| October 5, 2005
Rib-X Granted Key Antibiotic
Drug Discovery Patents
Company Also Announces First Ever
Gram-Positive 50S Ribosome Structure
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/
-- Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a
privately held biopharmaceutical company
that is designing and developing next
generation antibiotics, today announced
the issuance of four U.S. patents
(U.S. patent number 6,952,650, 6,947,845,
6,947,844, and 6,939,848). Rib-X was
founded to use high resolution crystal
structures of the 50S ribosomal subunit
and novel, proprietary structure-based
drug design approaches to efficiently
design new classes of antibiotics
that are active against drug- resistant
bacteria. The ribosome, found in all
cells, is a complex of protein and
RNA which promotes protein synthesis,
and its 50S subunit has long been
known to be a valuable, clinically
relevant antibiotic target. This growing
patent estate reinforces the Company's
significance to the important area
of antibiotic drug development.
The new patents describe Rib-X's proprietary
position on crystal structures of
the 50S subunit of the ribosome and
the complexes it forms with known
antibiotics, which define functional
sub-spaces of the ribosome ripe for
drug discovery. These patents are
based on the groundbreaking research
of two Rib-X founders, Yale professors
Peter Moore, Ph.D. and Thomas Steitz,
Ph.D., (also a Howard Hughes Medical
Institute investigator) as well as
the work of Rib-X scientists. Rib-X
is the exclusive worldwide commercial
licensee of the Yale patents. To complete
its access to ribosome high resolution
structural information, Rib-X has
also exclusively licensed the structure
of the small subunit of the ribosome,
the 30S, from the Medical Research
Council, London, and the structure
of the entire ribosome, the 70S, from
the University of California.
Rib-X also announced today a new ribosome
crystal structure -- the first high
resolution X-ray crystal structure
of the 50S ribosomal subunit of a
Gram-positive bacterium. This is the
first time ever that a scientific
group has succeeded in obtaining a
high resolution structure of the 50S
from prototypic Gram-positive organisms.
This new structure will enable Rib-X
scientists to design new classes of
antibiotics based on atomic resolution
knowledge of how known antibiotics
and Rib-X proprietary compounds interact
with this and other pathogenic bacteria.
"The issuance of these patents
and our ability to complete a high
resolution ribosomal structure from
Gram-positive bacteria are two significant
achievements that attest to the strength
of Rib-X's approach to creating novel
and potent antibiotics that overcome
resistant bacteria," said Susan
Froshauer, Ph.D., President and Chief
Executive Officer of Rib-X. "These
patents, which further consolidate
our proprietary position on the use
of the 50S ribosome structure, will
enhance the commercial opportunities
for the company."
Many existing classes of antibiotics,
including those used to treat both
community- and hospital-acquired infections,
are known to function by targeting
the 50S. Among the classes of antibiotics
that act this way are macrolides,
the ketolides and the oxazolidinones
that contribute more than $3 billion
to the annual antibiotic marketplace.
Zithromax and Zyvox are examples of
two such antibiotics. The in-depth
knowledge of the 50S structure provides
Rib-X scientists an unprecedented,
proprietary understanding of exactly
how these important classes of antibiotics
bind to the ribosome and why they
block its function. Rib-X is using
these insights to design novel molecules
that will overcome the resistance
of pathogenic bacteria to existing
classes of antibiotics, which is a
serious threat to public health.
"We doctors have waited a long
time for a new approach to antibiotic
development," said Rib-X Chief
Clinical Officer, Scott Hopkins, M.D.
"Our ribosome technology has
already enabled Rib-X to build a pipeline
of compounds of distinct structural
classes for both hospital- and community-based
infections. This new crystal structure
puts us in a unique position to target
multi-drug-resistant Gram-positive
bacteria like MRSA, VRE and PRSP that
cause life-threatening infections.
The use of the new structure will
enhance our accuracy in designing
new antibiotics, putting us in an
even stronger position to rapidly
produce drugs with increased efficacy
against infections caused by drug-resistant
bacteria."
About Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Rib-X Pharmaceuticals is a product-driven
small molecule drug discovery and
development company focused on the
structure-based design of new classes
of antibiotics. The Company's drug
discovery strategy is focused on the
exploitation of its proprietary high-resolution
crystal structure of the 50S subunit
of the ribosome, which performs an
essential role in the fundamental
process of protein synthesis, and
to which many known antibiotics bind.
The 50S ribosomal subunit is the target
for many clinically important classes
of antibiotics, including those used
to treat both community-acquired and
hospital-acquired pathogens. The Company's
integrated research approach, which
combines state of the art, proprietary
computational analysis, x-ray crystallography,
medicinal chemistry, microbiology
and biochemistry, allows it to rapidly
synthesize new agents designed to
avoid typical antibiotic resistance
mechanisms. Its program has already
yielded many attractive compounds
with attributes that make them appropriate
for either the hospital Gram-positive
or community respiratory tract infection
marketplace. During 2005, Rib-X intends
to initiate Phase I studies for at
least one clinical candidate from
its most advanced program.
For more information on the ribosome
and the Rib-X mission, please visit
the Company website at http://www.rib-x.com.
Contacts
Rx Communications Group
Rhonda Chiger (investors)
917-322-2569
Pat Garrison (media)
917-322-2567
Tony Loke (media)
917-322-2164
SOURCE Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
-0- 10/05/2005
CONTACT: Investors: Rhonda Chiger,
+1-917-322-2569, Media: Pat Garrison,
+1-917-322-2567, or Tony Loke, +1-917-322-2164,
all of Rx Communications Group
/Web site: http://www.rib-x.com
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