VIA Pharmaceuticals Announces Positive Results of Phase 2 Studies of VIA-2291 in Patients With Serious Cardiovascul...( - In Two Studies Drug was Well-T...),Health

- In Two Studies Drug was Well-Tolerated, Significantly Inhibited

Leukotriene Production, and Reduced Inflammation- - Webcast Conference Call to Discuss Results on Monday, November 10 at 8:30

a.m. ET-

NEW ORLEANS and SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VIA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIAP), a biotechnology company focused on the development of compounds for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, announced today the results of two Phase 2 studies of its lead drug, VIA-2291. In each Phase 2 study, VIA-2291 effectively inhibited production of leukotrienes, proposed mediators of vascular inflammation. VIA-2291 was generally well-tolerated. The results were presented today during a Special Session at the American Heart Association 2008 Scientific Sessions being held in New Orleans.

"These trials accomplished our goal of demonstrating that VIA-2291 directly impacts the leukotriene pathway and potentially reduces vascular inflammation, which we believe leads to atherosclerosis and death in a broad population," said Lawrence K. Cohen, Ph.D., chief executive officer of VIA Pharmaceuticals. "We now look forward to designing studies that can link VIA- 2291's unique mechanism of action to improvement in atherosclerotic plaque and ultimately cardiovascular outcomes."

The first of these trials, the acute coronary syndromes (ACS) trial, met its primary endpoint by demonstrating a significant change from baseline in Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) production at all doses tested (p<0.001).

The second trial, the carotid endarterectomy (CEA) trial, missed its primary endpoint of percentage reduction in macrophage inflammatory cells in plaque tissue, but met key secondary
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