OPTIMER PHARMACEUTICALS SECURES $34.2 MILLION FINANCING IN 2005

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the Company has raised $34.2 million in venture capital. In a Series C financing round, which closed April 29, 2005, Optimer secured a $12 million equity investment from Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. Associated with this investment, there was a joint collaboration agreement to develop PAR-101 (also referred to as OPT-80), a narrow spectrum antibiotic designed to treat Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) for the North America market.

Biotech Intelligence (http://www.biotech-intelligence.com/html/html/4c8875944c2380498c2a84e4f1dc9609.html)