Portola Pharmaceuticals Announces Initiation of Phase 1 Clinical Trial of PRT062607, an Oral, Syk-Specific Inhibitor for Chronic Inflammatory Disease Indications

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Portola Pharmaceuticals Announces Initiation of Phase 1 Clinical Trial of

PRT062607, an Oral, Syk-Specific Inhibitor for Chronic Inflammatory Disease

Indications

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Portola Pharmaceuticals,

Inc. today announced that it has initiated its first in human Phase 1 trial in

healthy volunteers of PRT062607, a novel, oral Syk-specific kinase inhibitor in

development to treat chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid

arthritis (RA), and certain cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and

chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In preclinical in vivo models of RA, PRT062607 was

shown to reduce inflammation in a dose-dependent manner.

PRT062607 is Portola's lead compound discovered from an extensive kinase

chemistry effort that has led to the development of potent, oral inhibitors of

Spleen Tyrosine Kinase (Syk) and Janus Kinase (JAK). Syk and JAK play key roles

in signaling pathways that modulate inflammation and certain cancers. PRT062607

has been shown to be a highly specific inhibitor of Syk in a broad panel of in

vitro kinase and cellular assays.

" Because of its key role as a mediator in a number of important signaling

pathways, specific, low-level Syk inhibition may be ideal for the management of

chronic inflammatory diseases, such as RA, and may be better tolerated than less

selective kinase inhibitors, " said D. Gretler, M.D., chief medical

officer of Portola. " The initiation of the Phase 1 trial of PRT062607 is an

important milestone toward our goal of developing safe and efficacious oral

drugs for rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. "

The ascending, single-dose Phase 1 study is assessing the safety,

pharmacokinetics and pharmcodynamics of oral PRT062607 in up to 48 healthy

individuals. The trial is being conducted at a single U.K. site. It is expected

to be completed in the second half of 2010.

Full story

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/portola-pharmaceuticals-announces-initia\

tion-of-phase-1-clinical-trial-of-prt062607-an-oral-syk-specific-inhibitor-for-c\

hronic-inflammatory-disease-indications-88900062.html

or http://tiny.cc/6k8xn

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