( Single-Dose Protection Observed Prior t...)Targanta Study Shows Oritavancin Treatment Effective in a Mouse,Model of Anthrax,Health

TORONTO, Ontario, May 24, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Targanta Therapeutics Corporation announced today the results from a recent study demonstrating oritavancin as a potential therapy for treating exposure to Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium which causes anthrax, an acute infectious disease. Oritavancin, a novel semi- synthetic lipoglycopeptide antibiotic for the treatment of serious gram- positive infections, is Targanta's lead product currently in post-Phase 3 clinical development. This research was conducted and presented in partnership with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) 107th Annual General Meeting in Toronto, Ontario from May 21-25, 2007.

"We are encouraged by the research demonstrating that oritavancin may represent a potential treatment for anthrax exposure," said Thomas Parr, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Targanta Therapeutics. "This research eventually could lead to better protection for both military personnel and citizens against an anthrax attack."

Study Methods and Results:

Efficacy of Oritavancin in a Murine Model of Bacillus anthracis Spore Inhalation Anthrax

Using an aerosol-anthrax mouse model, researchers investigated oritavancin (ORI) as potential therapy for inhalational anthrax (post-exposure). In the model, mice were exposed to spores of the Ames strain of B. anthracis at seventy five times the lethal dose necessary to kill 50% of untreated mice (75 x LD50). The control group received either saline or 30 mg/kg of ciprofloxacin (CIP) intraperitoneally (within the abdominal cavity) every 12 hours for 14 days. ORI doses ranged from 0.1 to 30 mg/kg intraperitoneally every 48 hours for 14 days. Alternatively, ORI was administered intravenously from 5 to 50 mg/kg as a single intravenous dose. All
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