PALO ALTO, Calif., Apr 10, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Bayhill Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary therapeutic BHT-DNA(TM: 98.28, +0.30, +0.30%) platform to develop novel and targeted autoimmune disease treatment candidates, today announced that the Company's co-founder and Vice President of Research, Hideki Garren, M.D., Ph.D., will present at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Annual Meeting (AAN) in Chicago. Dr. Garren's podium presentation will discuss Bayhill's lead product candidate BHT-3009 in relation to an abstract (#857) entitled "Results from a Phase 2 Trial of a Myelin Basic Protein Encoding DNA Vaccine for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis" at session S22: "Multiple Sclerosis: Clinical Trials III" on Wednesday, April 16 at 2:30 PM central time at McCormick Place West Convention Center, Chicago, IL.
Please note, the details of the abstract remain under embargo until the commencement of Dr. Garren's presentation at the conference. Bayhill Therapeutics will provide additional details at that time.
About BHT-3009 an Investigational Product
BHT-3009 is an antigen-specific plasmid encoding myelin basic protein (MBP: 24.40, +0.30, +1.24%) that has the potential to gain a significant share of the multi-billion dollar MS market as an effective treatment with limited side effects and a superior administration profile. Early clinical data suggests that BHT-3009 reprograms the immune system to tolerize to, rather than attack, the MBP in the myelin sheath of the central nervous system of MS patients. In particular, data from two completed placebo-controlled clinical trials signaled BHT-3009's potential to treat Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RR-MS) patients with high levels of immune activity, with a safety profile similar to placebo.
About Multiple Sclerosis (MS: 45.89, +0.47, +1.03%)
MS is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the immune system's attack on specific self-antigens, such as myelin basic protein (MBP: 24.40, +0.30, +1.24%) present in the myelin sheath of the central nervous system. This attack on self-antigens leads to the onset of MS, which is characterized by symptoms of numbness, lack of coordination, blindness and paralysis.
According to an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2006, MS is the most common non-traumatic cause of disability in young adults in the United States and Europe. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS: 1.31, +0.06, +4.80%) an estimated 400,000 people in the United States have MS, while more than two million people are afflicted worldwide.
About Bayhill Therapeutics
Bayhill Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary therapeutic BHT-DNA(TM: 98.28, +0.30, +0.30%) platform to develop a pipeline of novel and targeted treatment candidates for autoimmune diseases. The Company's product candidates are designed to restore the immune system to its normal state known as "tolerance," by selectively eliminating specific, harmful immune responses while leaving the rest of the immune system intact. The Company has two lead products in the clinic based on BHT-DNA(TM: 98.28, +0.30, +0.30%) that have demonstrated positive safety and tolerability, in addition to preliminary efficacy. The first product candidate, BHT-3009, was the subject of a completed Phase II trial for multiple sclerosis (MS: 45.89, +0.47, +1.03%). The second product candidate, BHT-3021, is currently in a Phase I/II trial for type 1 diabetes (T1D). More information about Bayhill Therapeutics is available at www.bayhilltx.com.
SOURCE: Bayhill Therapeutics, Inc.
Bayhill Therapeutics, Inc.
Mark W. Schwartz, Ph.D, President/CEO, 650-320-2800
mwschwartz@bayhilltx.com
Fred Kurland, Chief Financial Officer, 650-320-2800
fkurland@bayhilltx.com
or
The Ruth Group
Sara Ephraim, 646-536-7002 (Investors)
sephraim@theruthgroup.com
Janine McCargo, 646-536-7033 (Media)
jmccargo@theruthgroup.comCopyright Business Wire 2008
