Ardea Announces Progress with HIV Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibit...( - Lead Candidate RDEA806 Demonstr...),Health

- Lead Candidate, RDEA806, Demonstrated No Reproductive Toxicity in

Preclinical Study - - RDEA427 Selected as Clinical Candidate, Demonstrated a 40 Hour Half-Life

with Potential for Once Daily Oral Dosing -

SAN DIEGO, May 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ardea Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: RDEA) today announced preclinical data on its lead non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) candidate, RDEA806, demonstrating no reproductive toxicity. In addition, novel second-generation NNRTI, RDEA427, was selected as a development candidate for the potential treatment of the human-immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS.

Animal reproductive toxicity studies recently completed with RDEA806 have demonstrated no effects on male or female fertility or on early embryonic development at all tested doses. These results are in contrast to the fetal malformations reported in other NNRTI animal reproductive toxicity studies.

Exploratory human testing (Phase 0) of RDEA427 was recently completed in which micro-doses of the compound were administered to healthy volunteers. Preliminary pharmacokinetic data from this study, produced by Vitalea Science, Inc. using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) technology, demonstrated that RDEA427 has a half-life of approximately 40 hours, which could permit once daily oral dosing.

"The ability to use RDEA806 in women, without the risk of birth defects, is a major advantage over the current first-line NNRTI. Women make up 26% of HIV/AIDS diagnosed patients in the United States, and an even larger percent of infected patients worldwide. These preclinical data for RDEA806 further strengthen its impressive product profile," said
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