corporate overview: Rigel Pharmaceuticals

About Rigel:

Rigel is a clinical-stage drug development company that discovers and develops novel, small-molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammatory/autoimmune diseases and cancer, as well as viral and metabolic diseases.

Our pioneering research focuses on intracellular signaling pathways and related targets that are critical to disease mechanisms.

Rigel’s productivity has resulted in strategic collaborations with large pharmaceutical partners to develop and market our product candidates.

We have product development programs in inflammatory/autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, thrombocytopenia and asthma, as well as oncology.

R788 is our lead product candidate. We have initiated Phase 2 clinical trials with R788 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and B-cell lymphoma.

In 2007, we released initial results from our Phase 2 clinical trial in ITP showing that R788 increased platelet counts for a majority of the patients treated. We also announced statistically significant results with R788 in our Phase 2 clinical trial in RA patients showing higher ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 scores than placebo. In June 2008, preliminary results in our Phase 2 clinical study in lymphoma showed the benefit of R788 in Diffuse Large B-Cell and SLL/CLL lymphomas.





		RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS Rigel has focused its RA program on the development of oral, safe, disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD’s). In December 2007, Rigel announced significant and rapid improvement in RA patients in a Phase 2 clinical trial that showed higher ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 scores than placebo.						THROMBOCYTOPENIA ITP is an autoimmune-based hematological diseases characterized by the destruction of platelets. Rigel’s lead product candidate, R788, may address platelet destruction by inhibiting IgG signaling. In November 2007, we released initial results from our Phase 2 ITP trial showing that R788 increased platelet counts for a majority of the patients treated.





		B-CELL LYMPHOMA Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Research has shown that R788 effectively interrupts the growth of B-cells and signaling proteins that contribute to the survival of these tumors. In June 2008, preliminary results in our Phase 2 clinical study showed the benefit of R788 in Diffuse Large B-Cell and SLL/CLL lymphomas.						ONCOLOGY R763 is a potent, selective Aurora kinase that has been shown to inhibit proliferation and trigger apoptosis in several tumor cell lines, including cervical, colon, lung, pancreas and prostate. Rigel partnered with Merck Serono to develop R763, in a deal worth $160M. Merck Serono has initiated three Phase 1 studies of R763.





		ASTHMA/ALLERGY Rigel is investigating Syk kinase inhibitors, which are designed to block all of the major pathways triggered in an allergic attack, for the treatment of asthma. In May 2006, Pfizer selected R343 for advanced preclinical development. In December 2007, Pfizer initiated Phase 1 trials with R343. Both of these events triggered $5 million milestone payments.						VIROLOGY Rigel is focused on finding potential new treatments for HIV. We have identified compounds that inhibit the function of Vif, a protein produced by HIV essential for virus growth. Vif targets Apobec3G, a human protein that possesses antiviral activity, for destruction by recruiting Apobec3G to a ubiquitin ligase complex. By neutralizing Vif and rescuing Apobec3G activity, these compounds are expected to restore the body’s ability to fight HIV infection.