ISIS PHARMACEUTICALS BEGINS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR ISIS 301012

Isis Pharmaceuticals has initiated the development program of ISIS 301012 in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a genetic disorder that causes extremely high cholesterol levels and results in the early-onset of heart disease.

The Phase II studies in patients with FH are part of a broad Phase II development program of ISIS 301012. ISIS 301012, a second-generation antisense drug, reduces levels of apoB-100, a protein critical to the synthesis and transport of the "bad" cholesterol involved in heart disease -- low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein. Lowering cholesterol levels is a key component in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease.