press release archive

Rigel Announces Presentations at Two Investor Conferences

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - April 19, 2006

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced that James M. Gower, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will provide a company overview at two upcoming investor conferences:

6th Annual Fortis Bank Biotechnology Conference
Four Seasons Hotel, Park Lane, London
Wednesday, April 26
3:30 p.m. GMT

Deutsche Bank 2006 Health Care Conference
Sheraton Boston Hotel, Boston, MA
Wednesday, May 3
1:45 p.m. EDT
*Will be webcast

To access the live audio webcast or the subsequent archived recording, log on to www.rigel.com/rigel/events. Please connect to Rigel's website several minutes prior to the start of the live webcast to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be necessary.

About Rigel (www.rigel.com)
Rigel is a clinical-stage drug development company that discovers and develops novel, small-molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, cancer and viral diseases. Our goal is to move one new product candidate for a significant indication into the clinic each year. We have achieved this goal since 2002. 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 and allergy, as well as in cancer.

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements related to Rigel's plans to pursue pre-clinical and clinical development of product candidates and the timing thereof and the potential efficacy and safety of product candidates. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "plans," "intends," "expects," “believes,” and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause Rigel's results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including risks associated with the timing and success of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, as well as other risks detailed from time to time in Rigel's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005. Rigel does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Contact: Raul Rodriguez
Phone: 650.624.1302
Email: invrel@rigel.com

Media Contact: Carolyn Bumgardner Wang, WeissComm Partners, Inc.
Phone: 415.946.1065
Email: carolyn@weisscommpartners.com