BERKELEY, Calif., May 12, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XOMA Ltd. (Nasdaq:XOMA), a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today issued U.S. Patent No. 7,531,166, covering XOMA 052, and other antibodies and antibody fragments with similar binding properties for human interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta). IL-1 beta is a pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in the development of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and other diseases. By binding to IL-1 beta, XOMA 052 inhibits the activation of the IL-1 receptor, thereby preventing the cellular signaling events that produce inflammation.
