Rigel to Host Conference Call to Discuss Phase 2 Study Results of R788 in Lymphoma Presented at ASH

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced that members of Rigel's senior management team will host a conference call with simultaneous webcast on Sunday, December 7, 2008, at 4:00 p.m. PST, to discuss the results of Rigel's Phase 2 clinical trial of R788, an oral Syk kinase inhibitor, in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

To access the live call, please dial 800-561-2693 (domestic) or 617-614-3523 (international) 10 minutes prior to the start time and use the passcode 36883961. A replay of the call will be available, in webcast and podcast formats, at approximately 6:00 p.m. PST on December 7, 2008 through December 14, 2008. To access the replay, please dial 888-286-8010 (domestic) or 617-801-6888 (international) and use the passcode 47095093. The conference call will also be webcast live and can be accessed from Rigel's website at http://www.rigel.com. Please connect to Rigel's website several minutes prior to the start of the live webcast to ensure adequate time for any software downloads that may be necessary.

In addition, Rigel will be participating in a plenary session during the 50th Annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) Meeting in San Francisco, California from December 6-9, 2008.

ASH Presentation Details

Plenary session: Sunday, December 7, 2008 - 2:40 p.m. PST

Title: 3 - Fostamatinib Disodium (FosD), An Oral Inhibitor of Syk, Is Well-Tolerated and Has Significant Clinical Activity in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and Chronic Lymphoctytic Leukemia (SLL/CLL)

Location: Halls B and C (Moscone Center)

About Rigel (http://www.rigel.com)

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. Rigel has product development programs in inflammatory/autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, thrombocytopenia and asthma, as well as in cancer.

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

     Media Contact: Susan C. Rogers, Alchemy Consulting, Inc.
     Phone: 650.430.3777
     Email: susan@alchemyemail.com

SOURCE Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Released December 3, 2008