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EPIX PRESENTS FINDINGS FROM TRIALS OF COPD DRUG

December 8, 2006

Epix Pharmaceuticals has presented data from three randomized, placebo-controlled, Phase I clinical trials of PRX-08066, a novel serotonin 5-HT2B receptor antagonist. Data from these trials provide support for the ongoing Phase IIa clinical trial of PRX-08066 in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The presentation included data from two Phase I clinical trials with PRX-08066 in healthy volunteers, along with results from a third study, a Phase Ib trial in athletes conditioned to exercise at high altitudes. The first Phase I trial was a single-dose study and the second trial was a multiple-dose, 14-day study; in both studies, subjects received either PRX-08066 or placebo. PRX-08066 was well-tolerated in the single-dose study up to 500 mg and up to 400 mg twice daily in the multiple-dose study.

The Phase Ib trial assessed the effects of PRX-08066 on pulmonary artery pressure in athletes whose pulmonary pressures were increased by exposure to a reduced oxygen level. The results of this trial indicated that 200 mg of PRX-08066 given orally twice daily significantly reduced the increase in pulmonary artery blood pressure during hypoxic exercise, without affecting systemic blood pressure.

Epix is developing PRX-08066 to provide both symptomatic improvement, through selective dilation of diseased pulmonary blood vessels, and to also slow disease progression, by inhibiting the thickening of the pulmonary artery vessels. The company believes PRX-08066 is the first 5-HT2B selective antagonist under development for PH associated with COPD. The 5-HT2B receptor represents a novel target for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, as it has been linked to both pulmonary vasoconstriction, as well as the smooth muscle hypertrophy found in pulmonary vessels during pulmonary hypertension of various types.