Sirion Therapeutics Preclinical Studies: Two New Potential Advances in Treatment of Retinal Diseases to be Present...( TAMPA Fla. April 21 /- Sirion The...)

TAMPA, Fla., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirion Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held ophthalmic-focused biopharmaceutical company, announced today that preclinical results for two new compounds targeted for the treatment of retinal diseases will be presented during the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), April 27 - May 1, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

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"We are very excited by the potential application of the basic research being conducted by our drug discovery team," said Barry Butler, President and CEO of Sirion Therapeutics, Inc. "Sirion's targeted research approach enables us to rapidly identify new compounds and test their viability in disease models. The two classes of compounds presented at ARVO could have utility in a number of ophthalmic disease states, including macular degeneration, Stargardt's disease and diabetic eye disease."

Sirion's two-fold corporate strategy consists of 1) completing the development and commercialization of late-stage product candidates focused on the front of the eye and 2) development of innovative treatments for back of the eye diseases. The company's new drug application for Durezol(TM) (difluprednate ophthalmic emulsion) 0.05%, a topical steroid for the treatment of postoperative ocular inflammation, has been accepted for filing and granted priority review by the US Food and Drug Administration. Sirion's strong preclinical research program is centered at its dedicated drug discovery facility in San Diego, CA.

[Note: Durezol(TM) is the trademark of Sirion Therapeutics, Inc. and is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has not yet been cleared as the trade name for commercial use.]

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