Ardea Biosciences Identifies Lead Development Candidate for Gou...( - RDEA594 Data to Be Presented at ...),Health

- RDEA594 Data to Be Presented at the 2008 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology Organized by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) - - Initiation of Phase 1 Human Study of RDEA594 Planned in Second Half of

2008 -

SAN DIEGO, May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ardea Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: RDEA) today announced the identification of its lead development candidate for the treatment of patients with gout, RDEA594. Gout is a painful and debilitating disease that is caused by abnormally elevated levels of uric acid in the blood stream. RDEA594 is a major metabolite in both humans and animals of RDEA806, the Company's lead human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) development candidate. RDEA594 does not have significant antiviral activity, but is believed to be responsible for essentially all of the uric acid lowering effects seen with RDEA806. Robust uric acid-lowering effects have been observed following administration of RDEA806 in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials that included over 100 subjects.

Based on extensive in vitro and in vivo experiments, the Company believes it has elucidated the mechanism by which RDEA594 lowers serum uric acid levels. RDEA594 exhibits a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on the URAT1 transporter-mediated uptake of uric acid ex vivo and increases uric acid excretion in animal models. These effects are believed to result in the lowering of serum uric acid observed with RDEA806. URAT1 is a specific urate transporter expressed in the kidney responsible for regulation of uric acid levels, and is a validated target for treatment of hyperuricemia and gout.

"Gout represents a major medical challenge in the United States and throughout the world,
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