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LA JOLLA PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENTISTS
PRESENT AT TWO INTERNATIONAL AUTOIMMUNE
DISEASE MEDICAL CONFERENCES
SAN DIEGO, February 25, 2002 -- La
Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (Nasdaq:
LJPC) today announced that Matthew Linnik,
Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research,
presented additional data concerning
LJP 394, its drug candidate for the
treatment of lupus kidney disease, at
the Third International Congress on
Autoimmunity in Geneva, Switzerland
and at the Fifth International Anti-DNA
Antibody Workshop in London, England.
LJP 394 is designed to reduce the production
of disease-causing antibodies responsible
for lupus kidney disease while not suppressing
the healthy functions of the immune
system. Kidney disease is a leading
cause of morbidity and mortality in
lupus patients.
Third International
Congress on Autoimmunity
In a talk entitled "Reduction
in Antibodies to dsDNA using LJP 394
in a Dose Ranging Trial in Lupus Patients,"
Dr. Linnik discussed for the first time
at a medical conference results from
an earlier Phase II dose-ranging clinical
trial completed in 1999 that involved
74 patients. In lupus patients treated
weekly for 12 weeks with placebo, 10
mg or 50 mg of LJP 394, antibodies to
dsDNA increased by 100%, 53% and 10%,
respectively, while in lupus patients
treated weekly for 12 weeks with 100
mg of LJP 394, antibodies to dsDNA decreased
by 43%, a statistically significant
difference from placebo.
"This dose ranging study reinforces
the observation that weekly treatment
with 100 mg of LJP 394 reduces antibodies
to dsDNA more consistently than lower
doses," said Dr. Linnik. Dr. Linnik
also presented a poster entitled "Effect
of LJP 394 or High-dose Corticosteroids
and Cyclophosphamide on Anti-dsDNA Antibodies
in SLE Patients."
In a third presentation, G. Michael
Iverson, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist
at LJP, reviewed data on the Company's
experimental drug, LJP 1082, confirming
that disease-causing antibodies from
patients with antibody-mediated thrombosis
bind primarily to a specific region,
or domain, of the blood protein called
beta 2 glycoprotein I (beta 2 GPI) that
is involved in blood clotting. The talk
was entitled "Use of Mutations
in Domain 1 and Domain 4 of Beta 2 GPI
to Determine Fine Antigenic Specificity
of Antiphospholipid Autoantibodies."
Fifth International
Anti-DNA Antibody Workshop
At the Fifth International Anti-DNA
Antibody Workshop, Dr. Linnik presented
an invited lecture on results from a
previous Phase II/III clinical trial
for LJP 394 to a group of international
experts who study antibodies to dsDNA
and their impact on lupus renal disease.
Dr. Linnik discussed previously reported
data showing that LJP 394-treated patients
with high-affinity antibodies to the
drug experienced one-third as many renal
flares and required one-half as many
treatments with high dose corticosteroids
and/or cyclophosphamide as placebo-treated
patients.
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company is
a biotechnology company leading the
development of therapeutics for antibody-mediated
autoimmune diseases afflicting several
million people in the United States
and Europe. The Company is conducting
a Phase III trial of LJP 394 in patients
with lupus kidney disease, a leading
cause of sickness and death in these
patients. The Company is also conducting
a Phase I/II trial of LJP 1082 for the
treatment of antibody-mediated thrombosis,
a condition in which patients suffer
from recurrent stroke, deep-vein thrombosis
and other thrombotic events. The Company's
common stock is traded on The Nasdaq
Stock Market under the symbol LJPC.
For more information about the Company,
visit our Web site: http://www.ljpc.com.
Patients interested in the Phase III
lupus trial may call 1-888-30-LUPUS
for information.
Except for historical statements,
this press release contains forward-looking
statements, including, without limitation
statements regarding the analysis of
results from preclinical and clinical
studies as well as La Jolla Pharmaceutical's
drug candidates and drug development
plans. These forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties, and
a number of factors, both foreseen and
unforeseen, could cause actual results
to differ materially from those anticipated.
Previously announced clinical results
for LJP 394 are derived from a trial
that was terminated prior to completion,
and certain data are incomplete. The
Company's blood test to measure binding
affinity for LJP 394 is experimental
and has not been validated by independent
laboratories. Tolerance, or the specific
inactivation of pathogenic B cells,
is a new technology that has not been
proven. The Company's ability to develop
and sell its products in the future
may be affected by the intellectual
property rights of third parties. Future
clinical trials of the Company's drug
candidates may have negative or inconclusive
results. Future clinical trials of the
Company's drug candidates may not support
results of preclinical or other prior
trials of LJP 394 for treating lupus
or LJP 1082 for treating antibody-mediated
thrombosis, and may reveal a potential
safety issue requiring the development
of new candidates. Any delays in testing
of the Company's drug candidates and/or
termination of development by the Company
would result in delays or lack of government
approval to market the compounds. The
development of drug candidates involves
many risks and uncertainties, including,
without limitation, whether the drug
can provide a meaningful clinical benefit,
and any positive results observed to
date may not be indicative of future
results. La Jolla Pharmaceutical's other
potential drug candidates involve comparable
risks. Interested parties are urged
to review the risks detailed from time
to time in La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company's
Securities and Exchange Commission filings,
including the report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 2000.
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