesion Molecules II session at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2007 in Orlando, FL (poster: B138).
“These data further validate our human clinical trial program with VIA-2291,” said Larry Cohen, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of VIA. “By targeting this key pathway in vascular inflammation, we believe VIA-2291 may have the potential to reduce the major adverse cardiac events that occur as a result of the rupture of unstable plaque. We are encouraged that these data support VIA-2291 as a potential, powerful anti-inflammatory compound for the vascular system.”
Atherosclerosis is the result of chronic inflammation and the buildup of plaque in arterial blood vessel walls. Research in both humans and mice has noted abundant expression of 5-LO co-localizing with macrophages in aortic lesions. These cells are often implicated in vascular inflammation in atherosclerosis.
The study used mice that were genetically modified to develop atherosclerosis. A team of researchers headed by Thomas Quertermous, M.D., chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University, and chief scientific officer of VIA Pharmaceuticals, demonstrated a significant decline in the extent of atherosclerosis detected after a four week regimen of VIA-2291 given orally once a day. In addition, immunohistochemistry with a monocyte/macrophage specific antibody (anti-MOMA2) showed a similar inhibitory effect on this cell type within the remaining aortic lesions. Mice administered VIA-2291 displayed 35 percent less MOMA-2 reactivity counts per square millimeter of lesion.
About VIA-2291
VIA’s lead product candidate, VIA-2291, is a small molecule drug that targets inflammation in the blood vessel wall, a primary disease process in atherosclerosis. VIA-2291 is being developed as a once-daily, oral drug to target inflammation in the blood vessel wall, thereby potentially decreasing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including heart attack and stroke. According to the American Heart Association, 15.8 million patients in the U.S. have coronary artery disease.
About VIA Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
VIA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on the development of compounds for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. VIA is building a pipeline of small-molecule drugs that target a significant unmet medical need: reducing inflammation in the blood vessel wall, which is an underlying cause of atherosclerosis and its complications, including heart attack and stroke. The company’s lead drug candidate, VIA-2291, is in multiple Phase II clinical studies in patients with cardiovascular disease. For more information, visit: http://www.viapharmaceuticals.com.
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CONTACT: James G. Stewart, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of VIA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-415-283-2204; or Investors, Ian
Clements or Lauren Glaser - San Francisco, +1-415-392-3385, or Brian Korb -
New York City, +1-646-378-2923, all of The Trout Group, for VIA
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; or Media, Aimee Corso of WeissComm Partners,
+1-310-780-2661, for VIA Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Web site: http://www.viapharmaceuticals.com/
